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By Tasha Matthews
January 13, 2016 (San Diego) – On Monday I got the incredible opportunity to audition for a really popular show in San Diego called America’s Got Talent. It was an amazing experience and I would like to share with you my journey through the process of auditioning.
I woke up at about 5:00 a.m. Monday morning, got dressed, packed a breakfast and a lunch, and went to catch the 41 bus from UC San Diego since I live on campus. From there, I took the green line trolley to the San Diego Convention Center. I got off the trolley proceeded to the entrance E, went up the escalator and stood in line.
I met three men, two of whom were performing for the audition. I was in line for about 25 minutes and by 8:00 a.m., the line started to move forward. Adrenaline kicked in and my excitement grew in quickened increments of anticipation and exhilaration. We got our sticker number and our purple wristband (yellow if you were in a group) and proceeded to the next room. By then, I new the three gentlemen, their names, and what they planned to audition if at all.
We then had our bags checked to make sure there were no weapons and we went through a manual miniature metal detector scan. I must say that during this process, the workers in there red jackets and elite uniforms were extremely generous and often times humorous. We then went to another line in the same room where we waited to get registered.
From there, we went into another room and the scene was a sight to see for certain! The letters AGT were lit up in the center of the room and four different banners of America’s Got Talent all over the walls and there were rectangular mirrors with light bulbs around them. Red chairs were set by fives in a circular pattern and all three of us (one of the gentlemen performing went somewhere else and I lost track of him) waited.
From there, a man walked up and spoke in the microphone getting us pumped and wanted us to line up in groups and film some shots of the crowd to look glamorous on TV. We did so, and proceeded to walk outside near Seaport Village and run down the stairs with our fists pumped, cheering with excitement. Eventually, we walked to a park while the crew was still filming and it wasn’t long before my newfound friends wanted to leave the shooting early to head back inside.
We did so and waited and one of my friends went to practice his dance. By 12:30 p.m., since we were one of the first in line in the beginning, we got called in groups to line up and perform. I eventually got separated from my dancer friend because he was moved in a separate line for dancers as there also was a separate line made for groups with instruments.
The crew took our applications and then I waited until it was time to wait outside the room when the next batch of performers went in a room. By 1 pm, I was with a batch that was waiting outside. We eventually went in the room shortly after. At this point, no recording devices are allowed to be on, particularly cell phones.
The two producers received the applications from the crew members, did a roll call and then sifted through those that got mixed up in another room with there applications. After that was handled, we got started with all singers performing. As we each went up, the producers asked for our names, hometown, age, and the song we would sing. I was third to perform and recited my name, hometown (San Diego), age (22), and song I will be singing (Mama Knows Best by Jessie J).
I don’t think I did as well as I wanted to, but I tried out and that’s all that matters. I was definitely nervous the closer it got to my audition time, but it wasn’t as nerve racking as auditioning for The Voice in L.A.
After each performance, we all clapped and then after the last person performed, one producer told us that they would decide by the end of April. He then said that he would likely call some people back after we left and ask them some questions. We all thanked him and left and that was the end of the audition.
Three acts were called back in my group: the only duet, a short African-American man with a high voice and a taller black man with a powerhouse voice. I was not called back, but hey! You never know, I might just get a call back in April!
After the end of April, if I get a call back, I would then perform in front of the celebrity judges, but the dates of when that will be has not been specified. If I make it through that, I will likely go to Las Vegas for the next round of auditions, and if I win the competition, I win $1,000,000.
The celebrity judges for this 11th season of America’s Got Talent includes Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell. This is an intimidating group of people to perform in front of, but well worth it in the end.
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