There were times at auditions I felt I had wandered into a jewel toned stepford universe: Girls in A line dresses and nude heels with long hair in loose curls, guys in blue/purple shirts with black pants and a skinny tie. Now to be fair- the people I am describing all looked VERY nice, and I know that look is recommended by various coaches. Do keep temperature in mind as well, (which may be less of an issue since it has been milder this year) but a girl in a sleeveless dress in January just looks cold.
@ParachuteBoy - what is your “style” in real life? I would say think about that- and take it up a notch. Outfits I have seen on boys that looked great at an audition: hipster-ish (dark skinny jeans rolled up at ankle, small pattern shirt, bow tie and jacket) athletic/outdoorsy (tan pants and a thermal Henley) and preppy (chinos and a v neck sweater). All of those looked dressy and appropriate. In the end, as others have said- you need to feel comfortable. My D did the uniform at her 1st audition b/c she wanted to look (in her words) “right”. But it wasn’t her- and in the end she figured that schools would have no reason to accept her if they didn’t get to SEE her at auditions
@ParachuteBoy - there’s nothing inherently “wrong” with khaki pants/ blue shirt, but it does send out kind of an " I wasn’t sure what to wear and I’m not secure in standing out, so I’m going with the mid-western “safe” uniform". I think if the khaki/blue has a “sharp” aspect to it, that can be a fine thing. Like @toowonderful said - take your style and “up it a notch”. At OTAs last year, we saw lots of guys in the khaki/blue or khaki/plaid, and it was often ill-fitting and looked about 10 years out date - like the “one” outfit their dads had advised them (and their brothers) to wear to school functions, weddings, church/temple, dances, sports award banquets, holidays at Grandma’s. . . (nothing against “dad” fashion sense). The black pants, skinny tie and jewel tone shirt can also send out the “I am one of those MT guys, notice how I stand out?” vibe, but when every guy is wearing the same blue/purple shirt, that too, becomes a “uniform”. In the end, we all wear “uniforms”. Take yours and make it sharp w/o making you feel uneasy in the spotlight. If you have the build for it, choose slimmer pants over the baggy pleated/cargo look and a shirt that has a more fitted profile - rather than an “emergency” one you borrow from dad’s closet. And nice non-sloppy jeans are terrific, too. Vests, bow-ties, sweaters, combat boots, etc. can all add a nice touch. Just be sure you’ll feel comfortable when you begin to “sweat”.
My S had these beautiful light brown pants with a small check that fit him really well (Banana Republic, bought the day before Audition #1) and on one day a black linen shirt and another a red one. He looked great in both, but as other people have said, I’m not sure it matters much as long as you feel good and are able to move.
I think the key to attire for boys and girls is to be neat, clean, comfortable and respectful. Nothing too tight, too low cut, too short, too long. No wrinkles. No holes. No dirt. You do need to be able to move comfortably. Just like I think sometimes you can go overboard trying to pick out a song that nobody else has, I think you can also overthink trying to find something unique to wear to make yourself stand out. In the end, you want to leave a positive impression. The way you conduct yourself during the audition and your performance are the things you want them to remember most. Don’t let your clothes be a distraction to you or them Be able to sit, walk, jump, turn, yell, cry, sing, dance, etc… in whatever you choose to wear. You never know what might be asked of you or what you might choose to do while auditioning.
Also, continuity is a good thing. If you wore glasses in your headshot and during your monologue, you may want to wear them during your dance call. But beware of flying glasses if you do so! If your hair is blonde in your headshot, it should probably be blonde during audition season. They see too many people to keep up with everyone’s changing hairstyles and colors. Make it easy on them to remember you!
Any advice for someone whose “type” doesn’t match their regular way of dressing? I look like an ingenue and at this point in time, my head voice is where I am most comfortable (though I hope to develop into more of a belter because it definitely matches my personality better). However, in day to day life I would say my style is a bit more “alternative”… definitely not the “girly” vibe typically associated with ingenues. I certainly would not wear something like a pink dress in my daily life, I would feel uncomfortable and not “me” - BUT it would match my type.
I’m worried that if I walked in the room dressing how I normally would, a more “edgy” style, and then launched into a song like How Are Things In Glocca Morra there would be a weird sort of… contrast between the sound they are hearing and the person producing that sound. And I’m not sure if that would be a good or a bad thing. I have been told not to type myself for college auditions, but I have been also been told not to play against type in college auditions…so I’m not really sure what to do! Come off as an “edgy” ingenue, or dress like a “real” ingenue and feel unlike myself?
