[NEohioPAL] Musical audition song appropriateness
Deb Magid
smmslt111 at gmail.com
Sat Apr 19 19:55:46 PDT 2008
Dear Ken,
Excellent questions. From the perspective of someone who has been on
both sides of the table (3 Broadway shows and numerous other
performing credits; producer, musical director, and stage director at
many levels including community theater), here are the rules:
1. Auditioning for a rock musical, for example, when you don't have
those chops because you're classically trained, is a waste not only
of your time, but also that of the entire production team and
everyone else who is auditioning. Ditto for not knowing your
audition song or not having legible sheet music accompaniment in your
key. They won't be likely to cast you now or in future if you
present yourself as someone who wastes their time.
2. Learn the technical differences between classical, standard
musical-theater, modern musical-theater, and rock musical singing.
Very few people are technically equipped to cross over between more
than two, and I've never met anyone who can do all of them well.
3. Figure out, preferably with the help of your voice teacher or
another trained professional, which style(s) fit your voice, age,
acting ability, and persona, and choose audition songs based on those
criteria. Have at least two songs always at the ready (an up-tempo
and a ballad), and if you're crossing over, have at least two in each
genre.
4. When you go to the audition, know your song. Know your song.
Know your song. This means you
have memorized the music and the words,
know what the song is about in the context of the show it's from,
know what you're trying to achieve in the acting work, and
have practiced the song at least 25 times with accompaniment
(which can be on tape for practice sessions, but a live accompanist
is always best), *after* learning the three things above.
BTW, in the professional world, that number is 100.
5. If you already know a song (see #4 above) in the style of the
show for which you're auditioning, great. If you don't, but have
time to prepare one before the audition, prepare it (again, #4).
Otherwise, paying attention to #3 above, sing a song you already know
well that shows your voice and range to its best advantage and also
shows that you know how to stand on a stage and put a song across.
6. Practice. There is absolutely no substitute for muscle memory,
which is the basis of singing well, and there are no short-cuts to
being a good actor. Remember, practice doesn't make perfect.
Perfect practice makes perfect. Running through a song in your head
or even singing it aloud while you're driving doesn't constitute
practicing!
7. As to what a director is looking for, don't worry about it. If
you sing the song of the role you want, all a director need do is ask
you to make a few adjustments and have you sing part of it again, to
see whether you can take direction. Worry intead about what *you*
can control, which is presenting yourself in the best possible
light. One caveat: get a professional's opinion as to whether you
actually sing the song well before trotting it out in an audition -
don't shoot yourself in the foot with it.
When you audition for a musical, you're not only showing your voice.
You're also showing whether you know the rudiments of performance,
like how to learn material, how to stand and behave on a stage.
You're showing whether you can act and take direction. And most
importantly, you're showing whether you're a person with whom the
production team will want to spend time. Theater is a team sport and
a social endeavor. Production teams cast you not only because you
are talented and fit the role, but also because they spend an awful
lot of time with the people they cast, and who would cast someone
unprepared or unpleasant? Here's a cautionary tale.
Back in the '80s, I went up for a chorus job in a pre-Broadway tour.
I was pitted against a woman with the same look and similar skills
and experience to mine. She happened to be friends with members of
the production team, none of whom I knew. She was in a terrible
mood, the day of the callback, when everyone in the final running for
the chorus jobs danced and sang together in a group. That group was
then divided in two, with one of us in each group.
I kept smiling and being quietly positive and friendly, while my
counterpart was scowling and isolating herself. The director raised
his hand and started to point at my group, a sure sign that the next
words out of his mouth would be, "Thank you very much, you can go,"
when someone else on the production team stopped him. They all had a
discussion, and then switched the other woman with myself. The group
she was moved to was cut, and the rest of us were cast. Thereafter,
I also earned a role and the understudy to the star in that production.
I hope all this has helped to answer your questions. Best of luck in
your auditioning (and performing) future!
