In her blog for BAPAM this month, Performance Psychologist, Dr Anna Waters, shares her tips and techniques to help you make the most of auditions.
“I’ve always approached things with hunger and just enough fear. Plenty of confidence, you know, but just enough fear to work extra hard.” Queen Latifah
This quote from Queen Latifah brilliantly highlights the essence of what is needed to prepare for your next audition. It captures the hunger, the desire to do well and celebrates that fear is not something to be afraid of, but something you can use to help you work hard and channel it into delivering your best performance, when you need to.
Mindset Matters: Confidence Is a Skill
Your mindset can make, or break your audition. Staying composed under pressure and maintaining a healthy perspective is key. Confidence isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you build. Performance psychology teaches us that confidence stems from self-efficacy, your belief in your ability to succeed in specific situations.
Confidence is quiet. It’s not arrogance. It’s the calm inner belief that you’re prepared, capable, and worthy of the opportunity. When you walk into the audition room with that mindset, you don’t just perform, you perform at your best.
Shift Your Mindset: From Proving to Growing
Auditions often feel like pressure tests of whether you’re “good enough.” But adopting a growth mindset, one that embraces the fact that skills and talent can be developed through effort, can transform your approach and reduce anxiety.
Try These Growth Mindset Habits:
- Embrace challenges: See auditions as learning opportunities, not final judgments.
- Learn from mistakes: Treat errors as feedback, not failure. Review and learn.
- Celebrate progress: Every small success builds mastery and confidence.
- Stay curious: Keep exploring new techniques, styles, and roles
Control What You Can — Let Go of the Rest
Uncertainty fuels anxiety. As soon as your audition is booked, gather all the practical details you need. This allows you to focus on your preparation and not be distracted worrying about how things might be.
Prep Checklist:
- Time, date, and location — how long will travel take?
- Format — live, recorded, or self-tape?
- Will it be screened?
- Are there call backs, or multiple rounds?
- What materials do you need?
- What’s the technical setup?
- Who’s on the panel?
- Dress code?
- Food and drink needs?
Focus on what’s within your control, like your preparation, your mindset, your effort. Let go of what’s not, the panel’s opinions, other performers, and final outcomes.
Brainstorm Your Worries
Before your audition, take a moment to check in with yourself. What fears, or thoughts are running through your mind? Common ones include:
- “What if I mess up?”
- “What if I don’t get the role?”
- “Everyone else is better than me.”
Use cognitive restructuring to change these beliefs into more helpful ones, like “I am well prepared and I trust myself to perform at my best”, or “If this one doesn’t work out, another opportunity will come, I’m building momentum.”
Practice Under Pressure: Simulation Training
Rehearse under realistic conditions. If it’s a screened audition, practice with a screen. It’s amazing how many performers forget to practise in front of a screen and feel overwhelmed in the audition. Record yourself, or rehearse behind a curtain to simulate the experience.
Wear the clothes you’ll wear. Say what you’ll say to the panel. Record yourself, or perform for a trusted friend. The more familiar the setup, the less intimidating the real thing will feel.
Create Your Pre-Audition Mental Warm-Up
Before you walk into the room, take a few minutes to center yourself:
- Take a couple of deep breaths.
- Visualize a confident, focused performance.
- Repeat affirmations like “I am prepared” and “I bring something unique.”
- Connect to your love of performing and the joy of sharing it.
Make Practice Sessions Count
When you’re busy it is easy to just wing it, in practise sessions. Structure your practice like a training session.
Practice Tips:
- Plan what you want to focus on each session.
- Evaluate what went well, what needs work and points for next session.
- Keep sessions short — 30 to 60 minutes max.
- Warm up and cool down mentally and physically.
- Use a journal, or app to track progress and stay focused.
Channel Your Energy
Some performers find that light exercise, like a run or walk, a couple of hours before an audition helps regulate nerves. Try it in advance and see what works for you.
Post-Audition Reflection
After your audition, take time to review:
- What went well?
- What could be improved?
- What did you learn? How can you be better prepared next time?
Bonus Tips:
- Record and review your practice sessions.
- Mistakes aren’t catastrophes. They’re information. Learn from them and move forward.
- Seek feedback from trusted friends, mentors, or coaches as you prepare.
“I give myself homework when I have an audition. I give myself goals, and that’s how I check how I’m doing. It’s not about booking the job or not. It’s about what I learned as an actor about that character.” Lupita Nyong’o
Read more posts in this series: Performance Psychology articles by Dr Anna Waters