TIPS FOR A GREAT AUDITION
- Come prepared! You will be singing 16 bars of your song, not the whole song. Choose the part of the song that best shows off your voice. [Have your music clearly marked for where you will begin and end] For a dramatic audition, please limit your selection to one minute. Memorize well. [Bring a hard copy of your monologue to refer to if you get lost]
- Bring a theater resume and a headshot with you to the audition. We will have forms you can fill out here, and you can have your photo taken for $2, but it will streamline things considerably if you bring this with you. [ . . . have this already prepared]
- Bring a list of any conflicts, rehearsal or performance, and write them on your audition form. We don’t want to have to reconsider casting because we find out about conflicts after the fact
- Be honest about your willingness to accept any role. If you will only accept a specific role, please say so. [Please don’t tell us you’ll accept any role, only to drop later because you didn’t get the role you wanted.]
- For musical auditions–Choose a song that suits your voice. No pop songs! Show tunes are best. If you don’t have a song, singing Happy Birthday is perfectly acceptable. If you find you are too nervous or too uncertain to perform your song well, please ask to sing Happy Birthday, instead.
- If it’s a dramatic audition–Prepare a one minute dramatic monologue that is appropriate for you–gender, age, etc. [You don’t want to choose a monologue meant for a teenage boy if you’re a middle-aged woman.]
- Dress comfortably, but nicely. In a sense, this is much like a [very short] job interview. We want to see that you are taking it seriously.
- Hand your music to the pianist, show them where you will begin and end, and give them an idea of the tempo you would like. [Have them play the introduction for you so you know exactly where you will come in] Do this before you step onto the stage. When you are ready to begin, nod to the pianist.
- Occasionally, you will be asked to read from portions of the script (these are called sides). You will be allowed a moment to familiarize yourself with the selection you will be reading. [Don’t worry about not knowing how we want you to read it. We’re looking for what YOU can do]
- Smile! Listen to the panel and respond appropriately to any questions. Speak up so we can hear you. Stand confidently. No hats and no hands in pockets, please!
- Remember that we are on your side; we want you to be great! We’re looking for “the one”, and we’re hoping it’s you!
