Professional audition advice?
Professional audition advice?
#0Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:08pmdoes anyone have any? I'm auditioning for a professional theater and I wondered if there were some "tricks of the trade" that would be helpful. thanx
Broadway_freak
Broadway Star Joined: 11/4/04
#1re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:09pmDon't hold back, and remember to use your stage voice.
#2re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:09pm
Here's something from the CCM site:
http://www.ccm.uc.edu/musical_theatre/dos.htm
JHartnow
Featured Actor Joined: 11/24/04
#3re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:11pm
Drink water. Eat some fruit that day to keep your blood sugar from crashing. Wear something that you'll be remembered in when you go back for your call back(s), if you have one. Be confident. Remember to breathe!
Good luck!
-John
#4re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:18pmthanx everyone!
Amneris
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#5re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:18pmabout eating fruit, isn't that actually harmful before you sing? Like the acids in fruit? Can't it screw up your throat and stomach?? Also, if you can't get to a place that has hot tea, what other things are good to have before you SING?
#6re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:21pm
No dairy products! They give you phlegm.
I hear gatorade is good since it hydrates your voice, but you'll have to give it a good 15-30 minutes before it really sets in. And not to mention the color of your tongue may be a little...appalling. Riptide Rush is sort of a soft color, so you might be able to go with that. But room-temperature water really is the safest way to go. Cold water tenses your throat up while "hot" water tends to over-relax your throat. Lukewarm water sort of hydrates your throat.
#7re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:37pm
yeah, I've stayed clear of dairy products before because I had noticed that I'd have to clear my throat a lot from the phlegm.
Gatorade sounds good!
MissMommy
Chorus Member Joined: 1/28/05
#8re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:42pm
That CCM link was great!
Just sat on the other side of the table for an outrageous set of auditions. Over the course of the week, my jaw dropped as of amazing young double-to-triple threats came through the door. One person after another sang and danced like crazy.
What it came down to, finally, was sense of SELF. The actors who brought themselves to the audition distinguished themselves in the most compelling way.
I think the single most important thing you can do (more than lemon water, more than honey, more than anything!) is find your own way to center yourself and relax, so you can walk through that door whole and focused and comfy.
One of the best ways to do this is not let it matter too much. I'm a writer, and when I first started out, someone said "Remember, you've got to collect a lot of pink slips (rejections) before they let you be a real writer" (true). If each audition only exists to get you closer to your goal of being a professional actor, then whether you get it or don't won't matter - you're that much closer when it's over.
Break a leg!
#9re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:47pmMissMommy, can you elaborate on how they "distinguished" themselves?
#10re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 5:19pmNO COKE! Singers should never drink coke, not anytime, not anywhere! I haven't had a caffeinated drink since...January! Whoa! And I am i good shape hahaha
tcb122
Understudy Joined: 10/2/03
#11re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/24/05 at 5:47pm
This is what I have been taught:
As soon as you walk in the door they know if they want you or not. They also know within two bars if you can sing or not. So don't bother slating- they have your resume and they dont want you to waste time saying your name again, and don't introduce your song because chances are- they will know it. Have your music marked "start" and "stop" and anything else and be as nice as possible to the accomp. because a) they are human beings and b) they can ruin your life completely. (Mark stuff in the PIANO part not the vocal, obviously). Don't stretch yourself to show them what you might be able to do. And dress accordingly. Don't ever ever ever wear flipflops (they can see your shoes), and be sure to look like the person on your headshot and always stay calm. EVERYTHING matters- not just talent. Its the whole entire package and the bottom line is: do they want to work with you?
Thanks just what I've been taught through certain classes and casting people.
MissMommy
Chorus Member Joined: 1/28/05
#12re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/25/05 at 7:20pm
aigoo, yes - the actors (in this case, actresses) who stood out were the ones who were most comfortable in their own skin. It wasn't about being the prettiest, or the funniest, or having the biggest belt or best turn-out - we went for a variety of real people, and the ones who just walked in as themselves - no matter what that was - were the ones we responded too.
Now mind you, this might not work at an audition for DRS or 42nd St, where the ensemble is all about being uniform. But I just think (especially in a general call where you - and sometimes they - don't know what they're looking for) you're safest being what you are.
#13re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/25/05 at 7:24pmREAD AUDITION BY MICHAEL SHURTLEFF.
MusicMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#14re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/25/05 at 8:35pm
Make bold choices.
Updated On: 5/1/08 at 08:35 PM
#15re: Professional audition advice?
Posted: 6/26/05 at 8:07amtcb122- You're pretty much on the mark.
"I broke the boundaries. It wasn't cool to be in plays- especially if you were in sports & I was in both." - Ashton Kutcher
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