Audition Tips for Musicals
Books on How to Audition | Audition Tips for Musicals - Interviews with Experts | FAQs and more Tips | Song Selection tips| Workshops | Musical Audition Sheet Music
Audition Songbooks
Books
Auditioning for Musicals
New: The Complete Professional Audition: A Commonsense Guide To Auditioning For Plays And Musicals
By Michael Perilstein with Darren Cohen. Practical advice for auditions, including: choosing material, rehearsing, warming up, staying calm, standing out in a crowd, understanding casting, avoiding pitfalls, following up, getting the right headshot and resume, and accepting an offer. Includes appendices of recommended songs and monologues for auditions.
Auditioning
for the Musical Theatre by Fred Silver. "One of the country's leading
musical audition coaches prepares you to get the parts you want." Includes
an 18-page compendium of audition songs suggestions at the end with notes about
why the songs work. Talks about how to act a song (don't just stand there), what
to sing and how to sing it, stage fright, working with pianist, etc, etc. Great
value at $10.36
How
to Audition for the Musical Theatre: A Step-By-Step Guide to Effective Preparation
(Career Development Book)
Next! : Auditioning for the Musical Theatre
Auditioning for any role
A must have (according to many actors): Michael Shurtleff's Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to... has insights on the formation of Pippin as well as audition advice
TO ORDER AUDITION BOOKS FROM EUROPE, VISIT OUR UK SITE http://www.wickedwestend.co.uk London cast section
Audition Tips for Musical Theatre Performers - Special to this site
Audition tips from Director Joe Mantello - Joe Mantello gives tips about relaxing and being your unique self, and suggestions for preparing. He says, "Too often I see actors trying to second guess what the team or the writer or the director are looking for." To read his advice follow the link above.
Musical Audition Tips from Stephen Schwartz - Composer and lyricist for Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, and other shows offers his perspective on do's and don'ts for auditioning for musicals.
Musical Audition tips from Music Director Noel Katz - Noel Katz talks about what music directors for musical theatre like to hear, what songs to choose, and more. For example, he says: "Remember that a musical audition is like a job interview, in which the job is going to involve 4 - 6 weeks, whatever the rehearsal process is, of a really intense collaboration. Because directors are casting people that they want to work with, they want to cast people who appeal to them as human beings. And that's what you really have to emphasize at an audition, is your appeal as a person, as a potential employee."
Musical Audition tips from singer/actor/dancer Joy Dewing - Joy Dewing explains how to select songs for auditions, organize your audition book, etc. As a professional who auditions frequently, she knows how to be prepared with a collection of songs that she brings and a list in the front of the book. If a musical director for an audition wants to hear more, you can be ready. "If they say 'Do you have a ballad, something belty?' I can just go down the list and I don't have to really process the information. I have it categorized by voice type (belt, mix, legit), genre (rock, pop, theatre, comedy), and song type (ballad, uptempo), and it's all in my book alphabetically. This minimizes mistakes and prevents me from looking like an idiot rummaging through all my papers. It just looks more professional."
Musical Audition Tips for Kids (or parents to read regarding their kids) - Meridee Stein discusses her expectations as a director who works with professional and aspiring young actors. For children who want to perform in musicals, being prepared for auditions is essential.
Get Attention for Your Resume
Try 1800Casting - Diprima Corporation - Musical theater actors - consider getting listed here
Frequently Asked Questions and more Tips
Should I sing a song from the show I'm auditioning for?
Coach Robert Marks says: "It's generally considered a good idea not to sing a song from the show you're auditioning for unless specifically requested. The people you're singing for generally have their own ideas of how the song should go, and if your version doesn't match it, you might find yourself out of the running. Also, singing the song of one particular character in the show might preclude you from being considered for a different role."
2. What are common audition mistakes?
Audition comments from vocal coach Elizabeth Prescott
3. I get into some shows from my auditions but not others. How can I improve my auditions?
Answer: google groups posts
Song Selection for Musical Auditions
(SEE ALSO VOCAL -RANGES PAGE for lists of songs by vocal range)
General advice:
1. If you are aiming for a particular part in the show, unless instructed otherwise, avoid singing songs from the show itself. Instead choose material from shows of a similar style and caliber that reflect your capabilities. Always choose song(s) you know well that display your vocal range and versatility.
2. You may be asked to sing a song in the style of (but not from) the show you're auditioning for. By picking a song that is reminiscent of the character and vocal range, you may show that you are right to play that part.
E.g. for the role of Emile in South Pacific, some singers have used "If I Loved You," from a different Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which will reveal that they could sing "Some Enchanted Evening."
That all seems obvious - but there's subtlies to be aware of, as noted in some of the points below. Find a song that
* Suits you (voice, age, gender, style)
* Is appropriate to the show and character you’re auditioning for
* Is not overdone
* Is playable by a pianist at sight ...
Tips for Stephen Schwartz Musicals
Question: What audition song should I use for a part in Godspell
Answer: You'll find some suggestions on the Godspell forum at musicals.net
Answer from Stephen Schwartz from stephenschwartz.com: (The person asking wrote "I need to prepare 2 contrasting songs from a musical of a similar style to 'godspell'")
"I would think any pop song that shows off your voice would be a good choice. If you must do something from a musical (and I don't know why that would be necessary), it seems obvious you should choose something from one of the more pop-oriented scores, of which there are several: for instance, RENT; TICK, TICK, BOOM; AIDA; LION KING; JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR etc.; all the way back to THE ME NOBODY KNOWS. But as I say, unless the people doing the show are insisting on a theatre song, any rangy pop song ought to do. Good luck! Sincerely, Stephen Schwartz"
2. Question: I'm trying out for my high school's musical Working in about two weeks. ... I don't really know what to sing style wise.
Answer posted by Stephen Schwartz on his forum: The music for WORKING runs a pretty wide gamut (if a gamut can be said to be wide.) This is because the composers tried to stay as close as possible to a musical tone that would be appropriate for the individual characters. Most of the music is pop-oriented, so if in doubt about which characters you're auditioning for, I would err on the side of pop-appropriate material. But the older characters, such as the teacher, waitress, or retired man, have more "theatrical" music. The ethnic characters have music appropriate to them -- the older parking lot attendant has a kind of Harlem-in-the-40's number, the cleaning woman sings a Gospel-tinged song. And for narrative purposes, there are more folk oriented numbers written to be accompanied by guitar. I realize this isn't very helpful in narrowing it down, but my best advice would be to ascertain what characters might be appropriate for you and try to sing something that suggests them, or as I say, if you have no advance knowledge, go with something pop-oriented that shows off your voice. Good luck, Stephen Schwartz
3. Any audition song suggestions for Pippin?
Check the Pippin forums at www.Musicals.net
Using Wicked Songs: Wicked Songbooks . You are welcome to use the songs for auditions, mentioning the source as the Broadway musical Wicked.
See also agents and casting notices
Audition Workshops for Theatre Singers
Audition Workshop for Theatre Singers - In Los Angeles
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To send suggestions, comments, or questions write to info@musicalsingers.com with QUESTION or COMMENT in the subject line.
