Choose ONE side (scene) and ONE Song to prepare for your audition. Guide Vocal tracks and Instrumental Tracks are above the listed songs. For your student's audition, they will need to use the Instrumental Track. You do not need to sing the entire song.....just a 30 second to one minute portion of the song.
Any student who wishes to have a lead part and or featured part (soloist or drama part) must participate in the audition....both singing and acting.
All students will be in the musical so.....NO WORRIES. There are lots of ensemble and featured parts. We want this to be fun experience.
If you have a headshot and resume, please email that to [email protected] with your audition video.
If you student is auditioning, then please record their audition and email to [email protected] with your students name in the subject line as well as their class. i.e. Jane Doe, Seussical Kids, 8 to 9
Callbacks and scene reads will take during the first two classes.
Audition Notes
Vocal Auditions 1) A musical theater vocal audition is NOT "American Idol". This is an audition, not a “sing-off”. It’s all about storytelling. The directors aren’t so much listening to voices as looking for who can tell a story with their voice, face, and body.
2) The directors have a problem. They need to put together a big puzzle and find just the right pieces to put it together best. They are not there to “judge” you – they are really hoping that you’ll be the right fit for one of the puzzle pieces. Your job is to help the directors solve their problem. So, there’s no need for you to be nervous!
3) If you’re nervous anyway, “hide” behind the character. Remember that it’s not “you” up there; it’s your character. Tell your character’s story the entire time when you audition. Get involved in telling the story and don’t spend time thinking about how your voice sounds when you sing. Make a strong, active choice for your character, and play it fully. We can't tell anything about your character if you don't show us an active personality.
4) Try to be aware of what your face and body are doing when you sing. Regardless of how your song sounds, if your face doesn’t tell the story of the song, the audience isn’t going to understand the story. Our brains process pictures before they process words, so if your hands are busy doing something unrelated to the song (for instance: tugging at the bottom of your shirt) the audience is going to think your song is about something else (a shirt), no matter what words you’re singing!
5) Use clear diction. We need to understand every word that you sing.
INTRODUCTION TO “SIDES” Please select your musical and you'll find audition reading cuts (or "sides"). Try to memorize your side for your audition. Please pick one character's lines to learn and have someone else read with you....could be a sibling or a parent.
The words in “italics” are "stage directions.” They describe how the show will look to your audience, including the physical appearance of the stage and any important physical actions performed by the characters. Sometimes stage directions also help the actors understand why characters say and do certain things. Stage directions are not spoken aloud.
The number one mistake in cold reading is speaking too softly. If we can't hear you, it doesn't matter how great your reading is. Also, speak clearly and not too quickly. Another common error is "singsong" or repetitive speech patterns -- using the same vocal pitch patterns for every line. Often, new actors begin lines on a higher vocal pitch and end on a lower vocal pitch (or place the ending words of a line in the back of the throat and speak them with a croaking sound). This is called "dropping the line", especially if the end of the line is harder to hear than the beginning. Avoid "dropping the line" at all costs.