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Auditions 1)
Never underestimate the value of your health. 2)
Love yourself. 3)
Grow. 4)
Become aware of "I am." Sex
is to procreation, as "I am" is to creation. It's so
powerful that it demands quality awareness of its usage
at all times. 5)
Be Positive. It
may mean, saying what you need to say, to the person you
need to say it to, when you need to say it. Or, writing
in your journal, taking a walk or taking time out for
prayer and meditation. Although, not necessarily in that
order. To
help lift the funk once you've dealt with it, do things
that you know make you feel better. I have found that
music is the quickest way to change a mood. I like to
crank up the volume and sing and dance until I am
breathless and it really releases the negative emotions I
felt had a hold on me. Perhaps
you want to plan a course of action to combat negativity
in advance. Create a compilation tape of your favorite
inspirational songs that you can't help but sing and
dance to; so you can have it ready to play whenever the
blues gets you down. Another
helpful exercise is to re-in-act, the film, It's A
Wonderful Life. By reminding yourself of the impact you
have had on the world around you thus far. Make a list of
all the things you have accomplished in your life, and of
all the people you have helped in life. Finally,
take some self-time and read a favorite book; lights
candles, or take a bath. Make a gratitude list of all
that you have in your life that you are grateful
for. If
all else fails, take the attention off yourself
completely, by going out and helping someone else. This
way, you have taken charge of your negative thought and
changed it to a positive one. No
one wants to hear about your aching back, fight with your
loved one, or the bad day your having. Always have
something up-lifting to talk about. What you put out, you
get back. It's the third law of physics, cause and
effect. Like attracts like. Keep your thoughts clean,
good and positive and you'll receive clean, good and
positive thoughts from others. Positive emotions have
positive effects on your immune system and metabolism. If
you feel better, you will feel better. And, it just feels
so much better to be a happy person than it does to be a
grouch. 6)
Observe. I
believe that all artistic expression comes first from
simple observation. 7)
Study. 8)
Volunteer. Or
you can go out on your own. For instance; sometimes I
pack lunches, or hand out blankets to the homeless people
at Santa Monica Beach or Downtown LA. Perhaps you already
have a favorite charity and now is the time to get your
parents, kids, nieces or nephews and or friends and
family to join in the giving. If
this all sounds overwhelming, start out with a once a
year event, but whatever you do, start now. Someday is a
road that leads to a town of never. 9)
Be kind and polite to everyone. 10)
Have fun. 11)
Create. 12)
Don't gossip, but be courageous. Give
people the benefit of the doubt. If they prove to be a
troublemaker, learn your lesson and let every one else do
the same in their own way. Your only responsibility is to
take care of yourself; unless you know for certain that
someone is in emanate danger, and you may be able to
prevent it by speaking up or taking action. When
temptation grabs you and you want to gossip, remember
Thumper's mom in the movie Bambi, "If you don't have
anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." But if
you see injustice, have the courage to confront
it! 13)
Don't dress to impress. I
have had long hair and a shaved head. I have gone through
every style and trend there ever has been. It's fun and
exciting to change and try on different hats so to speak.
Variety of clothing is a huge part of the fun in my life.
It's another form of self-expression. To allow the fear
of judgement to suppress your natural desire for creative
expression is a sin. A missed mark on the target of
life. Realize
you are being judged as you, not as the person you may be
trying to portray. Use yourself, not your clothes, in
your interactions with others. Know what your clothes are
saying, but more importantly know what you are saying.
