Do not use list for auditions

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>MissMillenium,</p>

<p>That's a great question -- and I agree w/ Prof. Himmelheber; if you love the song, connect to it well, and sound great singing it: go for it. There have been many times when I wanted to bring a Sondheim (or Adam Guettel -- another "no-no for auditions, because you'll murder the pianist" composer/lyricist) piece into an audition, but couldn't because of the obvious (live accompanist, w/ whom's sight-reading abilities you are unaquainted) drawbacks. College auditions, where you are required to have recorded accompaniment (ie: Unifieds), auditions are a fabulous excuse to use these great songs in an audition setting. So, again, I say: go for it!</p>

<p>~Kate</p>

<p>P.S: Just remember that others may be thinking the same as you. So don't just pick a popular Sondheim song just because it's Sondheim and you think you'll win favor w/ the panel, or be 'ahead' of other auditioners, by being so incredibly witty. lol. Choose it because you LOVE it and because it shows <em>who you are</em> as both an actor (most important w/ sondheim stuff) and singer! :-) Good luck!</p>

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<p>Hi. I am new to this site. I think it is an amazing place to commune. A mother of one of my students turned me on to it. I am a little overwhelmed to write a post, but I thought I would just jump in and contribute my two cents. I have been involved in every aspect of musical theatre auditions. I have auditioned for many years, I have held auditions and hired many people, I have played piano at auditions, and I have coached people for auditions. </p>

<p>This question comes up all the time. What to choose.. and what NOT to choose.... Everyone has a different opinion so let me share mine.....Let me address it from this viewpoint...as a person who has held auditions and hired people for professional musical theatre jobs.... Personally, I think it is a mistake to sing something that is obscure, and different, just because you think no one else does it. There may be a reason no one else does it. I would rather have a girl come in and sing "If I Loved You" (which many of them do) and sing it well, and communicate something, and be compelling to watch... rather than have someone come in and sing something obscure just for the sake of singing something I've never heard before. Whatever song you are connected with and are communicating thoughts compellingly is what is going to get results. You must leave us no other choice but to watch you. </p>

<p>It's quite possible the obscure song may be the one that's right for you, but it doesn't work because it is obscure, it works because you are connected to it, and are communicating something. </p>

<p>Notice how I have used the word communicate two or three times. Remember, you are auditioning for a MT program, you are not auditioning as a voice major in an opera program. Two different things altogether. Of course you have to sound good at your MT audition, but you must be compelling to watch. You are not singing an Art Song with one of you arms in the crook of the grand piano.</p>

<p>In General....I say ... keep it simple... pick a song that is understated...first....and very importantly....get the song into your voice .... then delve into the text... find the objectives and obstacles... play actions....take some risks..... and please....don't worry about how you sound once you have it in your voice. By the time you get to the audition if you are thinking about how you sound, you are not fully prepared and have the wrong things going through your brain. People who are auditioning will be able to see it on your face. </p>

<p>Of course there are lots and lots of songs to totally stay away from... but those songs are obvious... don't sing "Im Still Here" if you are 17 years old.
But the reason not to sing "Im Still Here" is that the person behind you might be singing it... it is because it is entirely age inappropriate. Again, you can't communicate what a 70 year old woman with 55 years in show business has been through when you are 17. Again, it's all about communication... connecting to the song and making yourself so interesting that the person auditioning you has no choice but to watch.</p>

<p>Thanks for the great site, and letting me have a chance to chime in.</p>

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<p>Welcome Tom!!</p>

<p>You offer words of wisdom. Thank you for posting this!!</p>

<p>SUE aka 5pants</p>

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<p>ive heard the same about sondheim, webber, and jrb. however, the no-sondheim is because it is so difficult to sight read. but if the audition you are attending doesnt have a provided accompianist, like at unifieds, and you are using recorded accompianament, i see no reason why you shouldnt do sondheim if it is appropriate and you do it well.</p>

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<p>Welcome to the boards Tom! So glad to see another coach here! :)</p>

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<p>I have a few questions regarding audition material. I am considering doing "Sitting Pretty" from Cabaret for my uptempo song but a good half of my cut is the patter part of the song. Is that bad? It's just that I've read a lot of posts saying to stay away from patter stuff but is it okay if it's a mixture of patter and regular up-tempo? Also, Cabaret was made in 1966; can I count it as a pre-1965 song? It's so close... Finally, I'm considering doing "On the Street Where You Live" but my voice teacher wants me to start in the middle of the famous musical phrase so I can show off my high notes in the bridge of the song. How weird would it be to start in the middle of a famous phrase?</p>

