Even experienced actors can find auditions nerve-wracking; there are plenty of less experienced performers who come out of acting auditions or casting calls feeling that their real ability has been eclipsed by the tension they felt when they went into the room.
What you can do to help prevent this is widen the range of expression at your disposal. This means you should try to practise work for auditions of completely different styles, and to use every opportunity to try them out in front of (patient) friends and family. The more emotional content in your prepared work, the better it usually is. You should also be ready with pieces of different lengths, though generally you will be expected to perform for no more than three minutes. These generally for both TV auditions and theatre casting calls.
The famous American wit and writer Dorothy Parker said of one actress, ‘She runs the gamut of emotions from A to B.’ If you feel that nerves are getting in the way of your talent to express the whole range of human feeling, then you should give more time to practise – especially in front of others.
It helps to be available to audition as much as possible: then you will get used to the process and your nerves will, over time, interfere less with your performing. At Audition Now we run the gamut of available work opportunities, and, with a messaging service direct to your mobile phone, we bring you up-to-date with acting auditions and casting calls from all over the country.