Remember, it's you who is living your life, not your
clothes. And if someone is so shallow that they are
judging you by your appearance, then maybe that someone
isn't worth your time anyway. 14)
Learn to say no. 15)
Be yourself. 16)
Find a support group. 17)
Relax. I
was once doing a one-woman show; 90 minutes, no
Intermission, 42 costume/prop changes, and 36 pages of
dialogue. One night I went blank, totally blank. I
couldn't even remember what the show was about so that I
could at least improvise, and the scary thing was, I
wrote it. Thankfully it was a run-through and not a
performance. My partner was in the audience. He saw what
was happening to me and yelled out, "RELAX!" As soon as I
heard those words, I took a deep breath, dropped my
shoulders and relaxed. Instantly, I remembered every
line. It was a long run for a show, and every performance
I told myself, as I went on stage, "relax," and I never
went blank again. 18)
Go within for all answers. Don't ask for opinions. Don't
give opinions. What
is it that compels someone to ask for an opinion in the
first place? I believe it is the need for acceptance and
approval. An opinion is just a poll to see how many
people agree with us. But we can't please all the people
all the time. To be true to ourselves we must focus on
our inner truth and that which propels us forward in
life. Everything we do must first come from within, our
intuition, which is our personal source of knowledge and
wisdom. It
goes both ways. When someone asks me what I think about
them or something in their life, I do my best to respond
with this question; "What do you think?" Because it's not
important what I think about their life. It's their life
and they have to live it their way. If
someone says to me, "But I respect you and I honestly
want to know what you think?" I might have a response
that would begin, "Well, if it were me..." However, I
still believe that is basically unsupportive to the
individual seeking an answer. I believe that is enabling
them. As well as, my life experience has shown me that no
matter how many times someone asks me for help and no
matter how many times I give it, the lesson is never
learned until they have to do it on their own. We
do not learn by people telling us what to do. We learn by
watching what other people do, and then doing it on our
own. We can either find role models and simply emulate
their actions in life. Or we can reinvent the wheel
ourselves each and every time. Perhaps
someone asks for an opinion or advice because they are
seeking guidance. But who are we to guide anyone on their
own individual life path? We can only guide by example.
"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to
fish, feed him for a lifetime." We teach by showing, not
by telling. Everyone
has an opinion and a different path they take toward
success. There is no single road that leads us to our
destination. There are many avenues to our destinies. But
if we go around asking everyone for directions and
opinions, we will find ourselves even more confused and
lost. We
each live in a maze and only we know the way through our
own maze, but even still we get lost sometimes. Whoever
we ask to guide us, is also going to be lost to some
degree. We have to learn to trust our own instincts to
guide us through our own maze of life. Even
these 20 tips, I write them not so much to advise
other's, but more so to remind myself. I share them with
the world with the expectation of inspiring other's to be
their own creative masters. I know with absolute
confidence that these words will evolve into something
unique and original for each person that takes them to
heart. It is our own perspective that colors reality and
gives us our individual truth, not another person, no
matter how insightful they may seem. 19)
Practice Patience. 20) Be
Grateful. I
think that most people, whether aware of it or
not are
never in one place or one time. We
have this idea of a linear time imposed on us.
If
you start looking at it, it's all here and
now." -
Gail Godwin janedoe is one of
MusicalTheatreAudition.com's GuestStars. To learn more
about janedoe, or to find out how you can be a GuestStar,
visit the GuestStars
section.
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Exercise, sleep at
least eight hours each night, eat foods that nourish your
body, and meditate and/or pray, every day. Take care of
your body, mind and soul.
Never say bad
things to yourself. No one is perfect. We are all here
doing the best we can. Treat yourself as if you were your
own child, with kindness, compassion, discipline
gentleness and love. Do something nice for yourself
everyday. Don't spread yourself too thin. Take long
showers, eat a piece of mango every once in a while,
watch a favorite movie, and/or take a walk in the woods.
Take many, mini vacations. They are affordable and help
keep one in balance. The action of being good to oneself
comes first, from the thought of loving oneself.
Learn something new
each year: a new language, a new sport, a new skill. If
you keep learning, you will keep growing. When you grow
as an individual, you grow as a spirit and you grow as an
artist.
The two most
powerful words you can ever express are, "I am." Learn to
affirm yourself with the things you want, by saying, "I
am" statements instead of "I want" or "I will"
statements. Whatever you put "I am" in front of, in the
eyes of the universe, you instantly become. Be very
careful to only use "I am" for the affirmative.
Find a reason to be
positive, or don't leave the house. Having negative
thoughts every once in a while is normal, but to focus on
negative thoughts is not conducive to work, friendship,
or a growth situation. If you find yourself feeling
negative, notice it, and address it.
Look, listen,
watch, and observe. Try to be a part of a discussion
without speaking. Practice conscious awareness. Don't
judge, just observe. Someday you may have to work with
someone that you'd rather not. By observing others,
you'll learn what you need to know, to do that.
Whatever your job
or career is, be it a CEO as a stay at home mom, or CEO
as the head of a major corporation, study. Read books,
take classes and study what you do. Be the best that you
can be at what you are. Continue to educate yourself
throughout your entire life. There is no graduation from
the school of life, unless it's a certificate of death.
Classes are on-going and never ending.
Give back. Only you
know how much time you are willing to choose to give to
charitable causes. Whether it's an hour each day, an hour
per week, or an hour each month, make of habit of giving
regularly. There are organizations you can join to be
matched up with a charity or cause. Check your local
listings. For example, you can volunteer for such causes
as: Abused women and children, AIDS, breasts cancer
research, read to the blind, homelessness, recovery
centers, retirement homes, animal rescue and care,
etc...
