I have been lucky enough to be involved in some truly awesome things. One of which was the incredible experience of touring Cinderella through the Philippines. But what does that mean? And if you are wanting to do something similar what should you expect? Here’s some of what I picked up on my journey which might help you out along the way!
A while ago I did a post on musical theatre songs that relate to intervals in music: Some little memory tricks to make reading and singing intervals easier. Just incase you missed it, here’s part 1 again if you want a refresher: Reading and Recognising Intervals
So I take it you have learnt all of those!!! – But I’ve had some questions about finding the descending version of each interval. And in honesty, they can be much more difficult to wrap your head around than going up. So I’ve made a part 2 for you all!!! The flip side of intervals. A song doesn’t just go up and up and up (… except at the end of Phantom of the Opera right sopranos?….) so it’s important to know your intervals going back the other way. Ready to give it a try? Let’s get started.
Well [let’s start] at the very beginning shall we? A unison being the same way backwards and forwards, why not use this example from Sound of Music‘s “Do-Re-Mi.” (Even though I know you don’t really need one)
[Let’s start] at the very beginning…”
So sometimes we have heaps of time to prepare for an audition. Sometimes we hear about it a week in advance – if that! That can make our time to prepare very very small. Is there a way we can make ourselves more ready for a quick work up of a song? I think so. Here are some ideas that might work for you.
There’s nothing worse than looking through your repertoire and realising you don’t have anything you need. Like those days you just have nothing to wear right? You want to have a great repertoire available to you for auditions and performances but you just don’t know where to start. There are so many options out there and so much you can work through – its a matter of knowing where to look. Here are some good places to look for new songs.
Picking a song for an audition can be the most difficult step of your preparation, and since you can’t do much until you have one you can lose a lot of time trying to decide. Ultimately, this song choice can be a huge part of how you are viewed in the room so you want to make sure you make a good decision. This choice should be about displaying your ability and that you can do the job you are applying for. Choosing an audition song is a different game to choosing a performance song for a concert or cabaret. So for me, I like to check that the song I am choosing will give me the best shot at showing what I’ve got to offer. I’ve picked up some tips over the years from experience in auditioning and from courses and workshops I’ve been involved with and I’ve compiled them below into a checklist of things I look for in a song before taking it to an audition.
For a more in depth breakdown of selection from an audition brief feel free to check out my previous post on Choosing An Audition Song.
Okay here we go:
Now, depending on where you are in the world there are a multitude of options for the “non-professional” actor. This is not to say the individuals involved are not necessarily very capable and worthy performers in their own right of course but I’m talking unpaid productions here. For some, this may be a stepping-stone or starting point. For others it may be an outlet for something they would not otherwise pursue. For others yet it is a playing ground to meet like-minded people and explore a world outside their own socially or for the fun and love of the craft. Let’s have a talk then shall we about Am-Dram, Amateur Theatre or as it is most known and preferred to be titled in Australia, “Community Theatre.” Continue reading
Have you ever felt you are creating a character from literally nothing? Sometimes, especially in a musical theatre chorus, it can feel impossible to find who it is you are portraying – especially if you are left to your own devices to create it or are given a subset of actions that don’t seem to make sense. Here is a little method for creating something from the ground up to help you bring the best you can to every role.
Hello fellow singers!!!!
So I am working hard on my sight reading at the moment and have figured out that it gets a lot easier to recognise intervals when they come from something I know. When I hear the two tones played one after the other they become a puzzle piece from a melody and suddenly they make a lot more sense. I recommend looking through your own repertoire or musical memory and pulling out the songs that resonate best with you. Or feel free to borrow some of mine.
***edit*** There is now a part 2 for the descending intervals!!! Click here once you have looked through the ascending intervals below: Part 2 – The Flip Side of Intervals
Well this ones fairly intuitive being a repeated note. But just to be all inclusive: The lead-in to the chorus of “Hopelessly Devoted to You” from Grease.
But – now…”
So you know there’s a show coming up you want to be involved with. And in the style of many audition briefs have been told to choose two songs. Maybe they’ve thrown in some words like ‘contrasting’ or phrases like in the “style of the show.” But where do you go from there?
Staring at that brief with absolutely no idea what to pick can be incredibly daunting but it doesn’t have to be. So I thought I’d help you all out by taking you through my process when it comes to audition song selection. It’s not the only process and by no means would I claim it is for every situation but its a good starting point for sure.
So you have the brief. Lets say it says something like this:
Thank you for your interest in My Fair Lady. Singing auditions will be assigned individual 15 minute appointment times. Please prepare two contrasting songs of no more than 32 bars each in the style of the show.
So lets walk you through how I would break that down.
I was looking over some old photos today and came across this great shot I took of some grapes. I remember at the time – before I realised the two bunches were tangled – how enamoured I was at this single red grape that I thought had appeared amongst my green seedless bunch. I should point out to you all that green seedless grapes are certainly my favourite. Had you asked me what I was heading to the table to get – it would not be the red grapes…. and yet it is this red grape that I certainly was not looking for that inspired me to take this photograph.
So often we walk into an audition room with this great worry about what we think the director is looking for: Do I look the part? Do they want someone taller? Should I portray my character a certain way? Does the director already know what they want? Do I even have a chance at this part?
Amy Winner 