Student Blog: Redefining rejection

I have had a good amount of experiences in my young life, both good and bad, and I can say with almost a hundred percent certainty that one of the worst experiences is getting rejected from a show. The pit that forms in your stomach when you realize that all the preparation and memorizing you did was for nothing is definitely not something I would recommend anyone ever feel. Sadly, rejection is an inevitability in the world of theater, but that’s not to say it can’t be dealt with. Here are the ways I have found that make dealing with rejection a doable process.

Don’t feel bad about feeling sad: I have no idea where or why this started, but there is an odd stigma around how to feel about a rejection, at least in the theater world. Rejection is very normalized in this industry, so a culture of sorts has been made of going right back out there and not taking time to process. Listen, I get it, we shouldn’t let rejection define our lives or work, but rejection hits everyone differently and not everyone will be able to immediately start auditioning again. However quickly (or slowly) you choose to start auditioning again is right for you, and you shouldn’t feel bad about being sad over not getting a part. Take time to remember why you’re going out there to audition in the first place, and know that there will still be auditions for you whenever you decide to get back out there.

Have a community: I can’t stress this point enough. When I got my first rejection, I was so disappointed and frustrated in myself, but I was so lucky to have my friends, both in theater and not in theater, by my side to help me. I had people texting to check in and make sure I was ok. In hindsight, it was fairly dramatic for not being cast in my sophomore musical, but hey, I’m a theater kid, what do you expect? In any case, having a community around me that cared for me even when I wasn’t in the show was what made it so easy not to be there. I, of course, went and supported the show and my friends the same way they had supported me. Theater is a community in and of itself, and it truly is what you make of it. Support the people, and the people will support you!

Talk to the director(s): This is probably the best thing you can do before auditioning again. In the professional world of theater, it is a lot harder to get in touch with someone who was on the audition panel, but in high school, that’s a fairly attainable thing to do. If you get rejected from a show, go seek out someone who was on the audition panel and ask for tips on how to improve for next time. When I got rejected from Little Shop of Horrors in high school, that’s exactly what I did. The cast list came out the same day as Colorado ThesCon, and our entire drama club was going on a field trip. (Hi, side note to theater directors, if you’re reading this, DON’T PUT OUT YOUR CAST LIST THE SAME DAY AS A CLUB OUTING. Ok, back to regularly scheduled programming.)  Going to ThesCon gave me time to talk to the director and music director and ask for tips for the next time I auditioned and if they remembered anything specific about my audition that either did or didn’t make an impression on them. This gave me perfect insight for my auditions for the rest of my high school theater career. Try to connect with someone in casting or close to the casting process to try to gain some insight on how to make your next audition sparkle.

No show, casting panel, or process will be the same, so take these tips with a grain of salt. These are what I have found to work for me and what I have seen the best results with. Trust your gut and audition with confidence. Check out the article I posted about audition tips if you’re struggling with that last part. Remember that theater is supposed to be fun, so have fun!