Here come the auditions!

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>Hello, everyone!</p>

<p>I'm diligently preparing for my college auditions, which are fast approaching! I wanted to ask you seasoned veterans for some words of wisdom as I go through this process.</p>

<p>My goal, naturally, is to show versatility through my pieces. I feel I'm very accomplished as far as performance goes, but I've struggled with finding the right audition pieces. So if you could look over and evaluate this list, I would be most appreciative! And of course, I know that you aren't familiar with me or my abilities, but I was curious as to how an outsider may view my "audition package."</p>

<p>Ballads:
"How Could I Ever Know?" from Secret Garden
"Is It Really Me?" from 110 in the Shade
*I feel very confident in my ability with both of these songs. But I've heard from several sources that Secret Garden is on the "do-not-use" list for college auditions...any thoughts on this?</p>

<p>Uptempo:
"Wonderful Guy" from South Pacific
"I Have Confidence" from Sound of Music
*I probably won't choose this one, as it's ever-so-popular. This just gives you an idea of my vocal range. I'm not overly thrilled with either of these pieces yet...any other suggestions?</p>

<p>Dramatic Monologues:
"We Have to Die?" from Runaways
"Turn it off, Mama..." from Gypsy</p>

<p>Comedic Monologues:
...I'm having an awfully rough time with this one! I've looked into You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Annie Get Your Gun, Funny Girl, Ursula from Bye, Bye, Birdie, and several others, and nothing has clicked yet. I think I'd rather have a jovial comedic monologue than an ironic one, if that helps.</p>

<p>Finally...does anyone have advice on the nerves? My emotions swerve every day. Sometimes I feel confident and assured and excited, and others I feel like a total mess. I think it will definitely help once I have every element together and set!</p>

<p>Thank you so much :)</p>

2

<p>At the moment, I don’t have time to reply to everything you asked about but one thing that came up in perusing your post is that your dramatic monologues (as well as the comedic ones you are seeking) come from musicals and not plays. I believe they are looking for monologues from plays, not musicals. </p>

<p>Nerves are common. But practice a lot and do your auditions for others in a mock sort of setting. Think of your audition as a chance to perform. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>SoozieVt is correct; most schools do not want monologues from musicals. You should find material from plays, and be sure to READ and be familiar with the entire play; often college faculty will ask you questions at the auditions.
I like your ballad choices; not sure about how overdone they are. However, I’m pretty sure Wonderful Guy falls into that category. It sounds like you’re a belter – maybe you should look for something a bit more contemporary, to balance your classic MT songs.</p>

<p>You’re right – once you have material you’re happy with, and you’ve prepared it thoroughly, you’ll feel better. Although this is a very stressful process, and you’re bound to be nervous!</p>

4

<p>I know a friend who used “Is It Really Me?” in a musical theater intensive program and it was pretty much universally panned by the teachers and casting directors who were asked to critique it. She had a lovely voice and acted the song well, but the problem is that it is a song meant for a 40 year old woman to sing, not a teenager.
I would be careful with choosing that one as most colleges want you to sing a song that is not too old for you.</p>

5

<p>Thank you, everyone!</p>

<p>I found another uptempo song that I like, “The Night They Invented Champagne” from Gigi.</p>

6

<p>That’s a great song – good choice, I think.</p>

7

<p>I love Gigi. I rented via net… 8 old musicals that I want my s to see and to get to know. Gigi was one of them. My s is enjoying the old ones and is learning that shows do not have to be “edgy” to be great.</p>

8

<p>I’ve revamped my material, and would love opinions, both positive and negative.</p>

<p>Ballads:
“How Could I Ever Know?” from Secret Garden
“Is It Really Me?” from 110 in the Shade
“Far from the Home I Love” from Fiddler
“What’s the Use of Wondrin” from Carousel</p>

<p>Uptempo:
“The Night They Invented Champagne” from Gigi
“Many a New Day” from Oklahoma
“Show Me” from My Fair Lady</p>

<p>Dramatic Monologues:
“She Never Knew No Commandments” Mary Warren from The Crucible
“I don’t like the change that’s come over you…” Emily from Our Town</p>

<p>Comedic Monologues:
Jo from Little Women
Meg from Little Women</p>

<p>Classical Monologues:
“Think Not That I Love Him” Phoebe from As You Like It</p>

<p>Here are my final monologue concerns:

  1. Some of the schools request two contemporary monologues or a monologue from a modern play. Does that simply mean a monologue that’s not classical, or a monologue that is set in modern times? If I went into an audition with The Crucible and Little Women, would I be in trouble?
  2. I’m going to keep searching for a comedic backup. Do you think I need a classical backup? And should it contrast with my current one? I’ll keep hunting.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone!</p>

9

<p>When colleges refer to a “modern” play, they generally mean something that was written after the year 1900. The Crucible and Little Women (the musical) fit that description. However, I would caution against using a monologue from a musical. Many schools prefer that you avoid this sort of monologue.</p>

<p>I also agree with the comment an earlier poster made about “Is It Really Me” – although I love that song, it is written for a much older character.</p>

10

<p>Ok, thank you! I think I’ll write that song off the list, then.
I actually got the Little Women monologues from a play by Kristen Laurence, which I should have said earlier. I think I’m going to use Jo’s monologue, where she’s directing their play. It’s really cute and feels very natural to me.</p>

<p>I’ve been told that Our Town is very overdone. However, I’m not using the big monologue at the end after Emily has died, I’m using the one in the second act when she’s upset with George about his obsession with baseball. I’d like to use this one for timing’s sake (several schools strictly enforce a time limit), and also because there’s a fairly large gap between the setting of Little Women and the setting of Our Town, whereas I feel the setting of Little Women and the Crucible are too similar…any thoughts? Does that really even matter?</p>

11

<p>Not sure what you mean by the similarity between the settings of LW and the Crucible: Little Women is set in the Civil War, and the Crucible is set in the late 1600s. Our Town is set in the early 1900s. These 3 plays are all very different both in setting and tone. I assume that version of LW was written after 1900, which means that although your plays vary a great deal in time-frame, they are all modern plays. I don’t know what schools you plan to audition for, but some do require classical material.</p>

12

<p>I just meant that The Crucible and Little Women have fairly colonial settings, whereas Our Town might be a bit more modern.
Two of my schools do require classical monologues. I really like Phoebe’s monologue from As You Like It, but I’m sure it’s horribly overdone. So I’m still hunting for that one!</p>

13

<p>1600s to 1800s are pretty far apart in terms of time period (equivalent difference from 1800s to today ;)), so I think you are fine. Little Women and Our Town are actually closer together in terms of time period… mid-1800s to early 1900s (equivalent difference from 1960s to today)… but I would not worry about this either.</p>

<p>Phoebe’s monologue is done often, but if you love it don’t worry. :slight_smile: If your auditions are coming up soon the time is for you to stick to material you have, like, and do well… Now work, work, work… ultimately it is more about how you do the material.</p>

<p>Good Luck :)</p>