You’ve got the confidence to apply, you’ve got the skills and talent to follow it through, you aren’t afraid of the terrible odds against you or the growing costs of drama school auditions.Now your application has been accepted and you have your audition date.Here’s my 5 tips to avoid fu*king up your drama school audition.1) Prepare the Sh*t out of your MonologuesDo the work, choose pieces that show off your acting ability. Work on them both separately, usually you need more time on the classical than the contemporary piece. Spend so much time on the lines that you don’t have to think of them.2) Arrive Early Arriving late shows you are unprepared and disrespectful. It doesn’t matter why you were late, Late will speak to your unprofessionalism and you have lost your shot.3) Be YouPeople turn up in their best fancy clothes trying to impress but the most impressive thing you can be is yourself. They want to know about you. Show off your best qualities. Maturity, intelligence, sensitivity and creativity.4) Think About Why You Are ThereWhy are you auditioning? If you can’t answer this question honestly and intelligently then you aren’t ready for your drama school audition. You want a life in the theatre or up on the screen, yes that makes sense. But you need to go deeper than that. It is reflected in your personal statement too. Does it read like a personal history or a statement of your intent? Are yo clear about why you are going to audition for that specific school? Have you researched the course thoroughly?5) BreatheBelieve it or not, your breath is your closest ally. Once your heart starts racing, you will become less effective. The pressure will make you lose the edge in the audition. Breathing will bring you back. Breathe in for 6, hold for 2, breathe out for 7. Repeat this 3-5 times. This will help you to fight the nerves, calm your mind and allow you to do your best under the pressure of the audition.Break a leg!Mark Mark Westbrook is a professional acting coach at Acting Coach Scotland .

On Habit