It sounds like you should find something between the two extremes, an outfit where you will feel like you but maybe not rock your punkest self either. There’s quite a lot of options between pink and black, you know?
To me, singing How are Things in Glocca Morra, while dressed in an edgy style sounds like a great way to be memorable. Like @Jkellynh17 says, you don’t have to rock your punkest look, but you don’t have to hide your “self” under a bushel either. Sing something that makes your voice shine and dress in a way that makes you comfortable w/o going for ultimate “shock” value.
I see a lot of the hipster girls in vintage – it’s sort of sweet on the surface but with some irony underneath – though not knowing you, I couldn’t say whether that would work for you.
I sometimes feel like I have the same problem. I have youthful look to me like a slightly chubbier Jermery Jordan / Aaron Tviet type. However, I am a bass/baritone and sing more like Robert Goulet and Steven Pasquale, like a Billy Bigelow. So sometimes I don’t know how to present myself. I am tall but not in shape enough to give off today’s romantic leading guy look but not short or wide enough to be a character look.
@gmo913 - I have a daughter with what sounds like a similar look and sound to you. She flat out refuses to do the a-line blue or red dress and pumps deal, saying, as others have, “Why should I stamp out my individuality, when that’s what they’re looking for?” Yet she’s not going to any extremes in the other direction either. I think you can fuse your alt vibe and your Glocca Morra’s (which my daughter sings too - though not as any of her audition pieces!) together quite easily, just stay away from anything like patterns or jewelry that will cause the auditors to focus on it instead of you. I’m paraphrasing here, but one of the heads of MT programs said something like: “Wear something that you would put on on a Thursday evening going out for a better than usual dinner and movie with a friend.” That actually makes some weird sense to me!
I think I mentioned that my daughter a 6’ redhead wore a vintage Audrey Hepburn style dress and saddle shoes. She could move and felt very comfortable in the look. The more you feel like yourself the better your audition with go.
@ParachuteBoy - embrace that bass/baritone voice! In today’s world where the men are trying to push the “Bari-Tenor” angle, a good low voice can be hard to come by. For the upcoming spring musical, my S (a baritone) went out for and got cast in the bass part in the Music Man quartet - only one or two other guys in the department were capable of singing the part. The folks sitting in on your auditions know every one of you is a HS student. They are not looking for a “polished” product. Sing your heart out and feel comfortable in what you wear. You’ve got the next four years - and beyond (for guys especially) - to figure out your type.
My son’s audition coach skype’d with my son and his closet. They choose dark navy jeans, white dress shirt, loose black tie and thin navy pullover sweater with leather ankle lace up boots. Casual but not too casual and not stuffy. He made it clear that you should wear the same thing throughout the process, from pre-screens onward. Dressing the same for in person auditions may jog their memory about how they liked your pre-screen. His coach has been to the auditions from the school side so we;re going with what he says
Thought about starting a new thread for this, but just figured I’d put it here. I have it on good authority that Texas Tech University has approved a BFA MT program to begin next fall. It will be a joint program between the music and theatre departments. I have no idea if they are bringing anyone on w/professional MT experience to build it, but rumor has it they will be throwing some serious money around. Lubbock actually has a pretty thriving little arts scene, including many musical theatre performance opportunities, so this could be very interesting. I’ll share once I can locate any documentation, but my source is on staff at Tech and knows my D has been looking at many programs far away from home & knows that Tech’s lack of a BFA is what has been keeping her from considering them.
I just submitted my Fafsa and it said I have an E.F.C. of 0, so it would be financially beneficial for me to apply to schools that are high on Average Percent of Need Met. Does anyone know schools in the MT realm that are known for this?
Anyone written the “letter of intent” for Montclair that has to be sent in 2 weeks prior to audition date? Any pointers on what it should contain, how long, etc? My daughter is balking at writing yet another essay… thanks!
OMG I forgot about that, @jbrideau! I remember my kid balking at that too. Like WHAT is this about??? NO ONE wants that. Ugh!! But she buckled down and wrote something (can’t remember what, probably a re-hash of her goals), and now she goes there and loves it. So it was worth it. 8-}
