The importance that many budding actors lay on their first acting audition is spectacular and makes my heart melt every time. Strictly speaking, the audition is fairly important - you won't get your next acting job without it. Sadly though, so many actors fail their first auditions because they are too uptight and worried that it won't go smoothly. Being like this and placing your audition on a pedestal will mean that you're going to be tense, stressed out, under pressure and you are not going to perform your best. Whether your first audition goes well or not doesn't matter. Whether you get the part for which you were auditioning doesn't matter either. What matters is that you realize your first audition will be a learning experience. Once you get past it, you'll know what to expect next time, you'll know how to better prepare, and you'll be more relaxed.

• Going to your first audition might read 'pressure' to you. Taking the fact that your dear ma and pa sold their little nest so that you could go to acting school might mean that you're under pressure to do well. Everyone expects you to do your best but remember that you can be your own worst enemy - you're the one placing yourself under all that pressure. Just enjoy and relish the moment. Your audition will be over before you know it so chill out about the finer details. Stop thinking that you have to be the same as somebody else because we all need to begin somewhere - and this is it.
• Try not to be too nervous. The last thing you want to do is flub your lines. This first audition is going to be fabulous darling so work it and work it well. Relax and you're more likely to enjoy yourself. Even if you don't get the role this time, once you've had a great few minutes doing your stuff, you're going to be even more prepared to enjoy yourself at the next audition. Meaning you can only get better.
• This might sound like pep-talk. Actually, it is. We all need a bit of motivation and if we're geared up for a challenge we all go into something feeling good about ourselves and determined to do well. Just think about that job you're being tested for, and think about the casting directors that are judging you. They want to choose you more than you know - imagine the prospect of auditioning 1000 people and not one of them fitting your ideal. This is not a thought that fills any judge with happiness, so they need you to be their next big thing.

Listen, this is what you wanted to do. You wanted this chance so that you can share your unique talents with the world. Despite your thoughts that your judges and everyone that you meet at the audition knows its your first audition, believe me they actually don't. Even if they did, most of the people there will be a first timer and will be thinking the same thing. So be different to them, don't be timid and shy just give it your all and go for it. There's no secret formula for winning this, you will succeed because you're just amazing and you're not going to fail.

Failure to get this job means you've got even more chance of getting the next one so forget the fact that you didn't get the job and move on, you really can't lose this one if you look at it like I do. You'll be desperate to get to your next audition and show your moves, and you won't be a first timer anymore.

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Aimee Mitchell is an acting coach, short story author, community theater director and playwright. She has spent the better part of her adult life working with young actors and actresses.

Copyright © Aimee Mitchell. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author. Not to be reproduced or distributed.

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