broadway audition

[demonbarber23]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 5:35pm

has anyone from this board ever tried out for a broadway show? or been in one, or been in a tour? what is it like?? esp. the audition part.

also: anyone ever been a tv show like star search or americas most talented kids? sorry if these questions are far-fetched for this board i was just wondering.

~demonly
the barber

[demonbarber23]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 5:41pm

ok...

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 5:44pm

I've been up for a couple of broadway musicals and big-scale nat'l tours.

The audition- either you attend an open call, an EPA (Equity Principle Audition), or an agent appointment.

You sing either 16-32 measures, or in the case of callbacks, a full song. If they need to hear more, they'll ask. This doesn't always mean they "like you." Sometimes they want to hear you sing pop, if you've brought in a legit MT song.

In my experience, after the first callback, they've emailed me sides to prepare for the next callback. I've gone in again, sung, then read sides with one of the casting agents. In addition, I've also been taught choreography from the show.

These callbacks can go on and on. 10-11 callbacks is not uncommon for a B'way show. Usually, you are being seen by different people (casting agents, then director, then producers, etc).

That's been my experience with Broadway auditions...

[demonbarber23]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 5:49pm

wow thanks for sharing.

so there is no dancing involved at the first audition usually?
(unless its a big dance show , like 42nd street im assuming)
are the people that watch you mean or like critical? or are they like expressionless lol
sry for all the questions-i will probably never audition for a broadway show cuz i only have done school ones but i think ym sis might do broadway.

~demonly

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 7:12pm

Depends on what type of call it is. Sometimes they'll hold specific dance calls, in which case you dance first, and if you ar called back, you sing. This is often with the dance-heavy shows that require excellent ensemble dancing.

In my experience, the auditors have been very nice. They do tend to remain neutral, saying only "Thank you" sometimes, but that's their job. However, I've also been told "That was gorgeous" etc. by major casting directors. So it all depends. It can even depend on the mood they are in.

There are WAY too many variables involved in casting. The only thing you can do is prepare as much as you can, go in with confidence, audition the best you can, and walk away without analyzing it for days on end.

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 9:50pm

I've auditioned for a few shows (B-way, Off B-way, Westchester Theater, etc) and it's usually been the same. 16 bars (in one case, I could only sing 8, which was very annoying) and each time the people I sang for were very nice. I never got a simple "thank you," which made me feel great. I always got a "That was wonderful," or "that sounded great," but then I never got a call back. Hehe, oh well, it's the name of that game!

-Vincent

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 9:53pm

I have watched Made on MTV and stuff like that, are the audtitons really like what are you on those type of shows? in one show the girl sang the whole friggen song and it was a MANDY MOORE SONG she sucked and she sang it for about 15 minutes.

[commasplice]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 10:20pm

Wasn't the Mandy Moore song girl on "Laguna Beach"? (If I'm wrong, please feel free to slap me around with a fish) That was a special circumstance, from what I heard (I never saw it, but heard about it).

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 10:23pm

Yeah Luguna beach, I didn't add that cuz I wasn't sure how to spell it..hahahaha

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 10:25pm

How do you get stuff like that? I mean to be able to sing the whole song? was it just for publicity?

[Broadway is life04]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 11:09pm

Well probably because it was a TV show. That was the one episode i missed!

[personB]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 11:17pm

Ok, this is going to sound REALLY dumb, but as I'm not an actor,

What are sides?

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 11:23pm

Sides are lines from the script, from a scene...the acting portion of an audition :)

-vincent

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 11:28pm

Well. you didn't miss much BIL04 She sucked and the caster right then, just told her "You have a nice voice, but you need to determination"

[Joshua488]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 12:35am

The producers of HAIRSPRAY called my friend Bridget in for an audition for Tracy Turnblad a few months ago. They were ecstatic and begging for her to audition after she sent her résumé and headshot. She went in and was required to sing a few bars from "Good Morning Baltimore", I think it was. She flubbed it and wasn't cast.

Another friend of mine will be going to the open Tracy audition in a few weeks. They are requiring all auditioners to have 16 bars of a 1960's-style pop song OR "Good Morning Baltimore" prepared.

My friend Ryan just recently had an audition with FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. They taught a ridiculously difficult dance sequence and, since there were only 15 auditioners, they had to perform the sequence in groups of three. He didn't make it.

Sometimes, the auditions will consist of acting, singing and dance, or it may just be one or two of them. Updated On: 1/2/05 at 12:35 AM

[nobizlikeshobiz]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 12:42am

"also: anyone ever been a tv show like star search"

I auditioned for star search last year and then I got called back. That was it though.

[nobizlikeshobiz]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 12:51am

"are the people that watch you mean or like critical? or are they like expressionless"

The people auditioning you might be eating or reading or talking to eachother while you're auditioning, it's not unusual and you shouldn't be offended because they've probably been seeing people all day. They won't give you any feedback because you can't really say if someone is good or bad just after watching them, you have to see everyone else first. Like let's say the auditors thought someone was terrible, but by the end of the day they might be great compared to everyone else.

[Beautifulsong24]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 1:06am

When they say "16 bars", is that generally held to very strictly? Is it usually ok if you have say, 20 bars?
Also, they say to bring a resume, but what if I haven't done anything, and I mean ANYTHING?

[GypsyRoseLee]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 1:30am

A resume should include not only past experience, but also training and special abilities. Just seriously play up your training or special abilities if the experience section is kind of weak. You can put down almost anything under special abilities. Ex. dialects, whistling, singing, jumproping, crying on command, laughing on command, belching on command...

Seriously, say anything; you never know what they might need in a role so if you can do it, put it down. But you might not necessarily want tell then that you can sew or work a light board (if you can) because you might get stuck doing costumes or something. Keep technical theatre stuff to a seperate resume.

oh, and you might not want to indicate that you can do a certain dialect unless you've actually done it in a play before, or had a reliable source tell you that, yes indeed, you can convincingly imitate that dialect.

Also, if they limit you to 16 bars or two minutes for a monologue, keep it to that. You don't want to risk being rude!

Hope i've been helpful!

[GypsyRoseLee]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 1:33am

wow i just realized how long winded that was. I'm sorry.

It also answered a bunch of questions no one even asked! I really should stay away from those double shot espresso things...they make me talk (or type) too much.

Shut up, self!

[Beautifulsong24]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 1:36am

No, that was perfect, thanks so much!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 1:37am

Much appreciated, Gypsy.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 1:41am

My pleasure!

[VeuveClicquot]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 1:42am

I remember my first Broadway audition like it was yesterday.

It was for OH, CALCUTTA, for replacements late in its run. My ideas at that point of my life of what it was like to audition for a Broadway show were completely based on the movies FAME and ALL THAT JAZZ. I was pleasantly surprised when the casting people turned out to be so nice. (Later, I discovered that my CALCUTTA experience was the exception, not the rule.)

I didn't get the part, but I loved the thrill of standing on an actual Broadway stage and performing a monologue. There's nothing quite like it.

[Charactress!]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 1:46am

You guys have pretty much got it down and covered Beautifulsong... 16 bars means around 16 bars.. i can ALMOST promise you that they will not be counting.. although I'm sure there are some out there who do