Natalie Gumede Instagram – I’ve been going through a book of old poetry I wrote and came across this one from 2017. I was in LA doing the audition circuit during my first in-person pilot season; I must have clocked up about 40 auditions in a month with not a single booking or call back.
Reading it again now just makes me smile. I used to approach auditions like some kind of test I had to pass, and that of course brings with it a certain level of intensity. Inevitably then, not getting a role felt like a reflection of my worthiness, or lack of.
Fast forward five years, a pandemic, and a shit load of therapy, and an in person audition truly feels like a gift. The culture of the industry has changed so that now most auditions are carried out via self taping – actors rarely get to meet casting directors to try out for roles. These days when I do, yeah the nerves kick in, but so does excitement – it’s an opportunity to take notes on the character, to connect, to play, and sometimes, to fly.
It also reminds me of how wonderful actors are; we show up, open our hearts, dust ourselves off in the face of every ‘no’ (and there are A. LOT.) and then we do it all over again. It’s a bonkers but brave way to live life, and I never want to change that about myself, no matter what direction I’m headed. ❤️#poetry #acting #actorslife #auditions #auditionlife #auditionpoem #actorspoem #actorsmentalhealth | Posted on 10/Jul/2022 22:08:12
