Ready for Audition Season?
Prehab’s Survival Guide
How to Prepare Your Body for Audition Season
Audition season is one of the most exciting, and stressful times of the year for singers, dancers, and performers. It’s when preparation meets opportunity. While most performers rehearse their material for hours, far fewer prepare the one tool they all rely on most: their body.
At Prehab, we see it every year: performers heading into audition season carrying niggles, battling fatigue, or breaking down partway through. Here’s how to make sure your body is ready to perform at its best when it matters most.
1. Injury Prevention: Don’t Let Niggles Become Roadblocks
Performers often push through aches or fatigue, hoping they’ll resolve on their own. But during audition season, even a small issue can quickly snowball under the extra load of rehearsals, travel, and performances.
What to do:
• Schedule regular strength and mobility sessions, particularly where you know you need some work (20-30 minutes is enough) to keep any joints stable and muscles resilient.
• Pay attention to early warning signs; tight calves, sore knees, or vocal fatigue are signals your body needs attention, not cues to push harder.
• Use warm-ups specific to your craft: for dancers, dynamic hip and ankle drills; for singers, rib and thoracic mobility combined with breath work.
When to seek advice: If pain, tension, or vocal fatigue lingers for more than a few days, getting it checked early can prevent it from becoming a season-ending setback. A quick assessment often reveals small adjustments that keep you performing at your peak.
2. Stamina & Strength: Build Your Base Before the Rush
Audition days are long! back-to-back singing, movement calls, and waiting around can leave you drained before you’ve had a chance to shine. Without a base level of conditioning, technique often falters just when you need it most.
What to do:
• Add two to three short conditioning sessions per week: brisk walks, light cardio, or interval work.
• Prioritise functional strength: single-leg balance, hip and core stability, and controlled full-body movements.
• Run through your audition material in full (in voice, movement, or dance) to mimic the mental and physical demands of audition day.
When to seek advice: If you’re unsure how to balance training intensity with recovery (so you don’t burn out before the big day), a clinician can design a plan that fits your schedule and performance demands.
3. Recovery: The Secret Weapon Most Performers Forget
Recovery is where your body adapts, repairs, and strengthens. Without it, fatigue builds, small aches accumulate, and technique breaks down.
What to do:
• Aim for 7–9 hours of consistent, quality sleep, it’s the most powerful recovery tool.
• Stay hydrated; even mild dehydration can reduce stamina and vocal efficiency.
• Fuel your body well: include protein-rich snacks (nuts, yoghurt, lean meats) and balanced meals with complex carbs to sustain energy and aid tissue repair.
• Take micro-breaks: 2–3 minutes of gentle stretches, breath resets, or posture check-ins between rehearsals.
When to seek advice: If tightness, soreness, or fatigue lingers despite good recovery habits, it often signals your body isn’t matching load with repair. Professional guidance can identify the missing link and keep you performing consistently.
Preparing your material is essential, but preparing your body is what allows you to deliver it with confidence, energy, and control. Injury prevention, stamina, and recovery all work together to give you the edge in audition season.
At Prehab, we specialise in helping performers enter their busiest seasons resilient, pain-free, and ready to shine.
