Broadway Pits

Posted: 6/5/05 at 12:24am

Does anybody know how you find out about auditions for different Broadway pit orchestras?

[Plum]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 12:29am

I'm by no means an expert on this subject, but I'm pretty sure most people get pit jobs because of connections.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 12:30am

Yeah, I think that's how it works, although I don't know.
I'd love to try it one day.

~Steven

[DC4524]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 1:16am

Hiring for Broadway Pits is done primarily through Contractors like John Miller, Michael Keller, Seymour Red Press, etc; but also through the conductors/Music Directors of the shows. It is not easy to get hired- it depends very much on connections and what you have done in the past. The best way "in the door" is to contact the players in the pit and try to get on their sub lists- each player is responsible for having his/her own subs to call on. Once you start to sub in pits, then people will begin to know who you are.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 1:16am

Thanks for the info!

Do you have any pit experience yourself?

~Steven
Updated On: 6/5/05 at 01:16 AM

[feinstein9]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 1:44am

broadway pits...
i'm betting they smell worse in dance heavy shows.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 2:29am

I just talked to someone last night who is a replacement player for a very big Broadway hit. He was working at a doctor's office in midtown that is frequented by a lot of Broadway people. One day his boss (the doctor) asked him, "Hey, you want a music job?" His boss knew he had an extensive classically-trained background and when there was an opening for this show, his boss passed on the info and helped him get the audition and he went in an played and he got the job. He told me that EVERY musician he's enountered has a similar story about how they got hired. It's ALL about connections apparently.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 8:20am

DC4524 is exactly right. Connections (with the conductor especially) are extremely important. But getting to know the players and getting on their sub lists works too. Whenever we go to a show, my dad finds the bass trombone player (if there is one) and gives the guy his resume. He's gotten 5 calls out of doing that!

[jasobres]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 9:35am

I believe you have to be a member of the AFM or Local 802 in order to be in the pit. (Once again, that is my dream job, to be in the pit.)

[DC4524]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 10:39am

Yes, you definitely do need to be a member of Local 802 AFM. You can't work in a Broadway pit if you're not. It's true... there are lots of crazy stories about how people got pit jobs, but the most usual one is to just get to know the current players. But there are really no set "auditions" for pits.