From One Grad To Another: 5 Tips From Jasmine Triadi

Every year, a new crop of musical theatre graduates enter the professional world, and despite all the incredible training they may have received, some things they do not learn while in drama school. However, if someone who had recently been in their shoes could pass on some words of wisdom - would that not be great? For this reason, we got 2022 Italia Conti MT Graduate Jasmine Triadi, who has starred in productions such as Pigs Might Fly, Cinderella Panto, and The King And I, to share her five tips with new and future graduates. Enjoy!

1.     Try to Keep Yourself Motivated and Inspired! 

While you’re at college, you have a full-on timetable and are constantly practising your craft. Once you leave, it can be hard, as you no longer have that daily schedule! 

Try and do little things now and then that keep your brain ticking over: taking classes, having a sing, listening to/watching your favourite shows, seeing live theatre if you can! Remind yourself why you love it and give yourself little goals to stay motivated. 

2.     Try and Keep on Top of Your Rep

It sounds boring and can be a chore to sort through all the sheet music you have lying around, but you never know when you might need it! I’ve found it useful to have two separate folders: one that is neat and professional and has the go-to songs that you take to auditions and one huge one that has all the other songs and sheet music you’ve collected throughout your time at college. Organise it by genre of song, alphabetical order, or whatever you find the easiest - it takes some time, but you’ll be SO glad you did it! 

3.     Be Nice! 

Often you hear rumours about how scary auditions are and how people you encounter might not be that nice. But you’ll be surprised at how nice people actually are! You may hear that it’s everyone for themselves and that you should see everyone else as competition, but this tactic is exhausting and can make you noticeable for the wrong reasons! Try to be friendly and approachable to everyone you meet; you’re all in the same boat and may end up working with a lot of the people you meet in auditions, so why not make a good impression? Show everyone that you would be lovely to work with! 

4.     Keep Your Contacts! 

After you graduate, you go from seeing your classmates every single day to suddenly not very much at all. It’s great to try to keep those connections with college friends, teachers, etc.! Try and make the extra effort to keep in touch - it’s nice to have familiar faces in the industry and when things get hard, you know you have people to talk to who are experiencing the same things. You’re not alone! It’s also just great to stay in the loop of what people are up to. Keep your connections and be there for each other as you transition from training to the industry.

5.     Be Yourself and Don’t Panic! 

When you first start auditioning, it can feel quite daunting, but try not to stress too much! The people sitting on the panels are rooting for you and WANT you to do well so they can hire you! Try to treat each audition you go to as a dance class or a workshop, an opportunity to practise your skills! Every performer gets a lot of “no’s” before you get a “yes,” so treating them as experience and classes will help take some of the pressure off and allow you to give it your best go. Be your best self and show them what you’ve got!