Horrible Audition Anxiety

I had an audition this morning that as usual, went terribly wrong. I can't seem to sing well at all due to nerves. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for severe audition anxiety. Not the normal, regular nervous but the knees shaking over-vibrato-y loose control of your voice, wanna run away and hide kind. Has anyone ever experienced this and has anything ever helped? Does anyone know of any techniques/workshops for this? I actually have anxiety issues outside audition situations and auditions make it all the much worse. I know people say use breathing techniques and to be well prepared, but is there anything beyond that?

Thanks so much.

---

I know exactly where you are coming from as I am sure many others here do as well. It is 100% normal to feel this way. But, I got over it by just going to audition after audition and making myself a points system and pretending it's only a game. I tell myself at the back of my mind that the people behind the table want me to work for them but, while I am auditioning, they do not matter and it's MY show. It usually helps. If you give yourself an acting choice or someone to sing to at the back of the theater or a spot on the wall, it really will help. Just get it out of your head that you are being judged. Have fun. That is the main thing. You cant be worried about how well it will go because then you are doomed before you even walk in the door. First off, loosen your knees. Find a stance you are grounded and comfortable in. Keep your chest high. Trust me..you will get better with time.
I myself tried Nerve medicines and I personally think it's a bunch of bull. They made me more nervous and tired before an audition.. I think the only thing that does work is the Herbal Yoga Tea for Stress and Nerves they sell in the health food store. It definately helps to calm me down. Now at auditions, I get little butterflies only because I am anxious to go in the room and perform.

Updated On: 8/20/07 at 10:34 PM

i agree with supportivemom . The greatest gift to a sick child is having someone to look up to with a dream. Or an elderly person who cant get out. Entertainment can make anyone happy. think of the positive in what seems like a scary situation.

Read Power Performance for Singers. I did a master class with Alma Thomas that pretty much changed my life. There are things in her philosophy that I don't necessarily agree with all the time, but it can never hurt to try and see what works for you.

I had the same problems as you, and probably the worst thing I was doing for myself was trying to calm myself down. Channel all that anxiety into performance energy. In my experience, the times the anxiety was the worst was when I would get so nervous that I would say "Okay, just stay calm and hit the notes!" I would forget to perform, and when that happened I would freak out even more because I was aware of every little problem going on with my voice and that only amplified the problems 110%. Don't worry about the notes! All of that is done in practice! Your only job now is to put on a good performance. If that is successful, then your voice will be fine! And it makes auditions way more fun.

If it's a major major audition my hands and feet go numb lol.

another amazing book that I read 2 times is AUDITIONING by Joanna Merlin. It's reqired reading at a lot of schools.

Wow Amneris, that's awesome. I'll have to check out that tea. I was on meds that helped a little but then went off of them due to not having insurance (or a job at that time). I now have insurance but I'm not sure how long I'm staying at the job I have so I'm not sure if it's work getting back on. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one though. It's frustrating seeing all these friends of mine auditioning in NYC not really have anything beyond a few butterflies where I'm having a complete meltdown (and end up walking away embarassed praying that the casting person realized I was insanely nervous and that I don't really sound like Edith Piaf on Acid.)

---

Buffy- I'm a pharmaceutical rep who markets anti-anxiety/depression drugs. That's how I thought you had SAD based on your description. It's textbook. Many people suffer from SAD and panic attacks because they lack serotonin or norepenephrine in their system. Pharmaceuticals can help to balance these levels but they must be taken consistently. It's just like people who take insulin for diabetes or synthroid because their thyroid levels are low. Maybe you can check out the $4 generics if you find that you need more help to overcome this obstacle. I wish you good luck and hope that you find the right treatment (pharmaceutical or not) to balance your life. Probably the most frustraing thing is that your friends can't relate to this and probably tell you to snap out of it or just to relax. It's not as easy as that! Maybe you can find some online support for this as well. This is a very treatable problem.

It turns out that audition anxiety is experienced by a lot of professional performers. After completing my doctoral dissertation based on a treatment for audition anxiety for musical theater performers, I put together a website to provide some resources to sufferers. I hope it can be helpful for other people with audition and performance anxiety! Check out AuditionAnxiety.com