The Secret of Life

At the risk of being repetitive, I want to touch on a theme I feel is so critical for an actor, singer, dancer, speaker or anyone. It is in my estimation one of the great Secrets Of Life.

Showing up.

I have a dear friend who is an actress in L.A.. She and I share a great philosophy about auditions. If you audition, you have a small chance of being cast, sometimes one chance out of several thousand. But you still have a chance. If you don't audition, you have no chance, no chance at all. So just by the act of showing up you greatly increase your odds of getting work.

I just sent out a congratulations email to a student of mine who went to an audition. No, she didn't get cast yet, and may never get a role in the show she auditioned for. That is not her decision to control. But she could control going to the audition, which is a brave and courageous act all by itself. It takes a strong person to show up in a room, deliver a piece to people that are often strangers, and then leave a judgement up to them. Brave and bold.

And that really is a philosophy not just for performers but for life in general. The great secret is showing up. Auditioning is a prime example, but also going to rehearsals, taking classes, doing your work. And how often have you promised to see a show or a movie or a concert and instead blew it off for no good reason. Later there is regret especially if you have a friend involved in the show you decided to miss.

Recently I was called into an audition. I was excited that they had called me, rather than putting out a general announcement. As I arrived, I ran into another actor they had called. I was a bit sad that they had called someone besides me for the role, and worse, this other actor would be PERFECT in the part they were looking to fill. To add more bad news, he told me that 6 other actors had also been called in. He named names, and I knew them all, all great actors. Frankly I thought about leaving, but I went ahead and auditioned, because I always try to do that.

And I got the part! My point here is, had I not shown up, I never would have gotten the role, which turned out to be one of the great experiences of my life. Hence my often stated philosophy, "Life is about showing up".

So conquer your heart when it whispers to you that you may as well not go, that your not the right type, that your not good enough. Go.

Show up.

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei