Really serious advice for how to survive your first Cambridge audition

Want to make it in the Cambridge theatre scene? Check out our advice on surviving auditions.

ADC Freshers surviving Theatre

Freshers, take note! We’ve made a list of handy tips to survive your first Cambridge auditions.

It’s not as bad as your admission interviews, we promise!

1. Be relaxed

Chill out. If nervous, remember that Eddie Redmayne went through the same grueling process. In theory this audition could be the start of your celebrity career, and you don’t even know it yet. Ultimately, you’re part of the blessed 1% and will spend the rest of your life at dinner parties telling people you go to Cambridge and not that you failed to get into week 5 musical.

Also, wear something comfortable. You’ll never know what you’ll be asked to do…

2. Be prepared

hard to ignore a lion with eyes like that, am I right?

Scar – now that’s a man (rather, lion) that knew what he was talking about. Don’t panic, it’s not an exam-term-style-preparation that we’re after but a general understanding of the show you’re auditioning for will help. Much like with your English Literature GCSE giving the synopsis a quick read is advisable!

3. Be organised

don’t leave them waiting…

 

“To be early is to be on time”

Turn up on time. Please. In fact, go early. Most auditions will have the extract pieces outside the door – give yourself enough time to go through them, choose one, and rehearse it. You don’t have to learn it, but just get comfortable with it. Don’t go in looking like you’ve never seen it before in your life.

4. Don’t give up

so many shows, so little time.

There are hundreds of shows and productions put on every term in Cambridge, and you (obviously) won’t get every role you audition for, so go to as many as you can. Plan ahead, book them into your schedule (arts students you have a head start as you have practically 0 lectures!). Don’t get discouraged; it might be a big pond here in Cambridge, but there’s enough fish food to go round!

5. Be friendly

auditions = friends.

Talk to people. More often than not the person waiting outside the room is also feeling nervous. Be nice, be open. They may even be auditioning you for something else in the future and people remember who was nice and easy to work with. At the end of the day, you’re all students of the same university. Act like it!

6. Enjoy yourself

just embrace it!

Erm, you got into Cambridge… like the actual Cambridge. It wasn’t just your grades but your personality that got you through the interview. Enjoy it.

There is far too much misery entwined with the academic side of things to bother getting worked up and miserable over an audition.