Encore’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. JTF- Touring Show 2020

How Do I Audition for a Musical?

Auditioning can be a stressful process and many don’t actually look forward to it. However, one thing to keep in mind is that the production staff is not made up of evil, mean people. They want you to do well. They want you to walk in the door and be exactly what they're looking for. That makes their job of casting much easier! Let me stress that these are tips, not rules. Unfortunately, there is no "right" way to audition for a show. I've seen people do the exact opposite of some of these tips and still walk away with the lead.

DRESSING TIPS • Wear something that shows off your style but is comfortable while singing or doing your monologue. Anything you would wear to church or a nice restaurant is fine, as long as you are comfortable wearing it. Please do not show up wearing something that looks like you do not care about your appearance. • It is also a great idea to bring a bag or tote with clothes in it to change into after you sing and perform your Monologue. Something in which you can easily move and dance for the choreography part of the audition. If you’re a dancer, feel free to bring dance attire to change into. If not, anything that you would change into for PE/Gym at school, or to work out. Skinny jeans are not a great idea for choreography! • Shoes can be changed as well. Wear something that matches your audition outfit for singing and you can change into tennis or dance shoes for the choreography audition.

SINGING TIPS • Most auditions will require that you bring a prepared piece to sing. Don't panic! This is another way to let your personality shine through, even if you're not the best singer in the world. • Keep it brief! Good rule of thumb is to sing one verse and one chorus of a song, unless it is unusually short. No director wants to hear all four verses of a song in the middle of a long day of auditions. Pick the Verse that you like best, it does not have to be the first verse. Pick one that showcases your vocal range the best! • You should bring sheet music. Some places to order music on the internet are musicnotes.com, sheetmusicplus.com, and sheetmusicdirect.com. The public library can also be a source of sheet music. • An accompanist will be provided. It is almost never good form to bring a recording with which to sing. Definitely do not sing a cappella (unaccompanied) or try to sing with a recording that has other people singing as well. Mark your music with appropriate starting and stopping points, and any changes in tempo. The accompanists are generally very good, but if you bring an extremely difficult piece to play (either exceptionally fast with weird rhythms or in a terrible key), they may have difficulty, which could throw off your audition. • Your selection can really be any piece of music you want, although some are better choices than others. Pop music is hardly ever heard in musical theatre auditions; stick with traditional musical theatre songs. • It's a good idea to know the title of the song you're singing, as well as who wrote it and what show it's from. Sometimes the production staff will ask you to announce what song you will be performing before you sing, and if it's something a little unusual, you may want to tell them anyway, just so they don't spend your auditioning time trying to figure out what you're singing! • If it is possible, it is really advantageous to sing something stylistically similar to the part for which you are auditioning. It also needs to be in your range; don't sing something unless it shows off the best of your voice. Some music directors specifically ask for the auditioner not to sing something from the show for which they are auditioning. For Example: If you were auditioning for Little Mermaid, and every girl decides to sing "Part of Your World," then the production staff will have a very hard time distinguishing one auditioner from the next, and you could get unfavorably compared to a more experienced singer.

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Encore’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. JTF- Touring Show 2020

• Take your time. Before you begins singing, talk to the accompanist to let him or her know where your song cut starts and ends and what tempo (how fast or slow) he’ll be singing. Then he should take a few moments to get into character. “Take a deep breath, go over the first few lines in your head, and give the music director a clear nod when you’re ready,” Most importantly, be courteous to the accompanist. Give them your music (neatly marked), explain what tempo you would like it played, and point out any unusual tempo changes. After you sing, thank them! Most accompanists are wonderful players, they are doing you a favor by playing for you, and everyone will notice how you treat them. It's an indication of how easy you will be to work with should you get cast. • Don’t be afraid to try whatever the director or music director ask you to do vocally at your audition! They may ask you to sing a simple song with the piano (ex. Happy Birthday to You) or pitch test you by having you sing scales (sing higher or lower than you are used to). They want to see what your voice can do and try to fit you in the cast of the musical.

