Audition season is just a mere three weeks away and we know that for some of you this will be your first ever audition! So, we talked to a few of our Circle Theatre veterans about their first audition experiences, what they’ve learned along the way, and any tips they have for folks new to the audition process.
KHARI NEAL
My first audition ever was for my high school, Valley Lutheran (VLHS), production of Little Women: The Musical when I was either 13 or 14 years old (my first Circle audition was for a concert series when I was in college). During my first audition I was most nervous about the new environment. As a freshman, I wanted to get involved, but also wanted to find the right “niche”. Luckily VLHS met me with an opportunity, music AND theatre; I was smitten and the theatre bug definitely bit me! What surprised me about my first audition was something I recognized later in my theatre pursuit. It was that the directors/casting panel ACTUALLY WANT YOU TO SUCCEED! They are rooting for you! I think there’s this perspective that they DEMAND more than you can give, when all they ask for is that you BE YOU and do your best. Over the years and as a person who loves being in front of people performing, auditioning has become part of the “gig” for me. I love doing it. Why? Well first, you get to strut your stuff! You put yourself out there. Though this can be difficult, it helps mature you. This leads me to my second point; YOU GROW! You learn so much about yourself; what you’re good at and what needs to be improved. It’s a challenge and if you accept it, you will in fact reap some, if not ALL, of the benefits therein. Thirdly, you 
meet so many great people...people that have the same dream(s) as you. You find a community of people from different walks of life; and for this potential show—this moment, you meet and create something spectacular. Who knows, you might meet your best friend or maybe a potential life-long partner too! And lastly, auditioning keeps you humble and more importantly, human. It’s refreshing to go in and have that sense of nervousness that morphs and manifests itself as adrenaline. It’s insane to feel nervous, excited, terrified, bold, vulnerable, successful and yes, even “defeated” simultaneously. But it’s also worth it...very worth it. My audition tips? One, let yourself feel all of the many emotions. Two, relate. Relate to the characters, your fellow performers, and to everyone around you. Auditioning has gotten easier for me and I hope that this helps ease it for you too.
NODDEA SKIDMORE
I was 27 when I auditioned for Circle's production of Nine in the spring of 2005, in the first year that I moved to Grand Rapids to work at Aquinas College. My boss was on the Circle Board and encouraged me to get involved. While I had certainly performed before as a singer, I had very, very little exposure to theatre - even as an audience member. I was nervous because it was just so different... even though I had been told how the whole process worked! The biggest surprise was that I felt like I was around new friends the whole time and once the whole thing started, I felt empowered and capable and that everyone was rooting for me. (FUNNY story, though... I pulled inspiration from the original production of Nine for my audition outfit, where all of the women were in black and white. I chose to wear black cropped pants, black heeled boots, and a white wrap blouse that had a really cute brooch at the waist that was a sparkly little flower. In the choreography portion, there was a part where we were to wrap one arm over the other at the waist and then pull each arm away. This happened RIGHT where my flower brooch was... and it turned out that a piece of metal on the brooch was sticking out and it kept cutting my arm over and over again! Yikes! I didn't want anyone to know, so I kep
t dancing and cutting myself. So silly! Now I'd know to get rid of that brooch ASAP! I was so proud of that little outfit though.) I'd love to say that 14 years later, it's easier to audition. But the truth is, it really isn't. I still get butterflies, I still get nervous, and I still wonder if I've made the right choice - whether it be with my outfit or what I choose to sing. But really, you just go in there and do it... because the fact of the matter is that only the director REALLY knows what they're looking for - so go in as your best self, and just see what happens. The worst thing that you can do is try to give them what you think they may want instead of staying true to yourself and what you do well. And well, maybe you're going to be EXACTLY what they need... or maybe, even at your best audition, there just aren't the best opportunities for you. That's been the most challenging thing for me these past few years; I can easily say that some of my most satisfying auditions have resulted in me not being cast, and that can be really rough. The most encouraging thing after attending 11 seasons of Circle Audition Weekend, is that my heart still leaps with joy and excitement and it truly is one of my favorite times of the year each time it arrives. It feels like a big family reunion, and I LOVE looking back and thinking about the friends I've met during audition weekend and where we are now. It turns out that I give a lot of hugs in the month of March, and that is pretty wonderful.
JASON MORRISON
I grew up in a small town just north of Atlanta and we had an incredible community theatre called The Village Playhouses of Roswell. While it probably wasn’t my VERY first audition, it was my first audition for a show outside of school or church. I was probably 12 or 13 and the show was Robin Hood. That particular theatre had two stages, one traditional proscenium and one theatre-in-the-round (I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a theatre with both!). This show was for their children’s program and performed two shows on Saturday in the proscenium theatre. I’m not ashamed to admit, I was incredibly nervous! I’ve since come to understand that nerves just mean you’re passionate about something and that’s a great thing! I went into the audition without knowing anyone! It can be daunting getting in front of a room full of strangers and be put on the spot. They gave us a piece of the script to read (what I learned at that very moment were called “sides”) and told us to go out to the lobby to practice with the scene partner they’ve paired us up with. Now you wouldn’t know it if you know me today, but I was exceptionally shy back in the day, but this was something I 
wanted so bad so I forced myself to open up and be vulnerable and experience something new and terrifying and exciting! I’m so glad I did, because I got the show! I landed the role of Friar Tuck, but more importantly, I gained the confidence to audition for the next show and the next one! I didn’t get every role I wanted, but I learned from every experience! AND I gained a whole family of friends that have lasted my whole life! To this day, some 20 odd years later, I’m still close friends with a great deal of the people who were in that production of Robin Hood! With experience, comes confidence and in that respect, auditioning does get easier, but I’ll tell ya, the butterflies still exist and I hope they never go away! There’s something special about wanting something so bad that it makes you nervous! My best advice to those just starting out: prepare, embrace your nerves and use the energy to let yourself shine and show those directors who you are and why they NEED you in their show! Break Legs!!!
Take it from some veterans, auditioning can be scary at first, but butterflies are empowering, the people you meet become your family, and being yourself is all that you need to be! We can’t wait to see you in March!
2019 Circle Theatre Audition Registration is open now until NOON at Tuesday, February 26th! Click on the link below for more information and to start your audition journey!