The Second Act - The Fear Factor

If you want to perform, you have to audition. Whether it’s a musical or a drama, unless it’s for yourself in the shower, you have to demonstrate to someone what you can do. And the process can be scary. But the fear can be controlled and, in fact, used to one’s advantage. Here are a few of my thoughts on the matter, from having participated in a number of auditions on both sides of the table:

It’s OK to be scared

A little fear is a good thing. Think of all the thrilling things you have done: skied a black diamond, jumped into deep water, flown in an ultra-light. The fear is part of the thrill. The same should be true of auditioning and performing. Enjoy the thrill.

Perfect performances are rare

Your audition won’t be perfect. Maybe you’re just getting over a cold, maybe you’ve got a headache, maybe you didn’t sleep last night. These things happen when you’re performing, too. And you perform anyway. Don’t make excuses for a less-than-stellar performance. Accept your deficiencies as part of the imperfect person you are and do what you can in spite of them.

It’s not you, it’s them

Whether you get the part or not may have nothing to do with you. In theater, casting is perhaps the most important part of directing. A director has to select actors for the roles who will portray the vision the director has for the character. Talent is important, but if you’re not a match for the part, talent doesn’t matter.

The director is not God

Don’t think of the director as the person who has control of your destiny. If you’re right for the part, the director wants you as badly as you want the part. The director doesn’t give out roles to good girls and boys. The director does his or her best to match the available talent to the slots that need filled. The director is probably as nervous about making the wrong decision as you are about auditioning.

The audition is not your one and only chance

There are many reasons you may not get a specific role. It’s important that you not place the future of your hobby or career on the outcome of a single event. If you want to act or sing, keep at it. You will get a part if you keep trying.

It’s an opportunity,

not an honor

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. But he got the role because Tom Selleck wasn’t available. Being second choice is not an insult. The role is what you make it, regardless of how you get it.

It’s not a favor

It may well be a great opportunity for you if you get the part, but understand that no one is doing you a favor by giving it to you. Directors need performers as much as performers need opportunities. Yes, if you’re selected, you have an obligation to give the best performance you can, but never feel that a director has done you a favor by giving you a part you’re not ready for. Directors don’t do that. If you get a part that stretches your skills, it’s because the part would have stretched everyone else’s even further.

Not everyone is

meant to perform

You hear stories about actors and singers that get so nervous before they go onstage that they vomit. If you’re one of these, find another hobby. A little bit of tension is natural and helpful in focusing you on the task. Incapacitating tension is nature’s way of telling you that you’re not built for performing. If after consideration of all the suggestions and secrets above you still feel the need to vomit, find something else to do. Albert Einstein led a productive life but, insofar as I am aware, he never sang a solo or acted in a play.

David Vale is a past president of the Bigfork Community Players, has acted in about half a dozen plays, directed a couple, and occasionally sings in public. Whether he’s any good is a judgement he leaves to others.