"Never judge a book
by its cover." Don't just be nice to the people you feel
you have to be nice to. Happiness is contagious and well
spread by simple effort. The truest nature in us all is
to always be nice, kind and sensitive to everyone. It
takes more muscles to frown than to smile, so smile and
be polite. But be sincere. No one hates anything more
than a phony person.
Whatever you do,
make it fun. Any job you do in life, you have to do for
the love of it, otherwise, why do it at all? Find the joy
in everyday circumstances. Find humor in the darkest
corners of life. Laugh often and loud with great
enthusiasm. Smile, sing, and skip through life. Whistle a
happy tune.
Create your own
opportunities. Don't wait for others to create for you,
before you have a chance to express yourself. Create for
yourself. You will have more creative control and only
yourself to report to.
If you have a bad
experience with some one, and want it to be known, say
just that and then let it go. Don't try to "warn" people.
Your bad experience is yours, and only yours. If someone
else has the same experience it's his or hers and none of
your business so just politely change the subject.
Unless, you see someone being hurt or taken advantage of.
Then you must have the courage to stand for something or
else you will fall for anything.
Don't be limited in
what you wear by how you think the style of your clothes
is judged. For example, I have had many conversations
with both male and female friends that have shared with
me how much they'd like to dress more casual, funky,
conservative, or whatever. But they don't because they
are afraid people will get the wrong impression of who
they are, by how they dress.
Especially
women. Women are the original "yes men." Don't be
desperate. Don't compromise yourself. There is a saying;
"You can have anything you want, but not everything."
There are only 24 hours in each day. Choose what you do
with those hours carefully. Don't do any thing you don't
want to do. The best way to avoid these situations is to
have integrity, know what you want, and what you don't
want, believe in something and have self respect. Don't
let anyone talk down to you, or berate and insult you,
whether it's public or private. The most empowering two
words in your life will be "I am." For women, who are
bred to always say yes to taking on more responsibilities
than they should, the most empowering single word they
can use, is "No."
You can't be anyone
but yourself, so indulge. Have a strong sense of self. Be
confident and consistent in who you are. Another benefit
of being yourself is that you can stop comparing yourself
to others. It's a losing battle, and you never know, they
may be comparing themselves to you. So just be yourself
and be happy, because you are the best you there ever
could be.
Whether it's a
group of peers, friends, church members, or family, find
a support group. It's imperative that you have people
around you that can tell you things like, "next time." or
"You're beautiful, talented, and wonderful and your time
will come." or "I love you and I'd hire you in a second."
You need a support group who can make you laugh or let
you cry. Most importantly, a group of people who can
remind you of all the things you do have, health, beauty,
talent, food, shelter, regularity, etc.,..
Always, always,
always, take time to relax. Before anything in life,
after anything and all the times in between, relax. The
opposite of relax, is stress. Studies have shown that all
disease comes first from stress; and that people in
hospitals heal 50% faster if they pray, mediate and are
generally more relaxed in life. It's kinda tough to
meditate in a non relaxed state.
When someone gives
me an opinion that I didn't ask for, I say, "I didn't ask
for your opinion. I just wanted to share my life with
you, not get an opinion on it. I'd appreciate your energy
in the form of support rather than criticism,
constructive or otherwise." Too often people mistake the
intent to share one's life with the request of an opinion
on one's life.
I believe all lines
(grocery, banking, etc..) were invented for this reason.
We need patience when we drive, when we care for
children, and for all people, places and things that try
our patience. One of the things we need patience the most
for in life, is success. Success in all of the endeavors
we pursue. I believe the formula to success is patience +
tenacity = success. If you believe in yourself, you will
succeed. Focus on the process of success and you will be
successful. Redefine success. Don't define success by
winning a title in life. Define success as being a good
person. How you define success, greatly defines your
perception of your own success. Patience leads to faith.
Be patient in all areas of your life, have faith, and all
things will come in due time.
In our quest for
want we often forget all that we already have. Take time
each day to be grateful for things in your life. Freedom,
food, shelter, health, love, friends, family, creative
talent, intelligence, beauty, grace, integrity, dignity,
kindness, compassion, joy, warm showers, the first day of
spring, laughter, eyesight, hearing, mobility, nature,
animals, flowers, new clothes, smiles, and
gratitude.
Written by janedoe
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