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| Photography by Pamela Raith Photography |
Style over Dance Call.
"It was my audition for Dreamgirls, it was the Dance Call and they said to bring heels. I showed up in Summer clunky wooden platforms whilst everyone else was in Character Shoes."
Always take a sick bag.
"I was on my way to my Lion King audition, I hadn't long graduated, and I was so nervous, super late and felt sick. I had to empty my bag out so I could be sick in it. I finally turned up to the audition and got talking to this cute guy who was waiting as well, I then felt this sudden wave of nausea and in the middle of his sentence I stood up to turn around to run up the steps to the toilet and threw up all over the steps! Needless to say I didn’t get the job and never saw the guy again."
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| Photography by Pamela Raith Photography |
"I'd finally got to the end of a terrible audition and instead of walking out the door I walked into the cupboard and shut the door behind me."
Always read the stage directions.
"Once I managed to not read the first line of some script (it was tied up in the stage directions at the top of the page and had been written in italics) It was my line and I just stood there waiting for the reader to start talking when it definitely should have been me!"
1. Don't go if you're ill & 2. Don't wear your tap shoes.
"I had an audition for a show that had tap in it so I was told to take my tap shoes into my singing audition because they might want to do a little tap with me after I’ve sung. I started getting a chest infection and it had gotten so bad on the day but I decided to go anyway. (Big mistake). I also decided to wear my tap shoes into the room (second big mistake). I tip tapped my way into the room all spritely trying to cover up the fact I was ill but no such luck when I opened my mouth. I screeched and squawked my way through ‘I’m just a girl who can’t say no’ and surprise surprise they did not need me to tap after all. ‘Thanks very much, that’s all we need’ I turned and started my long tap..tap..Tap towards the door on the other side of the room. It was longest and loudest walk ever."
Practice your ball skills.
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| Photography by Pamela Raith Photography |
"When I was auditioning for Bend it like Beckham there was a football round. Baring in mind my football skills are horrendous; I ended up kicking the ball so hard into the audition panels table it knocked off half the stuff on the table. I was terribly embarrassed and remembered why I was in musical theatre and not football."
Be able to do your 'special skills' without being nervous.
"I auditioned for an American Director who decided to analyse every ‘special skill’ on my CV, when it came to Contemporary Dance he had grown particularly confused/annoyed and wanted an explanation - by this point I was so nervous rather than try to explain I just started flopping from side to side bobbing my head & bending my knees. He didn’t seem too impressed."
Know your audience.
"I auditioned for a well known choreographer/director a few years ago after appearing in A Chorus Line, he said, “I know you can dance but can you tap?” I replied I could. He said, “but can you REALLY tap?” I replied smiling, “yes - and I can hop on one leg too” & proceeded to demonstrate. He didn’t laugh. I didn’t get the job."
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| Photography by Pamela Raith Photography |
"I spilt hot chocolate down the only clothes I had with me on my way to an audition. Went into the room, cracked on the high note at the end of the song, said a rather rude four letter word starting with F, and proceeded to apologise and explain that it just ‘wasn’t my day’... I got the job though!"
