In regards to theatre, one of the most popular professions to pursue in this field is to be an actor/actress. How does one become an actor/actress? The complex answer: in one of the most nerve-wracking, embarrassing, scariest, quickest, and necessary things. The simple answer: an audition.
It may take a few people by surprise, but there are actually a lot of steps needed to prepare and execute an audition, let alone a good audition. Those steps are…
1.DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Nicholas, homework? Yes, homework. Each musical is different. Different people have worked on it, the style of music is different, and the list goes on. For example, you should know that Rent is a rock musical, not a musical like The Phantom of the Opera. You can also research the writers of the musical you are auditioning for, research more of their other work, etc. Why is this “homework” important? Well…
2.PREPARE FOR YOUR AUDITION
Before even entering the room, you need to prepare for your audition. For a musical, the normal audition consists of a song YOU prepare, not a song from the musical (that happens in callbacks). And the song you prepare? It is not an entire song. Usually, you will be asked to prepare a 32-bar, 16-bar, or 8-bar cut of a song. But Nicholas, what song? Well, remember that homework? If you are auditioning for Rent, you should prepare a cut of a rock-musical theatre song (i.e. Spring Awakening, Next to Normal). If you are auditioning for a Sondheim musical, such as Into the Woods, it would be appropriate to prepare a song from another one of his musicals. To give you a taste of how quick a 16-bar cut of an song is, here is a YouTube video of Boston Conservatory student Sarah Crane singing a cut from “Watch What Happens” from Newsies:
Along with preparing for your audition song, you must print your resume and headshot. Here is an example of a layout of a resume:
A resume I created and have used as an example for presentations. PHOTO CREDIT: Nicholas Bader
3. ARRIVING
Yes, arriving to the audition is an important step. Why? There is a famous saying: early is on time and on time is late. You should always arrive early to your audition to check in with the audition monitor. Along with that, you should be nice to everyone when you arrive and wait. The people in the lobby that are running things will talk to the people in the audition room about anyone that was rude. You don’t want to ruin your chances before even seeing anyone.
4. THE SLATE
Once you are in the audition room with the people that may make or break your future, you give a “slate”. The slate includes introducing yourself, the title of your song, and show your song is from. The slate can also include anything else the casting team asks of you. It is your chance to talk a little with the team so they see your personality.
5. SING
I mean, I think this one needs the least amount of explanation.
6. LEAVE WITH GRACE
No matter if it went well, awful, they asked for you to sing again, etc., you should always leave calm, thankful, and in a polite manner. You should make sure to get all your belongings, and you say thank you. If the audition went well, great! If the audition went bad, there will be so many more so keep your head up!
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