Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt anxious before an audition. 🖐️ Don’t be shy, I have too! In fact, even if you're a rock-solid pro, or an a-list movie star, you're still susceptible to a little nerves now and then. You know how it goes... You have an audition that matters to you, so you prep hard and rehearse as much as you can at home. Then you get in your car and drive to the audition, trying to stay as confident as you were home but you're starting to feel a little stress. You try to stay focused and walk into the waiting room, where you see other actors who are famous, look better for the part or have worked longer than you, also there to audition. You walk in the room and try to come off super friendly and likable to the CD. By the time she says, "Action!", you have to push so hard to act believably like the character that at the end of the take, you know your performance was 1000% less impressive than at home. You're given some direction, but you just can't get out of your head and really feel your way through the scene. You head home feeling terrible and frustrated. I totally get it. When the stakes are high, you don't always get the time you need, and it's intense pressure when landing the role could change everything for you, especially pay some bills! But it IS possible to shift your mindset around the process. When you watch my free training, you’ll discover…
Change the context of what audition means. When you look at it as a test, it brings out all your gremlins. In truth, there is no "audition". That is an invented concept. Your anxiety is stemming from the implanted belief that there is a right and wrong way to do it, and if you do it "wrong" then you've failed.
Create a new context: the character does not exist. Yep, that's right. The character does not exist because YOU are the character. And the audition doesn't exist either, because you're just YOU going somewhere. When you're in the room with casting, you're not an actor trying to book a job. You are the character, wanting something and trying to get it. When you step out of the character, and start to worry about whether what you're doing is right or wrong or if people like you, you're not longer the character; you are your ego, taking up space in the room.
Watch the training below, and I’ll explain how to shift your focus to almost exclusively on the needs and feelings of the character to help you prepare for your next big audition.
I’d love to hear how this new context for auditioning is working for you, so I invite you to join in the conversation happening in our private Facebook Group. You’ll also get access to more videos and resources, and connect with HUNDREDS of like-minded actors across the globe. If you’re not already a member, be sure to request to join ASAP. See you there! Jo Kelly Creator, The Reset Journey From Resistance to Freedom P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:
Join my free Facebook Group, THE INSTINCTIVE ACTORS’ SOCIETY, exclusively for actors who are ready to go from good to great and become undeniable. REQUEST TO JOIN: facebook.com/groups/instinctiveactorssociety
Get on the waitlist for my course, The Reset Journey From Resistance to Freedom, and stop struggling to access your natural, authentic talent in the audition room or on set. You’ll learn how to reset your instrument to be 100% instinctive and free in just 33 days. GET ON WAITLIST: tobeornottoact.com/waitlist