Top Audition Tips for Young Performers

Let's be honest — being a performer, one of the most exciting yet terrifying things is the audition process. You never know quite what people are looking for. You can walk in and give an amazing audition and still not get the part... or you could basically fall apart up there and somehow land it anyway. It's funny how that happens.

I've been on both sides of that coin more times than I can count, so today I want to share some of my top audition tips — the ones I actually live by, and the ones I learned the hard way.

Tip #1: Be Prepared (Trust Me On This One)

I have a confession. I once decided to change my monologue the night before an audition. The night before. I clearly didn't have time to fully memorize it, and worse, I picked something that didn't really fit who I was or the character I wanted to represent. I got up there and blanked. Totally, completely blanked. It remains one of the worst auditions I have ever done, and I still think about it (probably more than I should).

Here's what I want your kids to take from that: give yourself time. Choose a piece early, live with it, run it a hundred times in the mirror, in the car, while brushing their teeth. Finding a character and monologue or song that genuinely showcases their talent is great — but it's even better when it highlights something real about who they are, especially if it echoes the character they're auditioning for.

Practice what happens if you make a mistake and continue instead of starting all over again. I always tell my performers to stay in character and that is true for auditions as well. The people who are doing the casting don't know you made a mistake unless YOU show them.

Tip #2: Make a Choice

Don't just play it safe. Directors want to see performers who make a bold choice — whether they personally love that choice or not doesn't actually matter as much as you'd think. What matters is that they can see the work. They can see that a decision was made and committed to.

This is something I remind my performers of constantly: a "safe" audition is forgettable. A brave one, even an imperfect one, sticks with the room.

This is especially true when you are given a part of a song or script they have provided. If you you think about the people doing the casting have seen the same thing over and over again. If you can come in and show them something new that will be something they remember.

Tip #3: Own Your Body and Your Eyes

Smile. Make eye contact. And when you shift into character, let your body shift too — posture, energy, the whole package. This is the physical half of "making a choice," and it's just as important as the words. Directors are casting a whole person, not just a voice reading lines.

Tip #4: Know What You're Actually Auditioning For

This one still makes me laugh at myself. I once went to an audition for a reality show... for shy people. And if you ask literally anyone who knows me what kind of person I am, "shy" is not a word that would come up. Not even close. I walked in, completely misjudged the room, and it was clear within about thirty seconds that I was not who they were looking for.

Do your homework before you walk in. What's the show, the character, the tone they're going for? A comedy audition and a drama audition call for different energy. A period piece and a contemporary piece call for different choices. Encourage your kids to ask questions, read the material they're given, and think about who the room actually wants to see — not just who they feel like being that day. It doesn't mean losing yourself in the process, but it does mean showing up as the version of yourself that fits the room.

Tip #5: Take the Adjustment and Run With It

Sometimes a director will stop you mid-audition and ask you to try it again a different way — louder, sadder, faster, weirder. This isn't a sign you did something wrong. It's actually the opposite. They're testing whether you can take direction, because that's most of what rehearsal is. I always tell my performers: say "sure!", take a breath, and go again with a genuinely different choice. Don't just repeat the same thing slightly quieter and hope that counts.

Tip #6: Be Kind to Everyone in the Room

Not just the director. The stage manager checking you in, the accompanist playing your song, the other kids waiting their turn — all of it matters, and all of it gets noticed. I've heard directors talk about how someone treated the front desk just as much as how they performed. Good energy in the waiting room is part of the audition, whether it's officially being judged or not.

Tip #7: Nerves Are Part of It, Not a Problem to Solve

Every performer gets nervous before an audition — the ones who tell you they don't are usually lying! I still get butterflies, twenty-plus years in. The goal isn't to get rid of the nerves, it's to walk in anyway. A few deep breaths, a shake-out, a reminder that the worst thing that can happen is you don't get the part... and you keep every single skill and ounce of experience you gained just by showing up. That part never goes away.

Tip #8: Remember — It's Not Always About You

This is the tip that took me the longest to actually believe. Sometimes you give the best audition of your life and don't get the part. Sometimes you feel like you completely fell apart and somehow you do. Casting is about so much more than what happens in that room — height, chemistry with another actor, what the director pictured in their head before you even walked in. None of that is a reflection of talent or worth, and that's a lesson worth teaching kids early, because it's one they'll use for the rest of their lives, on stage and off.

The audition room can feel like the scariest place in the world when you're a kid (honestly, sometimes as an adult too!). But it's also one of the best places to practice courage, resilience, and showing up as yourself — confidence, connection, and creativity, all rolled into one nerve-wracking, exhilarating few minutes.

If your family is looking for a place to build those audition skills in a low-pressure, high-fun environment, that's exactly what we do at Centre Stage Kids — and it's baked right into the Homeschool Theatre Toolkit too, for families building those skills at home.