If At First, We Don’t Succeed…Lessons Learned From A Professional Audition

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts magazine in the UK“, founder of YOU Management, Terence Rodia, shares his experiences and lessons learned from a professional audition to guide and inspire other artists.

Breaking into the entertainment industry is no easy feat, even for the most talented and dedicated individuals. Whether you’ve spent years honing your craft through vocational courses or training under an esteemed theatre school; success in the industry often hinges on one crucial factor – auditions.

Auditions serve as the gateway to the industry, providing casting directors a filtered system to review and choose potential talent. An important process for any aspiring performer, however, auditions are a hard process to master and there are no guarantees of acing an audition, regardless of your qualifications or experience.

To shed light on the challenges and offer valuable insights into the auditioning process, we sat down with Terence Rodia, Founder of YOU Management. As a seasoned West End performer with years of experience in talent management, Terence understands what it takes to succeed in the industry. Here he reflects on one of his first auditions, offering invaluable tips and lessons learned from the process:

Can you share you’re an experience from one of your first professional auditions? What was the role you were auditioning for, and were there any challenges?

I remember that one of first professional auditions was for the musical ‘We Will Rock You’ at the Dominion Theatre in the West End. At this time, I was still in school in Liverpool, in my third year, when I saw the audition advertised on ‘the stage’ for two male ensemble parts. A complete newbie to the world of professional auditions I thought, why not give it a shot? But to be honest, I didn’t expect much to come of it; I mainly wanted the experience.

When I arrived at the audition, I was in for a surprise. There were 52 people on stage auditioning. The audition started with a dance routine round, and I managed to make the cut, which was a shock in itself. But then they announced it was time for the singing round, and I started to notice that everyone around me was pulling out their sheet music. I, thinking I would never get this far, hadn’t brought any, and then the panic set in.

Did you experience any surprises or memorable moments during that audition process?

Yes, I most definitely experienced some surprises and memorable moments during my audition. So, after making it through the dance round, they kept 10 of us to sing. Then, to my astonishment, it was revealed that we would be singing in front of none other than the legendary Brian May from Queen.

At this moment, I suddenly realised I was about to stand on stage in front of Brian May and admit that I had no sheet music prepared for him. There was no turning back, I knew I must accept my fate, so when it was my turn and Brian May asked me, ‘What are you singing for us today?’, my 18-year-old self sheepishly fessed up that I had nothing prepared, and that I didn’t have any sheet music with me.

In a moment of kindness, Brian suggested that I could sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him instead. Mortified, but with no other choice, there I stood on the stage of the Dominion Theatre singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Brian May. It was one of the most embarrassing, surreal, and memorable moments of my life.

Of course – I didn’t get the job, but I learned many important lessons from that experience.

What were the most valuable lessons you learned from this audition?

Looking back, the most valuable lesson I learned from this professional audition was the importance of always being prepared. Whether you’re going for experience or just on a whim, it’s crucial to have everything with you, because you simply never know.

From then on, I hauled everything I could need with me, to every audition. From tap shoes and sheet music to spare clothes and hairbrushes – I was prepared for any situation that could arise.

It was an embarrassing but pivotal moment, but it has always stayed with me.

What advice do you give to aspiring performers preparing for their first professional audition based on your own experience?

Based on my own experience, my advice to aspiring performers is simple: always be prepared. You never know what might happen.

Make sure to bring spare copies of your CV and headshot, and if you’re asked to perform something on the spot – you best be ready to do it. I learned this lesson the hard way during my audition for We Will Rock You, but it was a lesson I needed. 

In a funny turn of events, my first ever professional musical was actually in We Will Rock You, and during a special performance of the show, Brian May came to perform on stage with us. After an epic show, at the after-party I had the opportunity to speak with him. I told him the story of my audition. We had a good laugh and I told him how that experience had taught me the importance of always being prepared, and that I was sure that it had helped me to secure my role in We Will Rock You the second time around.

It’s a lesson and experience I’ll never forget.

Find more from Terence Rodia now:

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