Last Tuesday I got to see the world through the eyes of Ryan Seacrest. I don't mean that in the literal sense, of course, but something about my job at the talent show auditions made me feel like the celebrity as he tries to comfort and congratulate contestants who are, in all reality, probably not going to be the American Idol. Of course, the talent show contestants have a much better chance of being cast in the show, and as they didn't find out whether they have made it during their auditions, the drama level was very low compared to that of Idol. Still, it was one of my more interesting days. Never before had I been so disconnected yet involved in an audition process- although I was privy to all moments before and after contestants' auditions, I had no self-interest dictating who I thought should be cast for the first time ever. I am usually either auditioning for a part or not present at all, and if the situation is the former I spend most of my time focused and stressed out about what I am about to do. Because of this, I have never taken the time to contemplate the behavior of my fellow auditionerss when they are under stress. As a fly on the wall last Tuesday, I was finally able to observe, and now I can report.
There are really two basic types of hopefuls for a spot in a performance, and these are nervous ones and confident ones. The way they wait outside the door is different, and the way they react when they leave the audition room varies with their initial level of nervousness, but the judges see them whether they are nervous or not. In that way, it doesn't really matter how anxious they were; the end results are really the same. The futility of all the nervousness I've ever felt before an audition was demonstrated for me, and this was interesting to see. Perhaps I can lessen my own pre-audition fears from this experience.
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