It’s a familiar set of events. You’re sitting in yet another holding room, waiting to be seen for an audition. You woke up early, waited in a long line, and now you’re just waiting for the next step: getting seen by the audition panel. You’re sitting in that holding room with your headphones in, watching people talk about all the shows they’ve been in with their (seemingly numerous) friends and feeling like you’re the only one who doesn’t know anyone in the room. It can feel lonely and intimidating, and sometimes you wonder why you even put yourself through this.

Trust me, I’ve been there. Anyone who calls him or herself a working actor has been there. At one time or another, everyone was new to the city and to the process of auditioning. It can be stressful and intimidating enough to make you just want to give up. Trying to “make it” in this business is tough. If you’re new to it, or if you don’t have a lot of friends to go to auditions with, it can be even tougher. It can be lonely, and it’s easy to feel like you have no one there to support you. But that’s simply NOT true.

Even if you don’t have many friends who are in the business and you go to a lot of auditions by yourself, you should know that you’re not in it by yourself. There is a whole community of people who are doing the exact same thing you’re doing. They’re going to auditions, hoping to book that next job. They’re putting in the hours just like you are. You are not the only person trying to hustle and going through the struggles of auditioning professionally. And that’s the wonderful part. There are so many people who are in the exact same boat as you, feeling the exact same way. You just need to find those people.

How, you ask? Well, the easiest way is to just talk to people. Make a friend at an audition. Talk to someone you don’t know. Chances are they’re just as scared out of their mind as you are. I guarantee once you take that first leap and start making friends at auditions, the thought of going to open calls will seem infinitely less terrifying. You will start gaining friends, and you’ll feel WAY less alone the next time you have to wake up at 5 AM to get in line for auditions. And once you start booking contracts, you’ll be able to reconnect with former castmates when you go to auditions. Auditioning will be a great place to run into familiar, friendly faces instead of a terrifying crowd of unknown people. No matter the result of the audition, at least you got to be with your friends!

And once you start to build that community of friends, it’s a great way to keep each other accountable. Help your friends stay motivated, and they’ll help you. Encourage each other to go to auditions and to stay on top of your game. Stay close to those people who encourage you to be your best self as a performer AND as a person. And know that you are FAR from alone in this journey. You may all be working towards the same goal, but the more you look at your fellow auditioners as part of a larger community, the less it becomes all about competing. And that will make your life not only easier but also less stressful, and it will make the process of auditioning much more bearable.

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