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<p>I believe Sitting Pretty was written for the film version - which all of a sudden means instead of being out of the time range by a year, you're out by 5 or 6.</p>

<p>My Fair Lady, on the other hand, IS within the pre-1965 range. Hard to say about the cut, without knowing exactly where you're talking about. If it's a 16 bar cut, I would probably start at People stop and stare - there are plenty of high notes at the end to show off :) But, if it's 32, starting at or before the bridge can work very well.</p>

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<p>Sitting pretty is in the original score; Money was the change made in the movie. But I think that the point here is that they are looking for "classical" musical theatre; and I wouldn't include Cabaret in that mix. Think more in the line of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Lerner and Lowe, Cole Porter, the Gershwins, etc.</p>

<p>As to picking up mid-"famous" phrase, as long as you can act the story at that point, I think that the advise is good. You need to find a song that includes your "money" or "pay" notes. If this song cut in that manner feels awkward, find another song that won't tax your acting chops beyond something you can definitely nail in audition. Besides, I think On the Street Where You Live is done a lot; so finding something less "purple" wouldn't be a bad idea.</p>

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<p>I notice Gilbert and Sullivan isn't very popular. Is there a reason why?</p>

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<p>I think it's because there is very little depth to character development in the music - more recitative than aria, you see? And it is about the cleverness of the composer/librettist and not the brilliance of the singer, for the most part.</p>

171

<p>Okay, this question has probably been answered a million times but what are the rules regarding using a monologue that is not from a play but rather from a monologue collection?</p>

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<p>You really need to spend some time and do a CC search. There are lengthy explanations throughout this site. It HAS been discussed many, many times. </p>

<p>The piece you choose needs to refect a fully fleshed character analysis. You read an ENTIRE play in order to portray the "beats", subtext that and sense of time, place, character motivation and relationship to other characters. There is no way you can pull this off without knowledge of the entire text. Secondly, the auditors will know that you found your monologue from an anthology and will frown upon it. And...they might ask you if you read the entire play. You don't want to seem unprepared. A naturally gifted actor may be able to pull off a boffo reading of the telephone directory. But an auditionee choosing a a piece from a monologue collection might show that you didn't do your research. Don't take the easy way out.</p>

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<p>Along the lines about do not use-</p>

<p>It would probably be a bad idea to use a song where the character is not your ethnicity, even if she's your age and/or type, yes? I've been working on a song I really liked in my voice and just realized the character is indian and I am blonde haired, blue eyed, and fair skinned. But I like the song so I need someone to convince me I should listen to that nagging voice in my head that's telling me I shouldn't use it if it's not my ethnicity.</p>

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<p>I am far from an expert, but during a campus visit and meeting with voice faculty, my daughter asked when selecting songs if the auditors wanted a "character" piece or a more legit piece. In other words she wanted to know if they wanted cute or pretty. The voice teacher said pretty and flipped to the table of contents in a soprano anthology and said, "Any of these would be great, EXCEPT don't do 'Summertime' because you're not black."</p>

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<p>On a recent college visit, we mentioned some composers to a faculty member...Jason Robert Brown. Stephen Schwartz and Andrew Lloyd Weber. She said "Why doesn't anyone sing the classics anymore?" It got me thinking that you don't hear lots of debate over Cole Porter and Richard Rogers, do you!</p>

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<p>What about a monologue from a One Act instead of a full length play? Most of my daughter's schools don't make a clarification either way ...they just say modern or contemporary. She loves this one character from a One Act play and she has read the entire play. Any thoughts?</p>

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<p>I believe one acts are perfectly acceptable :)</p>

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<p>Kaysmom, a monologue from a One Act should seem to fall under "published play"! I've never heard a rule against one acts. Monologues from monologue books where the monos do NOT come from published plays, yes, those are a no-no.</p>

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<p>Thanks, musicmom!</p>

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<p>For some reason, I'm having a heck of a time trying to find an uptempo, pre-1960 song for my auditions. I did come across one that I think I'd be able to sing, it shows off my higher register which is good because I'm belting with my ballad. So would Mr. Snow from Carousel be considered an uptempo number at all and is it too overdone to use? I know auditioners love hearing the classics but when I look for songs they're either not the type I'm looking for or I wouldn't be close to age appropriate or type-wise for the character singing the song. With older pieces does it matter how much you're appropriate for the character who originally sang the song, especially since many of them are covered by a vast amount of singers?</p>