JAN
30

Prepping Your Students for Audition

By Grey Pratt, Customer Service Rep, Pioneer Drama Service 

Grey has been involved in theatre for 16+ years, starting from when they were a small child.  Through the years, their participation has included acting, tech, directing, designing, writing, construction, and much more.  The theatre arts have a special place in Grey’s heart, and they invest themself in any facet they can, which has led to the exciting opportunity of being employed with Pioneer Drama. 

The first step to putting on a great show is to hold a great audition!  Helping your students be comfortable and excited is key to making sure things turn out the best they can.  Whether it is their first time auditioning or they are a “seasoned veteran,” nerves can get the best of anyone.  Here’s a guide to help prep your young students for what to expect at auditions.

First of all, remind them that this is going to be fun!  Nerves are natural, but the experience and practice of channeling their nervous energy and putting it into their performance is extremely beneficial.  Even if things don’t turn out the way they had hoped or planned, the process of preparing for it will give them confidence and help them grow and develop this important life skill.

Encourage your students to spend a good amount of time familiarizing themselves with the material^* ahead of time.  Ideally, students should have the chance to read the entire script to whatever audition piece they are performing.  It’s the only way for them to understand the full context of the lines they are delivering.  If you are having them read from the play they are auditioning for and they can’t read it in advance, at least help them research the character(s) for which they will be auditioning.  Make sure to give them descriptions of the characters and a plot summary to provide character background.  Encourage them to look deeper into the characters — to think about where they come from, what motivates them, how they relate to other characters, etc.  If auditioning for a musical, help them get familiar with the music.  The more comfortable they are with the music, the easier it is to stand their ground during an audition when nerves get high.

The day of auditions, have students warm up physically.  To help your students loosen up for auditions, encourage them to be active, yet relaxed.  Ideally in front of a mirror, have them practice good posture, broad gestures, and eye contact, all of which instill confidence.  Have them warm up vocal chords and mouth muscles by doing tongue twisters or singing, and larger muscles by dancing or moving the body.  The more your students feel at home in their bodies, the easier it is for them to let loose and give life to a character, which is what you want to see during auditions!

Once a student actor is in a good space physically, it’s important they let their mind follow.  The best thing an actor can do to have a great audition is to chill out and find a place in their mind that feels secure.  You can help by reminding them of all the hard work they have put into prepping for this audition and imbue them with confidence that they are prepared.  Offer them perspective that it's not just about how good they are, it's about who fits the part better, so they can only do the best they can.  Whether or not they get the part, the most important thing to do is be proud of themselves and enjoy being on stage.

And lastly...  HAVE FUN!  Auditions at a young level should be full of laughter and excitement in addition to hard work and focus.  Making your auditions a space that feels welcoming and comfortable will encourage more students to return for the next auditions, and hopefully bring even more new student actors with them.

^* Did you know that Pioneer Drama offers FREE script samples of every show?  Those samples can even be PRINTED to use for readings or auditions!  Just click on the orange SCRIPT SAMPLE button found on any play’s page below the description.