Auditioning. What is the point? It seems like such an unnatural thing. Blurting out a speech from a play, doing a couple pages of sides from a show, singing 16 bars of a showtune at the most intense and powerful point. This doesn't seem natural. It's not organic. It's nonsense, right? But regardless of whether or not we agree with the process, we have to practice it. Everything from the preparation on the material to the way we control the audition room to the way we digest what we've learned so we can improve ourselves for yet, another audition. This takes hard work. Auditioning is a skill, and every actor should work to get better at it.

The first thing to think about is that an audition is an experience, so you really must experience it and be in the now to take positive lessons away from it. Sometimes auditions can go by so quickly and we say to ourselves, "What just happened?" But, it is of the utmost importance that you are "in the room," so to speak. You really have to be there and pay attention to everything. You can't put on a façade and fake your way through it. If you go into your audition with this perspective, you could come across to the auditioner as something you are not, an actor who doesn't act.

So what can you do in order to keep your wonderful self alive and aware in the room? Here are some tips to remain "present" in an audition:

1. BREATHE. Breathing will relax you and help you focus. Take some easy breaths before you walk in the room to help you get focused.
   
   
2. BE YOU. Do not be a caricature of yourself or some overacting cartoon version, but you. Know that your true colors will come through without forcing it. So don't push!
   
   
3. READ THE AUDITION ROOM. This means pay attention to the energy of the room. Are the casting directors upbeat? Are they tired? Are they annoyed because the actor before you just insulted them? Try to match the energy in terms of anything upbeat. If they are thrilled to be auditioning you, make sure you are gracious and excited to be there. If they are tired, don't be too excitable, don't stick your hand out to shake, just be friendly and do the work.
   Now, the worst scenario is if you walk into a room and they are pissed, annoyed, frustrated, or anything in the negative energy family. Unfortunately, when someone else is in that state, if you try to turn the room around by making jokes or forcing your talents on them, you just become a nuisance. So, you must remind yourself that this is your time, and that their negativity has nothing to do with you. Commit wholeheartedly to doing the work by finding a focal point (never look directly at someone in an audition), visualize who you are speaking to, and think about having an honest audition. That is what's most likely to change the energy of the room.
   
   
4. Now ask yourself, "Was I there?" If so, what did you do well? What do you think you can work on? Did you get a strange vibe when you said something? Take note of your audition. What worked? What didn't? And keep track of your progress.

So, what can we expect from an audition? Everything. From the good, the bad, and the ugly, you can expect to see it all in your actor lifetime. Remember that art is subjective, and it comes down to getting yourself in the best mental and physical state to perform the work well. Learn from your mistakes, and move on to the next challenge. your next audition.

Amy Broder, acting teacher and working actress, is a graduate of the Hofstra University BFA Drama Program where she received high honors as well as several departmental awards such as the Philip Rosenthal Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy (Philip Rosenthal is the creator of the CBS sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond). She has performed in such NYC plays as Beyond Therapy, Tony n' Tina's Wedding, The Ends of the Earth, The Fantasticks, Kindertransport, Romeo and Juliet and Titus Andronicus. She has also appeared on Saturday Night Live, the Disney channel and in several independent films. Her training includes the Upright Citizens Brigade, the People's Improv Theater, and the Magnet Theater as well as the Sally Johnson Studio. Her former sketch comedy troupe, Donkey Corleone, performed throughout Manhattan. Amy teaches with the Women's Project Educational Outreach Program, and has taught acting and auditioning seminars for high school and college students in NYC and Seattle. Nothing gives her more joy than helping actors! She currently works for Judy Henderson Casting.

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