Chances are you stumbled upon this article to find musical theater auditions. Yes. Links would be provided at the end of the article for your perusal. Then again, you also need some reminders regarding stuff to bring. And one issue that has risen as of late is the need to assemble a book worth bringing to your auditions.
You say, “Wait. What book?” Well, some old school musical theater enthusiasts would still go for the traditional art of using sheet music when attending auditions. And when we say book for your upcoming musical theater auditions, it’s a collection of printed copies of sheet music. Collection that is neither too thick nor too thin. If you have been enrolled in voice lessons, you may have been told about your voice type. Having experience in musical theater further meant learning your character type. In short, you have a forte that you could bring on your next series of musical theater auditions. So what is the ideal book?
Musical Theater Auditions
Not too thick. Not too thin.
It should not be thick. And it’s not because you don’t want your baggage to go too baggy to carry around. Remember, you are attending a series of musical theater auditions. It’s not practical. At first it looks impressive because it would look like you have a wide range in terms of genres. But it doesn’t have to be too thin either.
Musical Theater Auditions
Make them age appropriate.
It should have songs that are age appropriate. We don’t mean your age. You can keep that to yourself. Musical theater auditions are meant to confirm if you fit within the age range that you’re trying to audition for. Not all casting calls insert a “peg”. (Someone that sings and acts like Lea Michele. Someone with the look and voice of Jonathan Groff.) They are not of high school age. But they bagged roles in Glee, a musical TV series about the struggles of being in a glee club. Next thing you realize, Jonathan Groff gets cast as the king in the hit musical Hamilton to replace Brian d’Arcy James. James had to topbill the also hit musical Something Rotten. And you realize how age appropriate range can get so flexible. This takes us to our next point.
Musical Theater Auditions
Know your type.
Songs in your book should be type appropriate. Let’s use Brian d’Arcy James as example again. He’s been cast years ago as Dan in Next to Normal. Months ago, he played the king in Hamilton during its off-Broadway run. As of this writing he’s in Something Rotten for the Broadway run. Ever noticed a pattern? It’s more like character actor with a potential to be a topbiller. But you remember the voice and the performance long enough to develop a peg for yourself on your next stints of musical theater auditions.
It’s more than okay to idolize someone. It will reverberate anyway once you have went through the musical theater auditions and casting calls. But the biggest pitfall about trying to model yourself after your icon is losing your own voice. You let other people do the comparing for you. If you’re a guy and you sound like Brian d’Arcy James, you get a little idea which songs fitted your forte. If you’re a girl and you sound like Lea Michele, same analogy applies. You might even get some suggestions on which songs to sing best.
Musical Theater Auditions
Less POTO and Les Mis, if ever.
Nothing against the mega-musicals. But the main pitfall about attending musical theater auditions with hits from the mega-musicals is you become one of the crowd. You blend into the crowd. You don’t stand out when you sing songs that practically everyone else has already done. Unless you’re really auditioning for a part in Phantom of the Opera (POTO for short) or Les Miserables (Les Mis for short). Then expand your repertoire.
Musical Theater Auditions
Less obscure songs too.
There is a reason why some musicals remain, um, “insignificant”. They just don’t strike a nerve. They have songs forgettable enough to be placed in some obscure part of the sheet music collection somewhere in theater college. You don’t attend musical theater auditions to showcase the musical theater nerd in you. You are here to prove that you have what it takes to join this musical theater production. It can be a risk to sing some of them in musical theater auditions. That is if you believe you can make a memorable version. Some auditionees managed to make certain obscure songs their own as early in the musical theater auditions’ process. Just make sure the performance won’t fall into the same obscure limbo as that of your chosen song. It’s also a risk you get when trying to stick to your schtick..
Musical Theater Auditions
Radio-friendly fare is okay.
There is a reason why some producers resort to greatest hits’ compilations for their next musical hit. Because of strong recall. Baby boomers found themselves flocking to Broadway due to Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia. 80’s enthusiasts enjoy nostalgia when watching Rock of Ages. It’s musical hits like these that slightly made musical theater auditions easier for you. Now that is left for you to do is pick a song from similar productions that fitted your forte. You’d end up having more fun than you initially expected in this part of the process.
Musical Theater Auditions
Don’t try to impress.
Tricky advice when you have a string of musical theater auditions. But you need to realize. Most casting directors have seen it all. Either they are jaded or they are checking if you fit in the show. It happens. Pop culture has constantly presented an auditions panel with a jaded roster of casting directors and producers. And there is some truth to that. Since you cannot change that perception overnight, focus on your performance. Sing your heart out because of the need to express, not to impress. Also, trying hard to impress occasionally affects the beauty of the song. Don’t let that need for attention get into you. Remember that singing is an expression. Best felt when dished out naturally.
Two recommended links for your next roster of musical theater auditions come from BroadwayWorld.com and Playbill. Playbill has a wider roster of casting calls. It includes details on whether it’s paid or not. Click here for more details. For aspirants focused on mostly musical theater auditions, click here to go to BroadwayWorld.com.
Hopefully the tips shared here would help strengthen your resolve. You’d need them for your musical theater auditions. More tidbits and advice to come regarding auditions and updates about musical theater in general. Subscribing to our online newsletter is high recommended. Just refresh this page to see the pop-up again. For more real-time updates, follow us on our social media accounts. Like our official Facebook page, Musicals Online. And follow us on Twitter @musicalsnews. Thanks for reading.
