My first Broadway audition was for a musical. I was very young and the experience –now it seems hilarious- at the time, was a nightmare. I was not as prepared as I should have been. I made four tragic mistakes:
✓ Accepting an audition for a role that wasn’t appropriate for me
✓ Not being ready for the audition…I whipped together a song two days before
✓ Choosing the worse material-a song from the actual show that was not within my range and ability
✓ Not knowing when or how to leave (or just not going in the first place)
I could chalk it up to youthful exuberance, false courage, wishful thinking, optimistic delusion or just GREED. I WANTED so badly to get work as an actor that I put myself in an embarrassing and ridiculous situation. Instead of telling the agent who called that I wasn’t really a strong singer, not ready for a B’way audition and losing the trust of that agent I instead jumped in and said, “Great! I’ll be there! THERE was the Shubert Theatre-the most respected and classic of the old theatres on 46th St-the heart of B’way. Almost every famous actor in the history of New York Theatre had appeared on this stage. I was awed!
I had the chance to audition to replace the leading lady in a long running successful rock musical (an era long gone), so I naturally chose the “hit” song of the show made famous by many great singers. It was a passionate love song requiring a strong belt voice. I was a light lyric soprano with a weak/non-existent belt voice…wrong choice!
I went with my coach who drained my confidence when he asked every 10 minutes if I really wanted to do this?
They called my name. I stood on the stage feeling euphoric. Broadway! My coach stood in the wings as the accompanist started. Why wasn’t my coach playing? Why is the tempo so fast? Why is it in a different key? Oops! Why was the piano on wheels rolling across the stage in front of me? I had to keep stepping to the right to avoid being hit by the piano while I also attempted to keep up with the unfamiliar pace, hit the notes and breathe and…and wham! Gasping, I came to a final line in the song, the lyrics of which said it all…” KNOWING WHEN TO LEAVE MAY BE THE SMARTEST THING THAT ANYONE CAN LEARN…GGOOOOOOOO!”
Within seconds I heard a strong voice from the back row of the orchestra yell,
“RIGHT!”
Audition over. Silence. My face was red, blushing, humiliated, close to tears, still out of breath, gasping. Through the mist I felt the arm of my coach who had stopped the rolling piano and was leading me out of the theatre via the backstage door.
Lesson Learned?
Know your abilities and your limitations.
I NEVER accepted an audition again for ANYTHING unless I knew I could play the part, aand knew in my heart that I was going to WIN and book that job. And I stopped trying to be a B’way belt singer when it wasn’t me-didn’t have the chops and wasn’t interested in the work in the first place. No more time and money wasted on expensive musical coaching!
It would have been equally disastrous if I had tried to audition for Chorus Line as a dancer NOT being a dancer!
Instead, I focused on the areas in which I was trained and which suited me-Classical and modern theatre, TV and Film…and I never stopped auditioning, booking, working and succeeding.
This is the checklist I created to make sure I was always ready and I want to share it with you:
1. PREPARATION - get the script and know it. Make the strongest possible “decisions” about the character, the motivations and emotional arc of the scene. Having a strong structure gives you freedom during the actual audition.
2. VISUALIZATION - see yourself clearly performing the piece with joy, energy, awareness.
3. ENTRANCE - Walk into the room with an aura of confidence and strength. No doubts. Say to yourself, “I can do this excellently. You are going to hire me!”
4. BEING IN THE MOMENT AS WELL AS IN THE CHARACTER - Play it as it lays, go with the flow, be open to all possibilities during the audition. Know that there will be surprises with any audition partner or reader.
5. ENJOYING THE PROCESS - Whatever happens find pleasure in it. If the director asks you to do it differently -OK, that’s cool. If they ask you to come back –good, that’s cool. If they say you are the wrong type, sorry! - That’s cool. Just leave. You did your best work. That’s all you have to do. Having the right attitude brings amazing results and future jobs. People remember people they like, respect and trust. There’s ALWAYS ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER ROLE.
6. KNOWING WHEN TO LEAVE…AND HOW. Learn to say thank you, smile and head slowly to the door. Never look back. On to the next audition. Never dwell on how it COULD have been.
Good auditioning! Successful Marketing!
Gwyn Gilliss is the Executive Director of TAM, The Actor’s Market, a marketing firm for actors. They provide monthly FREE seminars, teleseminars, FREE weekly marketing tips as well as access to top photographers, graphic artists and videographers who provide every marketing tool an actor needs. Gwyn’s acting career spans several decades during which time she appeared on and off-B’way, in classical roles in American Repertory companies, in over 18 contract/recurring roles in Daytime/Primetime TV, films and dozens of network commercials and Voice-Overs. As a Career Coach she is available to work One-on-One with actors at all levels.
©Copyright Gwyn Gilliss 2008.
All rights reserved.
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