The same is true for a high school musical audition. The better prepared you are, the more you know your song, your dialogue, and anything an everything you can about your upcoming musical and soundtrack, the better off you will be...and the better you will be to handle the nerves.
So here we go. Part II on how to prepare for auditions.
When you sign up for auditions the
director may ask you what part of parts you would like to audition. If you are
a newbie, here is my first piece of advice. You can mention a particular role if
you have one in mind, but also note that you would be open to playing other
roles.
I mention this because a lot of
high school students limit themselves and think if I don’t get that part I
don’t want to be in it. Nothing is further from the truth and if you really
want to enjoy and embrace your high school musical experience you will take and
embrace any role given to you including ensemble. We will touch on that a
little later. But for now, it’s OK to dream big and shoot for a lead or
supporting lead.
Practice, Practice, Practice that
song leading up to auditions. If you study voice, have your teacher work with
you on your number. If you are working through this on your own, you may want
to have someone accompany you on the piano, as it gets closer to auditions day.
A friend who plays, someone in your music department at school or local college
students are often willing to work with you. I mention this because you will probably
be singing with piano accompaniment at the audition.
You can also search on line for
musical theater piano accompaniments, used for audition purposes. You Tube is a
good place to start. Some directors may have you sing a Capella-no
accompaniment. Word to the wise, make sure you know the accompaniment the director
will use so you will be the best prepared as you possibly can.
For dialogue, you may or may not
have to memorize your piece, but again this is worth clarifying too. I know of
a couple directors who require memorization (clues them in on to how well you
would be able to handle pages of dialogue for the final show). Want to stand
out in your audition? Memorize the scene. It shows you really want a role in
this musical.
Study the character that you would
like to play. Here again is where a movie or watching a stage production comes
in handy. No doubt, you’re familiar with the musical, but if you’re not, you’ll
want to learn a little more about it and the possible characters that speak to
you.
Again, using the Sound of Music as
an example, if you’re auditioning for Maria you want to understand her from
beginning to end, a shy postulant who had a zest for life at the beginning to a
strong woman who put her family first, at the very end. Understanding your
character will help you deliver your best auditions ever and shows your
director that you are made for this role, and that you can act.
Another acting tip, make sure to
have someone listen to your dialogue and make sure you speak clearly and
enunciate. No mumbling and please, please no looking down. It’s a nerves thing
but it will look awful, and when you are looking down and talking it’s hard to
hear you.
Weeks before auditions, start
taking care of you. Rest that voice. Do not get overtired or overdue the
extracurricular activities. Eat well and go to bed early. You don’t need a
cold, flu, or upper respiratory infection to trash your audition. Don’t chance
it. The better you feel the better you’ll perform.
We'll talk about the big audition day in our next blog, Auditions Part III.
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