🎭 Don’t Audition—Perform: How to Captivate Without Staring Down the Panel

Question: Do we need to perform directly to our panel when we audition?

Short answer: No.

Now, that might sound counterintuitive—but as someone who’s been on both sides of the audition table, I can tell you: there’s nothing more awkward than feeling obliged to lock eyes with your panel for an entire performance or feel olbiged to stare back from the panel..

Why Eye Contact with the Panel Can Backfire

Firstly, it makes everyone hyper-aware that we’re in an audition room. You may ask, “Is that such a bad thing?”

Well—yes. Ideally, you want to transcend the room and take your panel on a journey. You want them to forget they’re in an audition space and start imagining you on stage—embodying a role, singing to an audience, living truthfully in a world of story and sound.

So what should you do instead?

Use Visual Anchors to Tell the Story

Find something in the room that sits just above the panel’s eye level. A clock, a window, a curtain rail—anything. Let that become your anchor.

Direct the energy of your performance through your eyes into that object. Imagine it’s the person your character is singing or speaking to. This allows you to stay present, in the moment, and free from the distraction of trying to interpret your panel’s expressions.

As a more advanced performer, you can take this further. Use your imagination to paint the world your character inhabits. What are they seeing? Feeling? Reacting to? Let that imagined world reflect in your eyes and body.

🤔 But Wait—Isn’t Eye Contact Important for Connection?

Yes—and no.

In live performance, eye contact can be a powerful connection tool. But in an audition room, direct eye contact often breaks the spell. Instead of pulling the panel into your world, it makes them hyper-aware of the “audition dynamic”—watcher and watched. This creates tension for everyone.

That doesn’t mean you should never look toward the panel. A fleeting, emotionally-charged glance can be effective—if it arises naturally from the storytelling. But for most of your piece, anchoring your gaze just beyond them will serve you (and them) better.

🙋 Common Concerns from Performers:

“Won’t I seem nervous or avoidant?” Not at all—if your storytelling is emotionally grounded, you’ll come across as focused, not closed-off. Confidence comes from commitment to your world, not eye contact.

“What if my character would look directly at someone?” Great question. In those cases, imagine the person your character is addressing is just beyond the panel. That keeps the truth of the scene intact without making your panel feel stared at.

“Don’t avoid the panel—just don’t perform to them. Perform through them. Let your energy and storytelling flow past the room, into the world of the piece.”

Final Thought

Don’t strive to “audition” at auditions. Strive to create. To inspire. Let them see not just what you can do—but who you are as an artist.

When you do that, you won’t just be remembered. You’ll be cast.

Break a leg—you’ve got this. 🎶