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Last weekend I attended the Music Theater Educators Alliance annual conference where I presented the Morganix Method to my learned academic colleagues. More about that in another entry.

Two of our guest speakers talked about what they were looking for - and not looking for - when auditioning potential actors for their theaters. Their comments are listed below. Most of these comments I have heard from other casting directors and managers, so you can take them to heart.

Here are some don’ts and do’s of auditioning.

When auditioning DON’T

… do anything just for shock value! Make sure everything you do is justified in the song or script.

… swear!

… do monologues about suicide or abortion. Over-done, over-acted.

… use gratuitous emotion just to show your ‘acting.’

… perform a pratfall to get attention or to be memorable.

… do something (monologue or song) new just because it’s new.

… prepare ONLY the songs in your book. Be ready to sing whatever they put in front of you or ask you to sing.

… SCREAM your monologue.

… wear inappropriate clothing. A low-cut dress with large polka dots, not good especially if you’re doing a Shakespearean monologue.

… wear torn jeans or a t-shit with a large logo. It’s distracting.

… learn just the melody line of your songs. Learn a harmony line or 2 also.

… lying! Don’t put anything at all on your resume that is a lie. If you don’t read music, don’t say you do on your resume. If you don’t tap dance, leave it off your resume.

… take rejection personally. It may have nothing at all to do with you.

… use 8 bars of recitative in a 16 bar audition song.

When auditioning please DO

… songs that are contemporary and popular.

… make every word and movement count by giving it meaning.

… show diversity of craft.

… act the song! This casting director said that the biggest failure he sees is actors performing a great monologue who then turn to zombies when they do a song.

… live the monologue, live the song.

… have a song you can rock out on.

… the audition as though you are doing it for the second time!

… give out contact information that will be good for several years to come. The company may not need you for the current season, but remember you and want you 2 years from now. (He said that has actually happened!)

… dance like a man if you are a man.

… make judicious eye contact. Make a connection with the auditors.

… be authentic.

… be polite, be honest, be charming and

BE YOURSELF!!!

Please let me know if I can help you prepare for your next audition! Just shoot me an email info@VocalPowerTools.com and I will get back to you quickly.

Related Posts

• Vocally Empowered in 2010
• The Singing Revolution
• Interview with Grammy nominee Margie Hauser
• Easy Breathing to Sing Like You Speak
• Energize Your Performance-Wow Your Audience

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 3:57 pm and is filed under Singing Tips, Voice Lessons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.