Work in Progress - even in the audition room!

Auditioning - whether for a show, or for casting directors or agents in a class - it’s a surreal environment.

The artist, the performer wants to be seen, heard & felt. YOU want to be seen, heard & felt.

How do you negotiate the landscape, while still staying true to your authentic voice?

First and foremost: give yourself a break. You are, as we all are, a work in progress. You aren’t supposed to have figured it all out yet and have it all tied up neatly with a bow.

A work in progress means a little mess, and a little magic. Even in the audition room.

So, how do balance this? Is there a magic bullet?

Honestly, I don’t think so. However, here are some thoughts to consider.

Instant feedback you can TRUST is crucial. That doesn’t happen in an audition room, nor in a class that is a one-off with several weeks with people who don’t know you yet, or know your voice or level of your craft.

Instant feedback is crucial with those members of your team who KNOW you, KNOW your voice, KNOW your level as it is NOW. This is your teacher, your coaches. Someone who works with you regularly. That is the instant feedback that is the most important, in order to prepare you for whatever the task is.

Yes, you will get instant feedback in an audition or class. It simply requires a very quick ability to translate in an environment that might not feel particularly comfortable or safe, and might have higher stakes, or at least the illusion of that. This is so very important to keep in perspective.

Instant feedback in the context and safety of the voice studio, is not the same as the feedback in an audition or class.

Your lessons and coachings are about process. An audition or industry class is about result.

As a work in progress, let the complexities live in the studio. As a work in progress, find simplicities in the audition or class.

When you are asked to make an adjustment in your lesson or coaching, it is based on knowledge of YOU and your voice, your intellect, your physicality, your dramatic intelligence. This is how you and the work, progress. This is how you become ready for the industry.

When you stand in front of the industry, you will get many biases, many ideas, many suggestions, many requests. Some will make sense, some will not. Some, your gut will lean into and you might not be able to adjust right away; some, your gut will reject vehemently and yet you are beholden to try.

When standing in front of the industry, there is another level of vulnerability. This can be alarming, and often confusing. The language used may not be what you are used to, or need, to understand the question. As works in progress, we must be adaptable to learn how to translate into what we already know. Sometimes we will be able to translate immediately and get a “result”. Sometimes we just need time to translate and get it into our bodies.

The industry can be very confusing. It can be off-putting. This is why you need a team that you can bring things to, in order to get trusted feedback to make clearer decisions. The more work we do in order to progress, and create craft and discover our authenticity - the more we are able to discern what is being asked of us. Sometimes that ask makes sense, and sometimes that ask will not. Each of us needs to trust the work in progress to decide how we will handle and adjust.

If you are able to take a note and get a positive response - great. If you don’t like it, it’s okay. Your ability to stay pliable is what is key. It doesn’t mean you have to change everything. It means, you take that experience and process it in your own time and in your own way.

If you are unable to take a note, or get a perceived negative response - don’t take it personally. (yeah, right, Susan, give me a break). I KNOW! What do I mean? It’s not because you are doing something wrong. Again, take the experience and process it. Who is asking? Where are they coming from? How did you respond? Why?

You are a work in progress. There will be auditions and classes that “click”. There will be auditions and classes that don’t. It doesn’t mean you are wrong, or bad. The work in progress will continue if you trust YOURSELF in this process. Lean into the trust you have established with your team. If you don’t have a team, it’s time to get one!

The team will help anchor you and give you a place to explore, and to return to, and a place to release from into the industry.

Always remember, it’s about the work; it’s about the progress; it’s about the PROCESS. This is what leads you to authenticity and your confidence to stand in that authenticity in front of any audition panel, or industry class.

with fondness & fierceness,