How to handle an audition “NO”

Audition experience can be daunting at the best of times, so after you survive an audition and think to yourself “hey I actually didn’t do that bad…I might actually have a chance with this one” you wait with baited breathe for that phone to ring.

Then it does, you pick up with a racing heart and then it breaks as you hear “unfortunately this one didn’t go our way”

Or, worse still, the phone doesn’t ring and you know that you didn’t get it.

Rejection is as common to an actor as getting hit is to a fighter. You have to learn from it. Cliched as it may sound it is the truth. So we have come up with 5 tips to help you deal with the dreaded audition NO

1. A NO is not a comment on you. Acting is a subjective profession and it can really depend on who is in front of you, not what you do. The same performance might get you the job if another director/producer was in the room.

2. Hearing NO is part of the job. Once you understand this and can adopt that as a reality of being an actor you can get about the job of auditioning unattached and have fun.

3.  Use NO as fuel. It should motivate you. Use it as fuel to get better at your craft. There is no perfect actor, every actor has room to grow and get better.

4. There is no one you need to prove anything to, including yourself. A NO can sometimes wrack you with the burden of disappointing someone, including yourself. Acting is YOUR dream and there are no rules, so just have a shot at it.

5. It is not a matter of IF but WHEN. Consecutive NO’s can be demoralising but treat each NO as a step closer to that YES. A NO is just a brick in a wall. Build that wall and CLIMB IT!!

Rejection is real and a apart of an Actors journey. We hope these tips help you. If you want more, check out this cool TED article https://ideas.ted.com/why-rejection-hurts-so-much-and-what-to-do-about-it/

If you’re keen to keep working on your audition technique check out the SAC advanced audition class IN THE ROOM with Socratis Otto.

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