AUDITION SONG GUIDELINES • The latest pop songs, rap songs, and currents hits are NOT recommended for audition pieces. • DO NOT choose a piece from the musical you are auditioning for. • DO NOT sing ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen (trust us, artistic staff members do not want to hear it anymore!).

SONG SELECTION FOR AUDITIONS Research and use music from: • Broadway Musicals • Church Musicals or Hymns • Animated Movies • Patriotic Song Books • Disney Books • Folk Songs • Children’s Music Books

SONG SUGGESTIONS and IDEAS: Listen to these and try them or others like them. These are just IDEAS of the type of songs the casting staff will want to hear you sing. • Any Dream will Do – Joseph & Technicolor • The Work Song (Cinderella, Cinderella) – • Maybe – Annie Cinderella • My Favorite Things – Sound of Music • Goodnight My Someone – The Music Man • Colors of the Wind – Pocahontas • It’s the Hard Knock Life – Annie • Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ – Oklahoma • Zippity Doo-Dah – Song of the South • Comedy Tonight – A Funny Thing Happened • Live Out Loud – A Little Princess • – Wizard of Oz • Luck Be a Lady – Guys & Dolls • Consider Yourself – Oliver • Cruella de Vil – 101 Dalmatians EASY LEVEL for younger kids: • Put on a Happy Face – Bye, Bye Birdie • Do-Re-Mi • Do-Re-Mi – Sound of Music • Good Ship Lollipop • Santa Fe – Newsies • Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho • Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat – Aristocats • How Much is that Doggie in the Window? • Shenandoah – traditional folk tune • Take Me out to the Ballgame-Traditional song • If You’re Happy and You Know It • Gary, Indiana – The Music Man • I’ve Been Working on the Railroad • The Candy Man – Willy Wonka • Jesus Loves Me • Get me to the Church on Time – My Fair Lady • My Favorite Things

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Encore’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. JTF- Touring Show 2020

• Puff the Magic Dragon • I Don’t Need Anything but You – Annie • She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain • Under the Sea – Little Mermaid • Take Me Out to the Ballgame • I Got the Sun in the Morning – Annie Get Your Gun • This Land is Your Land • We’re – Wizard of Oz • I Whistle a Happy Tune – The King and I • This Old Man • When the Saints Go Marching In – Traditional • When the Saints Go Marching In • I’d do Anything – Oliver • Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf • When You Wish upon a Star – Pinocchio • Yankee Doodle • If I Only had a Brain/Heart/Nerve – Wizard of Oz • Zippity Doo-Dah • Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf - 3 little Pigs • This Land is your Land – traditional folk tune • You’ll be in My Heart – Tarzan • Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho-it’s Off to Work We Go – Snow • In my Own Little Corner – Cinderella White • You’ve Got a Friend in Me – Toy Story • Try to Remember – The Fantasticks

MONOLOGUE TIPS • Choose material that fits you right now. Select a monologue that is age appropriate, allows you to express the uniqueness of who you are and speaks to your strengths. Don't choose pieces that are one note. There's nothing that ruins an audition more efficiently than delivering a monologue that's one long, shouted, angry rant or nonstop weeping. Don't choose pieces that are full offensive language, which we hope this goes without saying for a Junior Show. • Need help picking a monologue check sites like: • BOTH https://monologuearchives.com. Then select Monologues for children. • MALE https://theatrenerds.com/17-comedic-monologues-for-men/ • FEMALE https://stageagent.com/monologues/674/anne-of-green-gables/anne-shirley https://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/professional-theatre/wp- content/uploads/sites/11/monologues_contemporary_female.pdf

CHOREOGRAPHY/MOVEMENT TIPS Don't panic about this part of the audition! We just need to see how gracefully the auditioner moves, or if they can move on the beat, or even if they know their right from their left! Do your best, but ultimately, choreographers are most interested in who looks energized and exciting while moving in time with music.

