A Winning Approach to Acting

“Auditions always make me nervous,” theatre and psychology major Lauren Butler admitted. Butterflies and doubts are not enough to stop her, however. “Acting is a matter of opinion—one person can love what you did and another won’t. Being nervous is something an actor has to use, instead of having it work against you.”

An Honors student, Butler is among the first group of recipients of Performing and Visual Arts Grants from the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. The grant offers her financial support for her studies, but she also appreciates the prestige of the award itself because the judges who chose her are also her professors.

To help support talented students, the college provides audition-earned Performing and Visual Arts Grants. Students participating in the college's theatre, dance, music, and visual arts programs may apply. This grant, awarded on a yearly basis, is available to current undergraduate students, incoming freshmen, and transfer students. Of 15 students who auditioned for theatre grants, Butler was among the eight who received one.

Her audition led Butler to dig deep, academically and creatively. “It was hard to choose the piece I performed. I read every script I could get my hands on until I found something that worked. I picked a monologue that isn’t well known, hoping the judges might not have heard it before. It was a part that challenged me to portray someone not much like me.”

Butler suggested that all interested students should apply for a Performing and Visual Arts Grant, no matter how nerve-wracking the performance in front of the judges may seem. “Don’t be afraid to try for it. Every audition teaches us something important. Try your best. Independent preparation for the audition will open your eyes to what you can do as an actor. If you get the grant, you’ll feel even more at home in your field of study.”

The experience also better prepared her for the professional auditions she has ahead of her as she pursues a career in theatre. “No one will be holding my hand and telling me what I have to do when I’m trying to prove myself to strangers,” Butler said.

Watch Lauren in Action