What Vocal Qualities are Musical theatre Faculty looking for at Auditions

I’m going to be taking a gap year next year to focus on strengthening my weaknesses for MT Auditions next year. And for me that is Singing and dancing. I am a Tenor and I was wondering what type of vocal Qualities for men they are expecting you to show while you are singing your songs to them. Also do they want to see if you can belt if your a guy because that is one of the things I need to work on this year.

@VoiceTeacher Your thoughts here will likely be very helpful for this student!

They want to see honesty and truth in your performance and that you can act the song. Make sure you pick songs that are in you age range and that you understand the lyrics. Think of the song as a monologue. They need to see that you connect to what you are singing about. In addition the obvious…correct vocal technique and placement with a good tone. No tension. Make sure your pieces contrast and bring out the best in your voice. Don’t worry about belting if you are still learning to sing. A legit male voice will be fine without damaging your vocal cords.

Ditto what @samigaga says. Don’t be concerned about choosing a song that shows the extremes of your vocal range. The auditiors know that young men’s voices will be changing well into their twenties and beyond. While having a “show-stopping” voice is definitely a plus, the faculty expect to see you grow tremendously during your four years of college. Make sure you can sing your songs after getting only two hours of sleep, if you’re running late to the audition venue, if you have a cold, if you just had an argument with your parents/BFF, etc. Don’t worry about picking a song that is “unique” in the hopes that it will make you “stand out” (Obviously, stay away from “do not sing” lists) - the old standards are “standard” for a reason and many songs do not stand up outside the shows they were written for. As samigaga said, think of your song as a monologue and let YOU shine as the character singing it. MT is really about telling stories - set to music.

My S is a BFA MT junior. There are some young men in his program who, as entering freshmen sounded like maybe they weren’t going to cut it vocally. All have learned and gained skill, their voices and technique maturing beautifully. Choose material that is comfortable and that you will enjoy singing over and over and over. . .

@mom4bwayboy pretty much nailed it on the head. I would only add that we prefer speech like quality to a dark or heavy classical quality. ~ VT

Thanks for the advice, everyone I feel better now