[Lazarus (Adam G)]

I haven't performed in awhile because of a really bad stage experience. I went to audition for "Gypsy" as one of the chorus members (there aren't many leading male parts).
Instead of having a normal audition, they made me get up on the stage in front of everyone else who was auditioning. I brought sheet music to sing from, but instead, they took it and gave me sheet music from a different show that I had never heard/read before.
They made me sing it on the spot, in a room filled with 80+ people. I sucked, because I had never seen the material before, and I don't exactly read music that fast.
I haven't done anything since. It stole my confidence away. To make matters worse, I had done shows at the same theater many times, and I thought I had made friends with the people there. Instead, they were very cold and nasty to me. These people were fakes.

Ever have anything like this happen to you?

[Chevstriss]

it's things like that that make me glad to be in the union. What you described could NOT happen at an equity call.

[Beagle On Stage]

Don't let that scare you off from other auditions. That's really crappy, but you're not going to encounter it in most cases.

My scariest audition process: It was for a respectable, adult company, but it was a new director who was a little unorthodox. There was no reading from the script, no monologues, nothing. The entire audition was improvisation-based drama games, which the director just observed. I felt like I was in a middle-school drama class...and I'm not good at those games at all. As it turns out, the most important thing to the director was that he see who was already competent as a performer and wouldn't have to be constantly babysat for the whole production, and was using that activity to gague everyone's adaptability, approach etc. It was for a very complex and avant-garde five-actor show, so he also wanted to find out who had the stage presence and charisma to carry the roles.

I ended up getting an awesome part, but still the audition was such an ordeal. I've never seen anything else like it.

The point is that you get thrown a huge curve sometimes, but don't think that that will always be the case. More often than not, you'll do your prepared number as planned and no one will spring anything ridiculous on you.

[candlestickjay]

Aw thats totally a bad experience! I'm sorry you had to go through it, but don't let it stop you from trying again. If thats one thing actors are its definitely try-again-ers. XD And don't worry, in your situation I would have done the exact same thing. But not all auditions are like that, so don't skip out on one you might ROCK at, just because the Gypsy audition went badly okay? You are just hurting yourself, and the many audiences who won't get to see a performance of yours. :-p

[Aimee]

Lazarus (Adam G), that sounds awful. Didn't they tell you what was going to happen beforehand? Did they then change that on the day?

Its stupid because not many people can sight read music and they probably missed out on a lot of really good performers because of it.

I echo what they others have said but to give yourself confidence next time [and future times] try to get as much information about the format of auditions before you go.

Beagle, I love you juxtopsition of these two sentences in your post:

[Jekkienumber24601]

I hate auditions were the play a song from the show that you're auditioning for and expect you to know it. (You might not be familiar with the show you're auditioning for. It might be a different tempo then you're used to, different key) I just like auditioning with a 16-32 bar song of my choice! Is that too much to ask?

[Aimee]

Here in the UK we don't get the 16-32 bar thing in amateur societies.

Every society I belong to picks a song/songs from the show we're doing and everybody sings the same. You have a say over tempo but thats youronly free choice.

Obvioulsy pro auditions are different.

[Beagle On Stage]