Audition advice: what will they ask me?

Nina Levy finds out how to best approach your audition interview.

The interview component of an audition can feel a little like a blind date with the audition panel. During the audition class you are performing and, in a sense, you are protected by your onstage persona, but in an interview you are more exposed as a human being. It’s just you and your personality in there.
So how can you put your best foot forwards in terms of presenting yourself as a person as well as a dancer? I spoke to Julia Moody, head of voice at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts’s acting department, to find out how to be calm, composed and confident in your interview.
Firstly, says Moody, preparation is important. That means thinking in advance about the types of questions you might be asked and getting a friend or family member to practise “interviewing” you. “By all means take in notes, if you wish,” she remarks.
Many panels will ask the candidate if he or she has any questions. “Have a list of your questions with you and make sure you have practised asking them out aloud,” says Moody.
It’s not unusual to experience nervousness about the interview. Moody has some great advice on managing interview anxiety. Firstly, don’t leave your good posture in the audition studio,” she advises. “The best thing to do is to sit in a way that’s comfortable for you, but in terms of getting sufficient breath to fuel your thinking, you need to be balanced on your buttocks. Your spine should be comfortably long so you’re not compressing the rib cage and compromising your ability to breath and therefore think.”
Breathing is super important, says Moody. “The best advice I can give is to make sure you don’t hold your breath. Oxygen fuels your brain.
Breathe and think before you speak. And don’t forget to listen! Listening is key.”
When you answer a question, Moody suggests that you frame your answer using the words of the question. So, for example, if you are asked, “Why do you want to do this course?”, you would begin your reply by saying, “I want to do this course because…”. Moody explains, “It’s a great courtesy to use somebody’s words back to them.” It also buys you time to think about your answer.
Just as it is on stage, your eye-line is important too. “Look at the person or people, if you can, while you’re talking to them,” says Moody. “That doesn’t mean staring at them, but physically looking at them.”

In terms of what you are saying, Moody warns, “Do your best to not repeat yourself. This is a cruel one, but if you think you’re being boring, you probably are. So change something. Change the way you’re sitting, the subject that you’re talking about, the pitch of your voice, whether it’s high or low. It will feel like a big change to you but to the person you’re speaking to it will say, ‘This person is focused and present.’ And again, keep breathing.”
It’s breathing that will help you manage nerves, says Moody. “All the symptoms of nervousness, heart rate increasing, getting sweaty, feeling sick, every single one of those is caused by holding your breath. If you don’t believe me, try holding your breath and see how you feel.
“If your mind goes blank when asked a question or you are feeling overly anxious, the best thing to do, in my experience, is NOT to breathe in but to breathe out, funnily enough. You don’t want to hyperventilate, you want to get rid of that bad thought or feeling and air that you’ve already used. Get rid of it, wait a moment, then open your mouth and allow the breath to pour into your body. I can almost guarantee that you will feel settled and that, if you have gone blank, whatever you are trying to think of will pop into your head.”
Remember, too, that the audition panel is not looking to catch you out. “The person who is interviewing you knows you’re going to be a little bit nervous and is likely to be sympathetic to that. It’s another human being, not a lion or a tiger,” Moody chuckles.
As with any performance, it’s also important to remember that nerves are normal in this situation. “Don’t be afraid of being nervous… being nervous is useful because it will give you a little bit of adrenalin and it will make it exciting! This is a wonderful moment in your life when you’re going to say, ‘This is who I want to be.’ You’re allowed to be there, you’ve been invited in, so claim that chair, claim that space and just tell them, ‘This is who I am and this is what I would like’.”