For the first time in Theatre NorthWest’s 28-year history, we are offering local general auditions.
Auditioning for me is like taxes: you don’t necessarily want to do it, but you need to do it. It becomes part of a daily routine for actors. And after two years of Zoom auditions, there are likely more nerves about entering back into a room for a physical audition.
Actors aren’t often asked about the audition processes they have faced and perhaps that is intentional. Auditioning in front of a panel or one person is incredibly intimidating and intimate. Often when we perform in a production, we are sharing the stage with other performers and the audience. In an audition, it is just you. You are given maybe 10 minutes to convey who you are to the panel. When the 10 minutes is over, you might get a “thank you” or “we’ll be in touch” and then you will spend the next day agonizing and analyzing every little thing that happened.
At least, I know that is what I do.
One of my first auditions after theatre school was for Les Misérables at The Arts Club in Vancouver. I received the call on a Tuesday and I was given an audition spot on Thursday. I was nervous as I had to sing, not act. I quickly booked a session with my voice teacher and rehearsed the 16 bars of the song I was going to sing. Then I was off to Vancouver. I entered the darkened room where Bill Millerd, the then artistic director, sat in the middle of the theatre, and I think a few pleasantries were exchanged before the pianist launched into the song. There was a brief thank you from Bill and off I went. Needless to say, I didn’t get cast. It didn’t dampen my spirit though, and I continued to audition. I was offered a role in the ensemble of TNW’s first musical, All Shook Up, in 2009.
One of the jobs an actor has is to audition and it can be brutal and disheartening. You will hear a hundred no’s before hearing a yes. Actors have to be vulnerable yet tough as there are always critics out there, ready to pounce on your interpretation of Hamlet or an outfit you wore to some awards show. That being said, we keep acting, we keep auditioning.
Our love of performing pushes us onwards through the tears and literal and figurative bruises. Hearing one yes can change your whole life. It is what makes the hardship of auditioning day in and day out worth it. It is important to also remember that not getting a part does not diminish who you are as an actor and as a person.
I am so excited to hold general auditions in our community and to experience the incredible talent that we have here. It can be intimidating walking into that room and launching into a song or a monologue. But know that we are here to support your artistry. We do not expect perfection, we want to see what makes you shine, we have all been on the other side of that proverbial table. We hope to take away some of the nerves that come with auditioning by offering a free audition workshop this Sunday (March 6) from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and then our general auditions will take place the following Sunday, March 13 with all information available on our website: theatrenorthwest.com.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Melissa Glover is a local actor, director, teacher, and an artistic associate at Theatre NorthWest.