Cheers,
Deborah Magid
On Apr 19, 2008, at 1:40 AM, Ken Milota- Sweda Realty wrote:
>
> I have always wondered a few things about selecting a song for a
> musical audition.
>
> Is it important to pick a song to sing from the same genre of the
> musical you are trying out for? and why?....
>
> Would a director and/or musical director prefer a song according to
> the show style or the best song to show off your voice range?
>
> If someone were to audition for a classical musical would it be
> okay to sing a song from a modern musical?
>
> Also, what is your general opinion of picking a song from the
> actual show in which you are auditioning?
>
> I always believed that picking a song for the role you are
> auditioning for can give the director the impression that you are
> going to have your own vision of the role that the director doesn't
> see eye to eye with you on.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
> Ken Milota
>
> The Sweda Group, LLC.
> Real Estate Sales Agent
> www.RealtorKenneth.com
> www.AvonLakeHouses.com
> www.myspace.com/avonlakerealestate
> www.activerain.com/realtorkenneth
> 440-781-1401
> Fax: 440-398-0236
>
> KM Videos- http://www.stores.ebay.com/kmvideos
>
>
>
> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.
> Try it now.
> ______________________________________
> The Bang and the Clatter - Sometimes in the Silence... Theatre
> Company inaugurates their new downtown Cleveland theatre space with
> Neil Labute's THIS IS HOW IT GOES. Directed by Fred Sternfeld,
> starring Douglas Kusak, Michael May, Leighann Niles DeLorenzo and
> Rachel Zake. April 18 - May 10, 2008. 330-606-5317.
> ______________________________________
> please consider a voluntary contribution to support Neohiopal -
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>
On Apr 19, 2008, at 1:40 AM, Ken Milota- Sweda Realty wrote:
> I have always wondered a few things about selecting a song for a
> musical audition.
>
> Is it important to pick a song to sing from the same genre of the
> musical you are trying out for? and why?....
>
> Would a director and/or musical director prefer a song according to
> the show style or the best song to show off your voice range?
>
> If someone were to audition for a classical musical would it be
> okay to sing a song from a modern musical?
>
> Also, what is your general opinion of picking a song from the
> actual show in which you are auditioning?
>
> I always believed that picking a song for the role you are
> auditioning for can give the director the impression that you are
> going to have your own vision of the role that the director doesn't
> see eye to eye with you on.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
> Ken Milota
>
> The Sweda Group, LLC.
> Real Estate Sales Agent
> www.RealtorKenneth.com
> www.AvonLakeHouses.com
> www.myspace.com/avonlakerealestate
> www.activerain.com/realtorkenneth
> 440-781-1401
> Fax: 440-398-0236
>
> KM Videos- http://www.stores.ebay.com/kmvideos
>
>
>
> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.
> Try it now.
> ______________________________________
> The Bang and the Clatter - Sometimes in the Silence... Theatre
> Company inaugurates their new downtown Cleveland theatre space with
> Neil Labute's THIS IS HOW IT GOES. Directed by Fred Sternfeld,
> starring Douglas Kusak, Michael May, Leighann Niles DeLorenzo and
> Rachel Zake. April 18 - May 10, 2008. 330-606-5317.
> ______________________________________
> please consider a voluntary contribution to support Neohiopal -
> http://www.fredsternfeld.com/faqs.htm#support
> ______________________________________
> NEohioPAL is SELF-SERVE. If you need to unsubscribe, change from
> digest to one-at-a-time delivery or vice-versa, go on hiatus while
> out of town, switch from mime to plain text or vice-versa, etc.
> check out the FAQS at http://www.fredsternfeld.com.
> ______________________________________
> Disclaimer: The facts and/or opinions expressed in this message are
> solely those of the person in the 'from' or 'reply-to' header. The
> fact that this message is posted should in no way be taken as an
> endorsement by the administrator of this list. Subscribers should
> perform due diligence for all goods, services and activities
> promoted on NEohioPAL.
> _____________________________________
> NEohioPAL mailing list
> http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal
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