Managing Stress As You Prepare for College Theatre Auditions
If you’re a high school student in the throes of college applications, you’ve probably discovered that deciding where to go to college is a stressful process in and of itself. Comparing different universities’ costs, programs for your intended major, student opportunities, and campus life takes a lot of time and mental energy—not to mention the effort of applying to each one!
On top of this, prospective musical theatre students have yet another stress-inducing process to navigate—college auditions. Not only are you trying to pick a performing arts program that will help you grow as an artist and a person, but you’re also preparing to be evaluated by what seems like countless adjudicators who decide whether you’ll get into that program.
While it’s no secret that careful practice is essential for a successful audition, the only way you can truly perform at your best is to manage your stress. To keep your pre-audition stress levels in check, here are four strategies you can try:
Develop a Time Management System
Organize Your Audition Materials
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Set Yourself Up for Resilience
Although the tips in this guide are a good starting point, remember that everyone’s college audition experience is different. Stress management is all about finding what works best for you—which may or may not match what works best for your peers—so that you can do your best in your auditions. Let’s dive in!
1. Develop a Time Management System
College audition season requires you to keep track of a wide variety of deadlines, in addition to all of your high school activities. Your calendar, planner, or to-do list will be your lifeline during this important time.
Start by listing out the major dates associated with the auditions for each school you’re applying to, including:
Potential audition days. In particular, make note of which of your auditions will take place in-person and which will be held virtually so you can manage your travel schedule. If several schools you’re applying to participate in unifieds, mark down those dates and consider whether attending would be a good use of your time.
Prescreen submission deadlines. Most schools don’t accept prescreens submitted after the due date, so you’ll need to plan ahead to get yours in on time.
Application due dates. Although your audition is essential for getting into a college’s musical theatre program, you’ll likely also need to submit a general application to the school with your high school grades, recommendation letters, essay responses, and other essential components.
Scholarship applications. There are many types of college scholarships you can apply for through various organizations, and each application will likely have its own deadline.
Then, work backward to determine how much time you’ll need to effectively prepare for each of these dates. Take your school and extracurricular schedules into consideration, and give yourself as much time as you can to prepare so you won’t have to scramble to get everything done at the last minute.
2. Organize Your Audition Materials
In addition to tracking a variety of deadlines, another common audition season pain point is managing your materials. Often, each program you apply to will have slightly different requirements for audition materials, so double-check each college’s website to ensure you follow the rules for both prescreens and live auditions.
Fortunately, many colleges are standardizing part of the materials selection process by adopting the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen (MTCP). Acceptd’s guide to the MTCP will help you determine the applicable requirements for songs, monologues, dance, and “wild card” submissions for each school you apply to during the 2023-2024 audition season.
While the MTCP will likely make it easier for you to organize some materials for the schools that use it, keep in mind that some programs may vary the requirements or have completely different criteria for either your prescreen or your live audition. Create a physical or digital folder of audition materials and clearly label which materials are for which college. A quick guide like this can save you time and mental energy as you prepare for the right audition at the right time.
3. Practice Relaxation Techniques
In order to do your best at your college theatre auditions, it’s essential to focus on physical and mental wellness. Paying attention to your well-being not only improves performance but also helps reduce stress and avoid burnout as you navigate this complex process.
One of the best ways to focus on wellness—mostly for mental health, but for physical health as well—is to practice relaxation techniques. These may include:
Trying intentional breathing exercises
Doing yoga or stretching
Journaling about your audition experiences and emotions
Repeating positive affirmations
Continuing to make time for things you enjoy, like hobbies and spending time with friends or loved ones.
It’s also important to maintain as consistent of a sleep schedule as you can, eat foods that provide long-lasting energy, and cut back on caffeine. While a cup of coffee or caffeinated tea is okay for a quick boost here and there, too much caffeine can make you feel jittery and more nervous. Coupled with intentional relaxation techniques, these additional self-care strategies can help you manage stress even more effectively.
Audition days are often the most stressful, making them the most important time to take care of yourself! Make sure to warm up your body before dance auditions, practice good vocal care, and take some time to wind down at the end of the day.
4. Set Yourself up for Resilience
Even if you rehearse well, stay organized, and practice self-care during college auditions, rejection still happens. And if you pursue a career in the performing arts, it’s a reality of the field. However, this doesn’t mean that rejection doesn’t hurt—and if not handled properly, your first rejection can have a significant negative impact on your stress levels going forward.
To help you deal with rejection, My College Audition provides the following tips:
Allow yourself to be disappointed when you initially receive the news.
Accept support from friends, family, and coaches.
Distract yourself with fun activities, or channel your disappointment into other creative pursuits.
Once you’ve had some time to process, take the next step in your audition process.
Remember that rejection is not a reflection of your worth as a person, and some auditions not going in your favor don’t mean there isn’t a college theatre program that will be the right fit for you. When you have this resilient mindset while still being patient with yourself, you can keep going after your goals.
Final Thoughts on Managing Stress for College Theater Auditions
College application season can be overwhelming, especially for prospective musical theatre students. But when you manage your stress effectively—from scheduling and organizing to keeping your body and mindset healthy—you’re more likely to come to your audition ready to perform at your best.