Picture this:

You arrive at the audition completely unprepared. No sheet music, no idea what you're going to sing. But you're ready to dance. You may not have a note of a song in your head, but by golly you're ready to tie on those jazz shoes! As you start filling out your audition sheet, you start blanking on what shows you've been in. "Just nerves," you think as you scan your brain for the name of a show, ANY show, you've done. Moments after you've finished your audition sheet and tied on your jazz shoes, your name is called to sing. A moment of panic whirs through your brain as you think, "Maybe I should have thought of something to sing before now..."

You get into the room and step onto the stage in front of a table of 5 judges. Two faces are comforting-people you've worked with many times in the past. The others? Complete strangers. Not even an ounce of recognizability (is that a word?) in their faces. The pianist begins playing your selection, and you nervously begin to sing. Shaky at first, you gain a little bit of confidence as you see the judges start to smile at you. So you get a little bit more into it, even though to your own ears and low sense of self confidence, you sound horrible. Then it happens. Not a burp, not even a fart. Either of those wouldn't have been that bad. No, you forget the words. Four lines into the song, you FORGET THE REST OF THE WORDS. Staring at the ceiling, hands in your pockets, you scramble your brain for something-ANYTHING-that would sound good. And nothing comes. Absolutely nothing.

The judges ask if you want to sing something acapella. You respond with an enthusiastic "Yes", thinking that will make things a lot easier. "Cabaret, sing Cabaret," you think to yourself. But because of the panic that's just happened, your mind is a complete blank. Thoughts are racing through your head, "Come on, sing Cabaret...what about something from Wicked? What songs are in Wicked? Cats! I just did Cats; I should know something from that! How does the song start? What song? I don't care! Just PICK ONE and SING IT!!" Still nothing. You start to mumble to the judges, laughing nervously as you do, "I'm sorry, I'm so nervous; my mind has gone to completely blank mush..."

Luckily, one of the judges is your friend, whom you've worked with many times over a span of 6 years. "Could you remember the words to Happy Birthday if you wanted to sing that?" Not said in a sarcastic or mean way, but a prodding, comforting voice breaking through the screeching panic bees in your head. "Yes, Happy Birthday, I think I know that one," you gasp out. Or at least you think you say that; your heart is beating so loudly and quickly that it's made a new home in the middle of your throat and is managing to drum in your ears. So you sing Happy Birthday. Worse than you ever have in your life.

And then the singing audition is over. And you walk out to the next room to learn the dance, hoping to redeem yourself.

Yea. That totally happened to me last night. I felt like I'd just peed my pants, I was so nervous and upset with myself for screwing up that badly. Anyone know where I can get some cajones with this singing self confidence thing???