Going to a theatre audition, then these tips are here to help ensure you do your very best.
- Don’t be nervous
That might sound like funny advice to give. However, you can really get screwed up by your nerves. First of all, they take you away from the moment so you aren’t able to give your best performance. Second of all, you won’t be able to breathe properly. Therefore, you will be tense and your sound will not be supported. The third thing is, humans are able to smell fear. When you are nervous, it makes everyone else nervous, and people don’t like casting someone they can’t feel relaxed around. Remember your training in the discipline and make the most of this opportunity.
- Do Your Research Ahead Of Time
That might sound like really obvious advice. However, you might be surprised at just how little some individuals invest into their auditions. You should know who you are going to be meeting with. If the show is a long running one, go to see it. Do some research to find out what the director did in the past. It might be useful information for you to take with you into your interview. However, if nothing else, knowing who you are facing will make you feel a lot more in charge of your own audition.
- Dress appropriately
You don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money on your costume. Particularly if you are on the first round, most likely the panel won’t be completely sure on what they are searching for. Therefore, you don’t want them to get the wrong idea. Also be sure to rehearse at home in the clothing you are planning to wear to your interview. A pair of jeans, tight dress or high heels can completely change how you breathe. This isn’t something that you want to discover for the very first time when you are out in front of the panel. Unless you are told otherwise, wearing the same outfit to your recalls it a good idea since it will make you a lot more memorable. Here are some good tips.
- Don’t be overly familiar
When meeting the panel, take a professional approach. There aren’t any hard and fast rules regarding this. However, in general, it isn’t necessary to shake everybody’s hand. A confident ‘hello’ to the entire room is sufficient. If the panel does ask for you to sit down and chat with them, then of course be interesting and personable. However, these days there isn’t much time for those things, so just be prepared to get in and do your job. You don’t need to really ask how their day is going. If it happens to be 5:30 on a Friday, you might just be told the truth!
- Really know your material
If they ask you to bring the song of your choosing, be sure you know it well. Also, be sure you are able to really sing it! With so many songs available, don’t select something you aren’t able to actually handle within your range. This should also be true of every song that is part of your rep file. I assure you, that an MD is likely to hone in on that one song that you don’t know very well. They have that spooky talent, so don’t give them that chance. Finally, make sure to go through the material with an actual, live pianist. Sheet music is quite often different from a cast recording. You don’t want to be thrown off by that at your audition.
- Transposing
There isn’t anything wrong with you transposing a song. However, just realize that a majority of MDs will realize you have done it and it might raise some questions as to why you did it. You don’t want to give the panel reasons for questioning your abilities. If you are unable to sing Maria’s top note, take down the song. Otherwise the panel might remember that you were the one who wasn’t able to sing that top note in the song Maria. The world is full of songs so you are sure to be able to find something that suits your range perfectly. If you do decide to transpose a song, be sure that a reputable website is used if you aren’t able to get a real individual to do this. Also be sure a pianist can play it.
- Loud and high isn’t always impressive
Most of the time we really aren’t looking for someone to belt until the windows shatter. You will of course need to be able to show your range, and showing off a bit is always nice. However, if will rarely be more important than things like control, light and shade, sensitivity and truth. That is, unless you are auditioning for a role that requires that. If not, be sensitive of our ears. Check this guide out.
- Like your accompanist
Your accompanist can be your worst enemy or best friend in the room. Be sure to present your sheet music well. Is the page easy to turn? Do you have any cuts clearly marked? Did you provide them with all of the information that they need such as tempo? No matter how good they might be, they aren’t mind readers. You also need to be careful about selecting something that is very hard to play. It may make the accompanist appear more interesting than you. If something happens to go wrong, don’t ever give your accompanist a dirty look. When you leave, always be sure to thank them. They will invariably be involved in the entire process and quite often their opinion does count.
