Hi everyone! These firsthand audition stories helped me immensely through the inevitable audition anxiety. So, I figured I would hop on here and share mine.
I auditioned in San Francisco, the final weekend of auditions. I was on the first day of SF auditions, in the afternoon group.
Starting from the beginning, the audition space was thankfully not too intimidating. We were in a basement sort of area and the waiting room was almost warehouse reminiscent. Upon walking in, I will admit I felt out of place. For context, I am a high school senior. Everyone around me, in the beginning, was in their mid 20s or older. As we approached the audition time, more people my age began filing in, however there were probably only 10 of us total out of 50.
All staff were comforting and kind. In our waiting room was one faculty member and one alumnus who both went out of their ways to ease our nerves. We all did a group warm-up, and the staff gave us tips for the room. After the warm-up, the auditions started. I was in the second half of the afternoon group.
My tips for everyone preparing for their in-person audition:
- Make friends! Each and every person in the waiting room was incredibly kind and I made some true connections with people. This will help to ease your nerves too.
- Don’t expect anything. My objective for the audition experience was to make friends and to simply go through with my audition. I knew I would be proud of myself as long as I could say I did it. It is also important to remind yourself that you have nothing to lose. This mindset was key in my opinion, and it’s what I attribute the success I had to. I was able to be completely present in the room without pressure to live up to expectations.
- Take your time in the room. This is your space! Allow yourself to get fully into character, even if it takes 30 seconds of deep breathing (this is what I did in between each piece!)
- Know your material. Everyone in the room is overly prepared. That is the bare minimum. The experience is much more enjoyable when you are not concerned about dropping a line or your characterization. The room is much more fun when you are completely confident in what you have prepared.
- DO IT! I was close to not attending my audition as I thought it was pointless, and that I didn’t have a chance. No matter the outcome, this is an incredible experience for growth, and it is beyond worth it to feel proud of yourself for facing your fear.
After the first group of afternoon auditions (about 25 ppl- 12 in each room), a callback list was posted. There were 2 people. We moved on to the next group. I was second to go in the next group so I was up pretty fast.
In the room, everything was very straightforward. No small talk besides “how are you”. I got right into my 2 monologues, the 2 faculty in my room asked to see 1 more classical. They said “thank you” and that was it! Both faculty members had friendly dispositions throughout my audition, which was comforting. Then, it was the waiting game. I assumed I wouldn’t be on the list and made plans to go out to dinner with friends. I was happy with my performance and proud of myself, regardless of the result.
When the list went up, there were once again only 2 names: my name and an MFA student. Once people left, we were given a sheet of paper with short answer questions on it to fill out. We were united with the other actors who received callbacks: 2 from the morning and 4 from afternoon. It was an even split between BFA and MFA.
For my callback, I was asked to perform my backup classical, main contemporary, backup contemporary, and song. Weirdly, I received no adjustments. I will say, I was not confident in my 2nd contemporary- I had since changed my piece and submitted my updated selection; however, I was asked for the monologue that I had provided on my initial application. This process was also straightforward, no small talk. There were 7 faculty members in the room this time.
After this, everyone in our group was asked back for a final conversation. We each went into the room one-by-one and sat at the table with the faculty. My interview was short- I was asked why I chose the pieces I chose and then we talked about my plans for the weekend.
The following week, I was notified that I did not make it to callback weekend. However, I am eternally grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. To anyone on the fence about auditioning, I urge you to try! YOU ARE ENOUGH!
I am more than happy to answer any questions! Please send them my way 
Sending good vibes to everyone waiting for college decisions right now.