The Nerve to Audition: How to Find Confidence When You're Full of Doubt

by Chris Peterson

It doesn’t matter if it’s your first audition or your hundredth. Walking into that room can feel like stepping off a cliff. Whether you're a seasoned pro, a community theatre regular, or a student chasing a dream, that moment when your name is called still has the power to rattle your bones. Your heart races. Your brain forgets the monologue you’ve known for weeks. Your hands start doing something weird. Why do they always do something weird?

Here’s the truth. The nerves never fully go away. And maybe they shouldn’t. That twinge of fear means you care. It means this matters to you. But confidence, the real kind, doesn’t come from having no fear. It comes from knowing how to carry the nerves with you and still show up anyway.

So how do you do that?

Start by reminding yourself you don’t need anyone’s permission to call yourself an actor. We all have a voice in our head that says we’re not good enough. That we don’t have enough training or the right look or the resume to back it up. That voice doesn’t go away with experience. It just learns new words. You can be fresh out of school or brand new to the community theatre scene and still be just as valid. If you care about the work and you're willing to be vulnerable in front of strangers, then guess what. You’re an actor. Own it.

Preparation helps. Always. Know your material so well that it becomes muscle memory. Rehearse with intention. Practice walking into the room. I’m serious. Actually rehearse walking into the room. That’s the first moment they see you. Are you open? Are you present? Are you trying to shrink yourself, or are you stepping into that space like you belong there? You don’t need to strut. Just stand in your worth.

If you're singing, pick a song that feels like home. Not the one that shows off the most. The one that feels honest. If you're doing sides, don’t worry about showing range. Focus on connection. And if it’s a monologue, tell the story like it matters. This is not a test. This is not a trick. You don’t have to impress them. You have to reach them.

You’re allowed to be nervous. That doesn’t disqualify you. It doesn’t mean you’re not good. Auditions are strange little spaces. Everyone in that room knows that. What people are looking for is not someone who never shakes. They’re looking for someone who can stay grounded even when they do. You’re not expected to be perfect. You’re expected to be brave.

Auditioning is its own muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. You get better at managing the adrenaline. Better at bouncing back when something doesn’t land. Better at understanding that casting is rarely just about talent. It’s about look and timing and chemistry and sometimes height and sometimes things that have nothing to do with you. So stop trying to control everything. Focus on what you can. Your work. Your attitude. How you carry yourself in and how you recover after.

Celebrate the fact that you showed up. That you put yourself in the running. That you stood up and gave something of yourself. That’s already a victory. And if it didn’t go the way you hoped, let yourself feel that. Then get back up and keep going. One audition does not define you. One role does not define you. Don’t let the voice in your head be the one that stops you.

You belong. Whether you're standing in line at an open call or emailing in a video for a student film or auditioning for your community’s production of Godspell, you belong. You are enough.

So breathe. Walk in. Stand tall. And go for it. You’ve got this.