Four Tricks to Soothe Pre-Audition Angst By Katherine Schreiber
1. Remember: It’s all in your head. You walk into an audition room. Your palms are sweaty, your heart is pounding, and all those fellow actors you’re contending with for a role look like they’re giving you dirty looks. Plus you’re convinced the casting agent already hates you for some unexplained reason. When we’re too nervous our brains shift our attention towards just about everything that’s negative in our environment — say, the scowl on a fellow auditioner’s face, or the subtle tone of annoyed disapproval in a director’s voice. A bit too much audition anxiety kicks our nervous systems into threat mode, which means our blood vessels tighten up to deny adequate oxygen delivery to our muscles, tissues, and organs (including the one inside your skull). Small wonder, then, that stress screws up our ability to make sound decisions — like which character choice to fall back on, how obsequious we act in front of a reader, and whether to glance nervously back at the audition crew several times before high-tailing it to the shift we’re scheduled for at a restaurant.nnBut before you give yourself a panic attack, keep in mind that you have control over what stress does to your body — at least, to the extent that you can re-appraise whatever it is that’s making you anxious. Research reveals that as long as you think you’re fully capable of manning (or womaning) up to a challenge, your body responds by mobilizing any stress-induced nervous system activation: More blood gets to your tissues and organs, plus you’re less likely to be intimidated by obstacles, threats, or negative feedback. (What, some younger, thinner, and more thickly mascara’d potential star gave you the stink eye in the elevator? Well she ain’t got nuttin’ on your emotional prep for this reading!)nnThe key is to re-think what those initial tummy butterflies mean when you’re en route to an audition. If you see pre-reading stress as fuel for the character you’re about to portray, you’re more likely to derive a helpful jolt from nervousness than crumble under its ability to bias you towards negative feedback and self-defeating thought.nnSo next time you get super stressed before hearing your name called for a cold reading, embrace the heart rate spike, sweaty palms, and fear of failure. See fear as a mobilizing force and harness its power to your advantage.
2. Squeeze, don’t choke. Okay, maybe you’re not able to trick yourself into re-appraising stress so as to use it to your advantage. (Yet.) Fear not! Here’s a fun trick proven to dial down performance anxiety and help get you out of your head: Make a fist with your non-dominant hand (the one you don’t write with). Seriously. That’s it.nnWhy on earth would this make a difference? Using the less dominant side of your body rescues your mind from rumination ruts by dialing up activity in brain regions that aren’t devoted to over-thinking. This subtle attentional shift enables us to fall back on automaticity of thought and movement, rather than self-conscious over-analysis of everything we’re about to do wrong.nnThe less hyper-aware we are of performance pressures and all the possible judgments a reader, director, or casting agent may form of us, the more open we become to what’s actually happening in the audition room and how a character might authentically respond. (Funny, didn’t someone named Sandy Meisner once tell us to stop thinking so much for the most successful on-stage outcomes? Well, now science backs him up.)
3. Swing it Out. Psychologist, TK titles, Kelly McGonagle, author of TKTKTK, recommends a full-body technique she calls the I don’t care swing. Find some space in the audition room — sometimes a restroom or hallway is your best bet — or do this at home before you arrive.nnStand up tall, stretch your arms up, inhale and then, as you exhale, drop your arms and upper body forward and down towards the floor. (Those with back issues, just stick with the arm movements.) Envision any anxiety, stress, or intrusions from your personal life being thrown from your fingertips with each downward motion. Inhale again. Repeat three to five times or more!
4. And Don’t Forget to Breathe. Mconagle also recommends breathing techniques, like alternate nostril inhales and exhales. Breathe in through both nostrils, then plug your left with a finger. Inhale through your right nostril, then exhale through your right nostril. At the bottom of the exhale, plug your right nostril and repeat on the opposite side. Three to five rounds on each side should do the trick — and by that we mean center you and begin to reduce some nasty stress hormones as well as calm your heart rate.