• If you mess up the steps, put your feet in the wrong place, or forget what to do with your hands, it is not the end of the world. You are doing this without any prior practice, so no one expects you to be perfect. However, when you miss something, it is important that you keep smiling and keep going! A big smile and an air of confidence can hide a multitude of mistakes with your feet. Trained dancers can take note of this, too. Even if you do the steps perfectly, if you are not doing something interesting with your face, or if you look like you're really concentrating hard instead of enjoying it, the staff may pick someone with slightly less dancing ability, who looks like they're having fun. • As a general note, make sure when the choreographer is teaching the steps, you are standing in a place where you can see. Frequently, people uncomfortable with dance try to hide in the back. It doesn't work.

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Encore’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. JTF- Touring Show 2020

The choreographer knows this trick and will see you anyway. Also, if you stand in the back, they may automatically assume that you can't dance at all!

READING TIPS FOR COLD READS AT CALLBACKS • If you are chosen for Callbacks to read for a certain role, the director will give you a script and have you read through a scene with other people auditioning. Don't panic! It's not supposed to be memorized, and almost everyone is as unfamiliar with the material as you are. The director merely wants to hear the quality of your voice, see how you look with the other actors, and see if you can make a "connection" with other people auditioning. If you stumble on the words, it's not the end of the world. Focus instead on really trying to listen to what is being said, and react to it even when you are not the person speaking! Try to understand what the scene is about, what your character is trying to accomplish, and how that character would go about trying to achieve their goals. • You usually get a few minutes to look over the script, especially if you are in the first group to read a particular scene. If you have any questions about the scene (or how to pronounce any words), ask the staff before you start. • The director may give you advice about how to read a certain line, or how to read the whole scene. If that happens, try to incorporate the suggestions in your performance, even if it seems odd or wrong. Everyone will notice how well you take direction, and that has a huge impact on whether or not a person gets cast.

THE P’S OF AUDITIONS

Personality and Poise • Smile! • Be confident. • Introduce yourself and tell the panel what you are singing. • Be polite. • Say “thank you”. • Show Personality in a positive way (not loud or boisterous).

Project • Stand Proud and Sing Loud. • Open your mouth. • Enunciate: speak clearly so you can be understood. • If the director and music director cannot hear you speak or sing, they will not know how good you sound!

Prepare • Memorize your song – you will sing for about 1 to 2 minutes. • Practice with your accompaniment music! Practice while looking at yourself in a mirror! • Wear appropriate clothing to your audition – don’t dress up, but have a clean and neat appearance. • Be on time – bring your accompaniment CD, iPad, iPhone or arrive with your accompanist.

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Encore’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. JTF- Touring Show 2020

THE “P”S DO NOT INCLUDE

Perfect • We’re not expecting you to be perfect – just do your best. • We’re looking for YOU, don’t imitate someone else. • It’s okay if you mess up in your song – don’t get upset. You can even start over if you need to. • Don’t try to impress the judges by imitating others-just be yourself.

General tips • Get there ahead of time! Try to arrive five or ten minutes before the announced starting time. There are almost always audition forms to fill out before beginning the actual audition. This allows the production staff to begin reading, singing, and/or dancing people on time. You may wait around for a few minutes while everyone else is filling out their forms, but directors usually appreciate the extra effort.

• When filling out your audition form, be HONEST! If you will only accept a specific role, please tell them that! The staff will not think any less of you, and it will save their time, since they won't have to re-fill your role when you turn it down. Make sure to list all dates you cannot be at rehearsals on your conflict calendar.

• Call-backs: sometimes the staff will not see everything they need to see at a first audition. In that case, they will hold call-back auditions. Just because you do not receive a call-back does not mean you will not be cast, or even that you will not get the part you want! It just means that they saw everything from you that they needed to see.

And Finally... • Relax. Don't panic. Breathe.

• The audition is all about showing yourself off to the best of your ability. We all do it, we all live through it, we've all had fantastic auditions and not gotten cast, and some of us (the lucky ones!) have even had awful auditions and still gotten the part we want.

• Just go out there and do your best! Good luck to you!

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