College Audition Do + Don'ts

College Audition Do’s and Don’ts

IN HIS EXCELLENT BOOK Acting Professionally, Robert Cohen suggests that an actor needs a strong personality. For him, the most undesirable quality for an actor is to be bland — a "good little boy or girl"— nice, dull and unmarketable.

Musical theatre is a frankly presentational form of theatre — generally, we do not burst into song or dance at moments of crisis. This raises the stakes for the musical theatre performer and emphasizes the need for a magnetic stage presence, a confident air and a unique personality.

These qualities should be evident in a musical theatre audition. They can transform a routine audition into a memorable one and make us eager to enroll you as a student.

The personality you project is the basis for your audition. It includes the clothes you wear, the way you introduce your material and your ability to answer questions. Even the materials you choose to perform can be revealing. But remember, please, personality is not an alien persona affected for the occasion — it is just the simple use of the characteristics that make you distinctive as a performer and a human being.

TO ASSIST YOU in selecting suitable songs or monologues, you may want to consider some simple DOs and DON'Ts of Musical Theatre auditions.

• DO avoid overly familiar material, songs that are performed continuously. There is a wealth of material from which to choose without resorting to "Much More," "I Can't Say No," "All That Jazz," "If I Were a Bell" or "Can't Help Loving That Man of Mine."

• DO avoid songs associated primarily with particular artists. "New York, New York" is Liza's song, "Don't Rain on My Parade" is Barbra's and "Over the Rainbow" is Judy's. Comparisons are inevitable.

• DO avoid the current hit from the current Broadway smash or revival. These songs are simply performed too often at auditions to work to your advantage.

• DO NOT present a choreographed routine. Dance skills are evaluated at the dance audition. DO, however, approach the material with a free body and move whenever appropriate. Body movement should be relaxed (not casual) and should not "illustrate" the lyrics (pointing at your head then at your watch on the words "I know now.") 

• DO select material suitable for youthful performers. Many students hide behind phony elderly voices and mannerisms, the characterizations that won them acclaim in the high-school play. Remember, we want to see who you are. 

• DO NOT attempt songs obviously created for mature characters -- song such as "I'm Still Here," "Send in the Clowns," "Fifty Percent," "Rose's Turn" and any Sondheim song written for a mature character.  

• DO beware of choices that are difficult to perform under stressful conditions. Many of the patter songs ("If," "Another Hundred People," "Funny," "Giants in the Sky") are notoriously difficult and require careful coordination between pianist and singer. These songs are hard to perform without adequate rehearsal and under the naturally competitive circumstances of an audition. 

• DO avoid excessively emotional pieces. It is difficult to build a sentiment quickly and convincingly. In her concert appearances, the legendary Lena Horne sings the song "Stormy Weather" twice because, as she says, she has to "build up to it." And consider that selections like the transformation scene from Jekyll and Hyde without the benefit of costume, make-up and lighting are often unintentionally hilarious in the unforgiving light of an audition room. 

• DO NOT imitate your favorite performers. Don't moonwalk like Michael, pout like Bernadette or clutch the air like Mandy. And please don't wear a white half-mask or a lion's head. 

• DO NOT outstay your welcome, argue if you are cut off in mid-note, or be evasive about your head voice, chest voice, legit experience, range or dance expertise. Answer questions in a straightforward manner that expresses your individuality. "Well, I can move!" ranks as the most often heard evasion in answer to a question about previous dance training. 

• DO bring sheet music in the correct key and with all cuts or repetitions clearly marked. 

• DO place your music in a binder or tape the sheets together for the benefit of the accompanist. 

• DO speak clearly to the pianist and articulate the tempi by singing a few phrases. This is preferable to snapping your fingers or yelling "Faster," "Too fast," or "Slow Down" in the middle of "Ol' Man River" or "Corner of the Sky." And please note that if we do not feel your songs adequately represent your vocal range, we may ask you to perform some simple vocal exercises at the keyboard or present another song. 

IN SELECTING A MONOLOGUE, DO pick material that reflects your strengths as a performer, suits your age and demonstrates the image you wish to create. Differentiate between monologues that have literary value (good pieces of writing) and those that are dramatic (they play well). Opt for the latter. 

• DO select a piece that allows you to make strong acting choices. Most importantly avoid those hackneyed pieces that elicit groans from the adjudicators ("Tuna fish" from Laughing Wild, "I brushed my hair" from The Fantasticks, "Peter Pan" from 'Dentity Crisis, "Sunbonnet Sue" from Quilters and pieces from the often-performed Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, The Odd Couple, Night Luster, Nuts andBoys Life.) Avoid monologues from anthologies, and, of course, read the entire play before attempting to perform the speech. 

• DO NOT select pieces that attempt to shock with their use of bad language or obscene physical action. Auditors are never shocked but often bored! Present the material naturally, and remember that you are using the words of others in order to sell yourself. Through your choice of material and your performance behavior, show yourself to be a person of taste, confidence, sincerity and sensitivity. 

• DO NOT perform material written for a character significantly younger or older than you are and avoid pieces written in dialect. We want to hear your voice expressing emotion or making us laugh. Yes, you may use a chair, but no props or costumes — and if you must do "Glass Marbles" from Talking With, please DO NOT drop them on the floor!

BY CCM