Trust Your Gut
Have you ever walked into a room or been approached by a stranger and felt immediately uncomfortable? This is your instinct taking over. These exist to keep you safe - listen to them!
Being a performer of any kind can put you in potentially uncomfortable or even dangerous situations; be it an audition in a questionable location, working with someone who may not have your best interest in mind, or even just not connecting with your coach/teacher/coworker. Because this job has creators rotating places of employment, colleagues, and more on a regular basis, it is important to develop and trust your instincts. Here are a few reasons to/examples of listening to your instincts:
As I mentioned in a my blog, How to Choose a Voice Teacher, it is important to decide if your teacher is a good fit for you, your learning style, and your current needs. The same is true for the teacher. I am often contacted by total strangers wanting to get in for a trial lesson. I love this, but it comes with a small element of risk; inviting a stranger into your home is always risky. Now that classes are online, there is certainly less of a risk, but it’s still vital for me to decide if I want/can work with someone. To be the best teacher I can, I have to be in tune with what my students need and be excited to work with them every day; if I don’t feel that someone is a good fit, it will affect their lessons negatively (for both of us!).
Auditions can be in random rented spaces, not always at the theater for which you’re auditioning, but there is almost always a monitor to check you in, other people waiting to be seen, and more than one person sitting behind the table. If you walk into an audition and you’re totally alone with only one other person, you may want to leave and double check the authenticity of the casting call.
I had an audition in college when I was 20 years old, barely an adult. This show was to take place primarily on stage, but that stage had a pool that some actors would swim in. The callback asked everyone to come in bikinis (one-pieces were not allowed) and they wanted us to parade around in front of a table of 4 middle-aged men. They even had auditionees spin around so they could “get a good look.” No adult females were on the auditors’ side of the table. Simply reading this puts a knot in my stomach, but at the time I had no language to express how I felt. If you’re ever in a situation like this, trust your gut when it tells you, “this is not okay. This is not safe. Do not attend the callback. These are not people you want to work with.”
Hopefully, experiences which make you question your safety will be few and far between; however, you want to be prepared if/when they arise. In my opinion, it is ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry, in all aspects of life. None of this is meant to discourage you from seeking employment or education as a performer, I simply say it to keep you diligent and safe. Now get out there and break legs, friends!