How To Introduce Yourself In An Audition? ( Easy 5 Steps)

The self-introduction is a huge part of an acting audition as it is the only one that creates the initial impression and you should know how to introduce yourself in an audition. 

The best way to approach how you introduce yourself in an audition is by approaching it as an acting piece and work on it. Then perform it with confidence. But instead of being a character, you have to be you. 

Here I will give exactly how you can do that doing these seven things while working on your introduction.

How To Introduce Yourself In An Audition?

Here I have listed the seven most important things that you should keep in mind while preparing for an acting introduction. Just incorporate it into your process and you will be good to go.

Let’s begin…

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1. Make A Script

We tend to fumble when we don’t know what to say. But in the case of an introduction, we know everything about ourselves, but still, you tend to make mistakes while you introduce yourself in an audition. 

What’s happening there?

The issue here is we have too many things to say about ourselves which overwhelms us and nothing comes out of our mouths. Also fear of being judged plays a part as well. 

So the best way to counter that is to prepare in advance what should be said for the introduction. Write a little speech introducing yourself. 

The length of the introduction should not be more than 30 sec. In the script form, it comes around half a page. 

The script is a good idea but what should include in the self-introduction for an acting audition?

You don’t need to include too much. The introduction is all about providing the most basic information about yourself in short. 

These are the things that you should include in your self-introduction:

• Your full name
• Your age
• Your height and weight
• Where you are from
• Languages you speak
• Any work experience 
• And your contact number

Weave all this information into a flawless speech. It doesn’t have to be like a story, just plainly write down all the details and speak it. 

2. Voice

Once you have the script, how do you voice it? If you read the script it will be like reading a resume with a plain robotic voice. 

You can add some confidence and smile and some voice modulation you will be able to make the introduction fun. However, don’t do it too much. Keep the tone as natural as possible. 

The best way to sound natural, as well as sound confident, is to say it with a smile, and especially when you are talking about your work or where you are from you can add little extra information to grab the agent’s attention. 

For example, when you mention the place where you belong to you can add some fun facts about the place in one line. And also when you provide information on your work experience you can just add some anecdotes about your gig in short. 

Please, make it as short as possible. These kinds of additions should not take more than 2-3 seconds. 

Also, there is always a fun way to say boring things to make them interesting. You can work on the pace and the tone of your voice. You can also say your names differently so that each time you mention your name, it catches listeners’ attention. 

I suggest preparing 2-3 versions of your self-introduction and shooting it for your reference. Show it to your friends and family and take their honest feedback. This will help you nail down an introduction that works for the masses. And stick to it. 

3. Body Language

No matter what you say, if your body language is not positive you won’t leave an impression on the casting agent. You have to learn to keep your body language positive. 

For that, you must understand how body language works. You can visit our post about the importance of body language in acting. There you can learn more about how to improve your body language. 

For quick understanding let me give you an idea about how to keep your language when you introduce yourself in an audition. 

There is one concept about keeping your body language open rather than closed. The way you know if your body is open or closed is to look at your head, chest, hands, or foot. If your head is looking down, or your chest tucked into your stomach, or if your hands and legs are crossed, your body language is closed. 

What does a closed body mean?

It means you are not allowing your body to fully express your emotions. When you express what you want to say with your words, eyes, and body, it is the most effective way to express anything. 

One issue with body language is most of the time we don’t even realize that our hands are crossed or legs are crossed or chest is in. You have to start noticing these things in your body language. 

Once you are aware of these things, make sure you correct them. Whenever you are in an audition or even in a meeting with a casting agent, you have to keep your body language open. 

People tend to be more attentive towards a person who has open body language and they feel at ease with such a person. 

So next time you introduce yourself in front of a casting agent or camera, make sure you have open body language. 

4. Look

Once you have the self-introduction for acting audition ready and you are confident to perform it. But wait, where do you look and perform if there is a camera or if there are too many casting people in the audition room?

You have to change where you look depending on the situation. If you are shooting your introduction with a camera, look directly into the lens. Address your introduction to the camera. 

When there is one individual in the audition room, it is obvious you can dart your gaze at him. But don’t start a staring contest with him. Now and then you can look away.

And if there are multiple individuals in the room, you have to divide your attention on each of them. 

Don’t plan your look in advance. Just be natural. When you are involved in telling your story, your looks will naturally be taken care of. Just inside your head know whom you are speaking to instead of marking some fictitious point in the air. 

5. What If You Get Nervous?

Don’t be afraid of being nervous, it is natural. And believe me, no matter how experienced you are at facing an audience, those butterflies in your stomach will never go away. 

So you should learn to acknowledge them.

In my acting class, we were taught to acknowledge all the stress and nervous thought before we begin to perform. 

Even Stanislavsky technique makes you to acknowledge tension in your body.

What happens when you acknowledge them? Our body suddenly lets go of the stress, you can bring your focus back to the performance. Once you are into 2-3 minutes of performance, you almost forget what was wrong with you a few minutes ago.  

And in case you get nervous in the middle of the performance, don’t worry just smile and have the confidence to continue. The good thing about an introduction is that you know what to say and even if you forget it, just improvise. 

Final Thought

You need little work with the introduction but once you get the hang of it, it will be like muscle memory, you won’t have to prepare for it every time you go for an audition. Remember to be yourself when you introduce yourself in an audition.