The First 10 Seconds
The audition skill nobody rehearses (but panels notice immediately)
Most drama school applicants spend weeks polishing the middle of their monologue… then walk into the room like they’ve just been caught stealing. Shoulders up, breath shallow, eyes apologising, nervous laugh, a weird little “hi”, and then they rush.
Here’s the no-BS truth: your first 10 seconds are already part of the audition.
Not because panels are cruel — because your first 10 seconds show whether you can:
settle your nervous system under pressure
take focus in a space
start clean
be watchable before you even speak
And drama school auditions are, by definition, performance under scrutiny.
If you only take one thing from this article, take this:
Rehearse the entrance like it’s text.
Because it is.
Why the first 10 seconds matter more than you think
There’s a simple performance psychology model I use all the time:
Performance = Potential − Interference.
You don’t lose your ability when you’re nervous. You gain interference: tension, self-monitoring, “please like me” energy, and brain-noise predicting doom. The first 10 seconds is where that interference shows up first.
And auditions are loaded for that. You’re being evaluated. You care. You want a future. Your body acts like it’s under threat.
So the question isn’t “How do I never feel nervous?”
The question is: How do I start well even when I am?
What a panel is actually reading (before you speak)
Panels aren’t mind readers and they’re not judging your worth as a human. They’re scanning for simple, practical indicators:
Can you take focus without begging for it?
Can you settle yourself quickly?
Can you start with intention instead of panic?
Do you look like someone who can be trained day-in, day-out?
This is why applicants who “look confident” often do better — even when their monologue isn’t perfect. It’s not magic. It’s simply that they’ve learned to start clean.
The five most common first-10-seconds mistakes
1) The apology walk
You enter like you’re sorry to be alive. Your body says: please don’t judge me.
2) The nervous chat
You fill the silence with jokes, over-smiling, or pointless commentary. That’s not personality — it’s avoidance.
3) The rush
You try to get the audition over with. That tells the panel you can’t tolerate pressure.
4) The “stare at the panel” freeze
You lock eyes like it’s a job interview and forget the world of the piece.
5) The dead setup
You take your position but nothing’s happening inside you. Then you “switch on” at the first line, which reads as artificial.
You can fix all of these with a routine.
Your first 10 seconds routine (steal this)
This is a simple, repeatable sequence. It’s designed to reduce interference and protect focus.
Step 1: Arrive in your feet (2 seconds)
As you enter, feel both feet on the ground. Not “think about it”. Feel it.
That small sensory anchor stops your brain sprinting into the future.
Step 2: One long exhale (3 seconds)
A longer exhale downshifts the stress response. Your body stops acting like it’s about to be eaten.
Step 3: Choose your first action (2 seconds)
Before you speak, decide what you’re doing to the other person in the first beat.
Examples:
test them
challenge them
win them over
confess
get them to stay
This instantly gives you intention. Intention gives you presence.
Step 4: Start on a thought, not on a line (3 seconds)
Most people “say the first line”. Better actors start a thought.
That means you don’t begin because you’re supposed to; you begin because something inside you needs to land.
That’s the first 10 seconds. That’s what “trained” looks like.
The “Beat Zero” fix (the missing piece)
Actors rehearse beats in the monologue. They forget the beat that comes before the first word.
I call it Beat Zero: the private moment where you enter the world of the piece.
Beat Zero might be:
you’ve just heard something and you’re deciding whether to speak
you’ve been holding this in and it’s finally spilling out
you’re walking into the room to confront them
you’ve rehearsed this conversation in your head a hundred times
If you build Beat Zero properly, the first line stops sounding like “a monologue start” and starts sounding like real speech.
Practical drill:
Run your entrance and Beat Zero 10 times a day for a week.
Not the whole monologue. Just the entrance + first two beats.
That’s how you hard-wire confidence.
What to do with your eyes (without being weird)
A lot of applicants panic about eye contact. Here’s the no-BS rule:
If you’re “talking to someone” in the piece, give them a clear point.
If you’re talking to yourself, let your gaze be internal but alive.
If you’re addressing the room, don’t look like you’re pleading for approval.
And for the love of acting: don’t scan the panel’s faces to see if they like you.
That’s the fastest way to snap out of the world and into self-monitoring.
If you want a simple cue:
Eyes on the other person. Not on the judges.
How to start clean when you’re terrified
Let’s be honest: sometimes you’ll walk in and your body will feel like it’s shaking internally. Fine. Normal. Common.
What matters is the next behaviour.
Use this micro-script in your head:
“This is nerves.” (not danger)
“Back to feet.”
“One exhale.”
“First action.”
Go.
That’s it. No affirmations. No nonsense.
A quick note on audition format (so you train the right thing)
If you’re auditioning for Acting Coach Scotland, Backstage’s guide describes the process as an audition and interview (40–60 minutes) with applicants working one-to-one with staff on two contemporary monologues.
That format rewards people who can:
start clean
take direction
reset quickly
stay present
In other words, training your first 10 seconds is not optional. It’s a competitive advantage.
And if you’re looking at our full-time training, we also state we accept applications throughout the year and hold auditions at regular intervals throughout the year, with Zoom auditions available for people who can’t travel.
Three rehearsal drills that fix your first 10 seconds fast
Drill 1: 30 Entrance Reps (yes, thirty)
Set a timer. Do only this:
enter
place yourself
Beat Zero
first line
stop
Repeat 30 times. You’ll hate it. That’s why it works.
Drill 2: The “Interrupt & Restart”
Have someone interrupt you on purpose right before your first line. Then restart clean.
This trains steadiness, not perfection.
Drill 3: Film it like a panel would see it
Set your phone up. Film:
you walking in
your setup
your first two beats
Don’t judge the acting first. Watch for:
rushing
apologising
nervous babble
dead face
lack of intention
Fix the behaviour. Then fix the acting.
If you want the honest shortcut…
If your audition is soon, you do not need “more tips”. You need:
a clean entrance
a clear first action
a monologue start that sounds like a thought, not a recitation
a reset plan if you wobble
That’s exactly what last-minute coaching is for.
Call to action: last-minute prep and polish
Acting Coach Scotland has offered one-to-one drama school audition coaching for over 10 years, and the coaching is built for exactly this kind of situation: tightening choices, sharpening the first moment, and removing the self-sabotage that ruins auditions.
If you’ve got an audition coming up and you want a proper polish (not fluffy encouragement), book a session via our Drama School Audition Coaching page — and if you’re considering training with us, remember: applications and auditions run on a rolling basis throughout the year.