Wannabe actors conquer nerves to claim roles

When Ricardo Padilla walked into the Vint Hill theater earlier this month to audition for the Agatha Christie classic “And Then There Were None,” he only knew he wanted to try something different.

“I guess it’s because I’m getting older and I’ve always wanted to try something like this,” the stay-at-home father of two said of acting.

“I play music, so I’m used to being in front of crowds, but not like this,” he said, as he sat waiting for a scene assignment and trying not to think about his nervousness. “You can miss a note, but you can’t miss a line, you know?”

Fellow first-timer Christine Hawthorne of Bealeton was admittedly in the same boat.

“Right before I went up there, I wasn’t sure if I could do it,” said Hawthorne, who minored in theater at Penn State, but has only worked behind the scenes in productions. “I was so nervous, but once you get up there, it’s not too bad.”

According to many, it sounds easier than it looks and even veteran performers admit to hosting a few butterflies prior to taking the stage.

“I’m a bundle of nerves,” admitted Fairfax resident Lori Muhlstein in between scenes.

The Verizon sales trainer has performed and directed in the Washington metropolitan area for 25 years, but still goes through a “good-luck ritual.”

“I wear purple to every audition,” she said, sporting both a sweater and scarf in the color. “I know it’s crazy...but [one day] I noticed that when I was wearing purple I would get cast, so I started wearing purple.”

According to Muhlstein, the right clothes can make a huge difference during an audition.

“I like to wear something comfortable that I can move in, so I’m not focusing on me, I’m focusing on doing a good audition,” she said.

Pushing past the nerves

For some actors, like Warrenton resident Leland Shook, audition jitters finally fade altogether.

“Eventually, you come to the conclusion that you’re not going to die,” he said.

Thought Shook admits to brief bouts of stage fright before opening night, he simply acts the nerves away.

“You can use that energy,” he said. “Nervousness is an unsettling emotion, and you can take that energy and turn it into anger, or fear, or comedy.”

But even Shook has a good-luck charm when it comes to auditioning.

Since using it as a prop in the late 90s, “this hat has been with me in every audition I’ve ever gone on,” he said, pointing to the tweed Tam o’ Shanter on his head. “This is my rabbit’s foot.”

Kirsten Burt is still relatively new to the theater scene, but says auditioning definitely gets easier with time.

The Loudoun County resident auditioned for her first role last year, saying she was terrified before going on stage.

“There are still nerves, but it’s definitely not as bad as it was a year ago,” she said. “I’m a lot more comfortable now because I’m the one who shows up to auditions and knows everybody.”

Getting into character

Some auditions require a cold reading, which many actors prefer to prepared monologues.

“It really shows what you can do for the show,” Muhlstein said.

Cold readings require actors to get into character quickly, usually with very little time to prepare. To compensate, many research the play and parts beforehand.

“I always read through it and eagle in on the part or a couple of parts that I think I would most enjoy playing,” Shook said. “For a lot of people, their fun is just being a part of it, but if you have to [make sacrifices] for the play, you want it to be for a part you’re interested in.”

To find a working persona on the fly, Shook often mimics actors or characters similar to the part he’s been assigned.

Burt is one of those who audition for the fun of the experience.

“I usually just audition for things because my friends are going, and they want me to do it,” she said. “I’m not one of those people who shows up knowing who I want to audition for and what I’m going to do.”

Someone else’s shoes

But whether they’re prepared or not, nervous or confident, actors share a common purpose at auditions: to play someone they’re not.

“One stage, you go from your normal self and become someone completely different,” said Josh Vest, 14. “It’s like Halloween every night.”

Muhlstein likes it when a role pushes her out of her comfort zone.

“I like it when I [have to do] things that Lori doesn’t do,” she said.

When she doesn’t get a part, there’s always some disappointment.

“When you’re auditioning, your product is you, and when you don’t get cast, it feels like they don’t like your product,” she said.

“You’re disappointed for a day, but you get over it,” she said.

Although Padilla made it to call-backs, he’s not upset at not receiving a part and considers the experience worth it.

“You go into new things looking to have fun, and I had fun [auditioning] and that’s all I expected it to be,” he said. “I’ll just try again next time and see what happens.”