How to Nail Acting School Auditions - Stacey L. Swift Acting Coach

Acting school auditions are competitive. A small percentage of applicants get chosen. Don’t despair. Prepare.

I’ve been on the audition panel for Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, in London. What good acting schools are looking for varies, but you can bet that good honest acting, an ability to take direction, and potential to grow as an artist — are top of the list.

Getting In

Good training programs and particularly reputable accredited drama schools see thousands of applicants. You have a matter of minutes to demonstrate ability and show them that you have what it takes. No pressure, right…

So how should you deal with the pressure?

By treating the experience as an opportunity to share your work, rather than get into the school. Why should an actor focus on sharing the work rather than getting into the school? Because you cannot make that happen in any tangible way. Try right now, for example, to think of ways in which you can get in. Nothing comes to mind, right? Except your audition pieces?

It’s normal to really want to make the cut, but that specific result is out of your hands unless your mother is on the audition panel or great grandfather founded the school. So don’t waste creative energy stressing over what you cannot control. Channel that energy into the one area you can control…

What you can do

You can pick two to three contrasting pieces which show off your ability to think critically about text, engage the body and mind in the imaginative world of the play, and act with clear objectives and actions. You can share yourself, your creative spirit, your individuality through your pieces. You can redirect nervous energy by focusing on the work, and then you can rest assured that you will be prepared – because you will be. You can do all that.

In reality, applicants are not half as prepared as they need to be to stand a chance at getting in. Get ahead of the competition by doing the work.