We often list what we should do during an audition but rarely to do we go over the biggest faux pas. Here are the top offenders to avoid.

Show Up Unprepared

Everything the casting directors will want from you is listed on the audition sheet. Do not show up without every single thing mentioned. Not only is an audition a showcase of your talent, it’s a showcase of your ability to prepare. If you show up missing half of what you need, why would they assume you wouldn’t do that when it actually matters?

Apologize or Make Excuses

Never, ever, ever apologize for your work. No one but you knows if your audition was your best work or your worst. Apologizing immediately shows weakness and paints your performance in a negative light even if the directors liked it. Apologizing makes you appear weak and performers need to be confident in themselves and in their work. After all, would you apologize to the audience after a rough monologue? No, you wouldn’t.

Quit

We all mess up. We all forget lines. What we don’t do is quit when a mistake happens. It would be like refusing to walk anymore after tripping on a crack in the sidewalk. A huge part of a strong performance is knowing how to course correct when hiccups happen. Don’t quit at the first sign of trouble. Show off how you handle adversity.

Act Shy

There is nothing wrong with being a shy person offstage. However, when you’re onstage, you need to be able to command a room. You need energy, you need confidence, you need charisma. As soon as you step on that stage, the directors need to feel your vibrancy. If you can draw them in, you can draw in an audience.