Tips To Ace Your Musical Theatre Audition

Hey guys! Things are very busy for me with exams coming up, dating, and a musical theatre audition. But don’t you worry citizen, I am here to help! (that was in a superhero voice if you couldn’t tell) Before I start, a little disclaimer; I am not a musical theatre expert (or anywhere close) but I have been through a lot of children’s theatre and high school auditions, so these are amateur tips for those. So, here are tips to ace your musical theatre audition:

• If you are performing a monologue, search around a little. What I mean by this is that if you haven’t read many plays, search the internet. And if you are searching the internet, don’t pick the first one that pops up. This may sound crazy but I’m basically saying check the second page of Google. (don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to that though-pick what suits you best) That way, if your competition is searching as well, they probably won’t bother to go to the second or third page and you won’t have the same monologue.
• If you are performing a monologue, rehearse in front of somebody you are comfortable with. If you get nervous easily or have stage fright, this is a good way to get the nerves out. And when performing, you can pretend you are rehearsing with that person, not in front of the directors. A good friend or your mom/dad will usually be willing to help you out. if not you can always use your cat or dog- though they may not give advice (hopefully not), they are good listeners and don’t judge.
• If you are performing a song, pick something with a similar sound to the show. Unless they directly ask for a piece from the show, I would advise against it. They are going to be hearing that song for the next couple months, so singing it won’t make you stand out. Plus they probably know those songs backwards and forwards-so if you make a mistake you are a goner. It also shows that you can learn something from a different show and be able to conquer it. And if you have no clue what the show sounds like or any other musicals, use a search engine. The girl over at http://theatreauditionhelper.tumblr.com/ also really knows her stuff and can probably help you out. Though she specializes more in the shows she has performed in, she knows a lot more about musical theatre songs than I do.
• If you are performing a song, use your available resources. This may sound obvious, but you have so much information at your fingertips it’s ridiculous. And another way of saying this is don’t try to do something you don’t have the resources for. Like if you don’t own sheet music, find a website where you can print it out for free! (and I hope this isn’t illegal but whatever-I’m a rebel) Here’s a good website to find sheet music to print:  http://sheetmusicresource.tumblr.com/post/76536335855/sheet-music-masterpost and though this website might not have some songs, it has a good variety. And it’s free.
• If you are performing a dance, warm up in one way or another. Obviously stretch beforehand, but in the days before prepare your body if you don’t dance regularly. This may sound silly, but doing Just Dance with your whole body will prepare you for an group dance audition with ‘surprise’ choreography. (I don’t know the technical term for this if there is one) Also wear something that looks nice for the other portions, but something you can dance in. A stretchy dress with leggings would work if you don’t own dance wear.

Well I hope all those paragraphs aren’t too much for your eyes since I wrote more than usual. I hope those tips can be helpful for you. As for an update, yes I am still dating that guy. In fact, he actually knows about this blog (so shout out to you if you’re reading!). He’s actually coming over to my house tomorrow so we will see how that goes. Obviously I will update you because I have nothing better to do. (jk….maybe) Until then, there is no such thing as overpreparation.