Walking into an audition can feel like stepping onto a high wire. Your lines, your choices, your preparation all balance in perfect tension. While your material matters, so do the things that are not on the page: your energy, your openness, and the way you connect with the people in the room. Casting is about more than landing one role. It is about making a memorable impression that could lead to many.
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Warm Up Before You Walk In
Your preparation should start well before your name is called. Do a few minutes of vocal warm-ups to get your voice resonant and ready. Shake out your shoulders and release any physical tension that might block your expression. Clear your mind with a quick breath exercise so you can be fully present. When you walk in prepared physically, vocally, and mentally, you create the conditions to play at your best.
Stay Positive and Confident
Confidence is contagious. Walk in with the mindset that you belong there because you do. You do not need to be perfect. You just need to be ready to share your work with joy and presence. If you approach the audition as a chance to collaborate rather than a test to pass, your energy will put the room at ease and help them imagine you in their world.
Be Open to Direction
Sometimes a casting director will ask you to make a shift such as playing it bigger, smaller, faster, or with a completely different intention. This is not a sign you have done something wrong. It is an invitation to show your flexibility. Say yes to those opportunities. Treat adjustments as moments to explore, discover, and surprise yourself. Your willingness to play shows you can thrive in a creative process.
Make Strong Choices
Safe choices often fade from memory. Instead, commit to clear, specific, and bold interpretations of your material. Know your beats, find your emotional throughline, and choose actions you can fully own. Strong choices make it easier for a casting team to see how you would bring a role to life.
Connect Emotionally and Personally
Casting teams are not just looking for talent. They are looking for people they want to work with. Let your personality come through in your performance and your interactions. Make eye contact. Listen fully. Engage in the moment with authenticity. A genuine emotional connection, whether it is joy, heartbreak, or humor, can make the work resonate long after you leave.
The Bottom Line
An audition is as much about how you are in the room as it is about what you perform. Show up prepared, open, and ready to collaborate and you are already ahead. Every audition is a chance to build relationships and share your artistry. Sometimes the role is not yours that day, but the connection you make could open the door for the next one.
If you want to see what happens when bold choices and fearless play meet classic text, visit drunkshakespeare.com. We perform Tuesday through Sunday at the Rose Theater in Downtown Phoenix. Come see us bring the Bard to life in ways you have never imagined.
Author: David Hudson is co-founder of The Drunk Shakespeare Society.
