When I first got “into” theatre, one the best pieces of advice I was given on how to cope with rejection was along the lines of: “go home and cry, then move on and try again”. I think we all try to skip straight to the “move on and try again” part, but it's not that easy. Give yourself a break.
Read MoreI spent my freshman year after high school in a BA program. I loved the school and the people, but it just wasn’t the right program or intensity for me. I wanted to pursue a BFA but I didn’t know where to begin. Most of my friends used MTCA or similar services as audition help, and I was doing this completely on my own.
Since many friends have come to me this year for help with transferring to another theatre program, specifically for BFA MT programs, I decided to put together this list of some tips/tricks I picked up along the way.
Read MoreWith the college audition season just starting, thousands of high school seniors are going to be searching for the best material to show off their skills. It's easy to guess that right now Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's music would be a popular choice among this group, given the success of Dear Evan Hansen, Dogfight and La La Land. I'm also willing to be that we'll be seeing a ton of students audition with The Greatest Showman next year as well. So there's no fighting it. But I also wouldn't necessarily avoid using one of their pieces.
Read MoreWhile I wait to hear back from two pending auditions, let me just say… waiting is the worst. Can I get an amen?
I have been in a season of auditions lately which is bringing up many thoughts on the subject. Here are three different audition scenarios I’ve encountered and my Do’s and Don’ts for each.
Read MoreMost young actors, including myself when I was one, go into an audition intent upon showing them that they can play “that” character. They meticulously familiarize themselves with the play and, if a musical, the score, and memorize the sides they’ll be reading which may have been sent only that morning. Preparation is all. How can you decide what to sing for your audition if you aren’t familiar with the musical style of the show you’re auditioning for? Are you really going to sing a song from In the Heights if you’re auditioning for Carousel? If you have no experience with or training in commedia dell’arte, then you’d best bone up on it before your audition for Servant of Two Masters.
Read MoreWhen you first get into theatre, it can be a lot to take in. Even after being involved in a few shows, you may not have everything together. And that’s okay! However, when getting into theatre, there are five things that might be useful to have in your arsenal as you find your place in the theatre world.
Read MoreToday I want to talk to you about auditions. Unfortunately, nothing is perfect. As much as we want to think that auditions are the beginning of something great… Well, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have their faults. Some of these are annoying things that happen because of the actors, and some of them are things the people casting you do.
Read MoreFor many performers the audition process is a tiresome, nerve-wracking and endless process. It's a task plays with our emotions and exploits our insecurities. So I'm basically saying, it's tough enough already, it doesn't need to be made harder by the behavior of those behind the table.
Read MoreTell me if this story sounds familiar: You leave an audition feeling like you absolutely crushed it. So much so it would be a complete shock if you weren't offered the role. Days go by and you hear nothing until the moment you're told the role was given to someone else.
Aside from being sad and angry, chances are you might be a bit confused. Why didn't you get the role? What did you do wrong? What could you have done better?
Read MoreIndisputably, the most-heard song at auditions for about a decade and a half has been "Gimme Gimme", by Dick Scanlan and Jeanine Tesori from the Broadway hit, Thoroughly Modern Millie. There are reasons why it’s so popular. And there’s a ton of reasons why nobody – and I mean nobody – should be auditioning with this song. I’ll go into those in a moment. But, since nothing I say is going to stop the steady parade of role-seekers essaying this epic, I thought I’d talk about how it could be done better.
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