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......."I don't
know the exact context in which you are auditioning here, but remember that
in a first round of auditions, they are usually trying to find whether you
can sing and act AT ALL! (They are trying to weed out the people who are
obviously not right for the role)
After that,
when they have seen you, they can always ask you to sing something more
specific for their needs. They may even give you time to go away and prepare
something.
Many
auditionees forget that it is in the interests of the auditioning panel to
see you perform at your best and present yourself well.
If they know
what they are doing, and they spot that you might have potential for their
production, they will do everything they can to help you show that off.
Many people auditioning for shows, often feel as if the auditioning panel
are trying to put them through a test which they want the auditionees to
‘fail’ -- If you get that feeling from an auditioning panel, then you know
you don't
want to work with them. They don't
know what they're doing!
A good
professional audition panel will be very generous to you! They will be
wanting to look for the positives in your performance, not the negatives.
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Auditionees should be
careful with their emotional state here! It is very easy to feel as if you
and all the other auditionees are sitting an 'exam' and the person with the
best 'marks' at the end (the 'best' actor or singer) will get the
role. But the panel are looking for the RIGHT person, and that is not
necessarily the most skilled person! In the professional theatre
scene, and high level amateur, certain level of skill will be assumed.
It doesn't matter how fabulous you are, if you are too tall, short, (too
blond! - whatever) for the role!
(In the lower end of
the amateur scene, where the audition panel has limited choices, sure, the
best person may appear to always get the role; they may not have the luxury
of choosing a 'right' person)
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Whether the
song you sing is close in style to what they're looking for is not necessarily the point. Many
performers needlessly sweat over their choice of audition songs. "I didn't
get it because I chose the wrong song" -- Any auditioning panel that
really knows what it is doing, can see “through” the choice of song to the
performer beneath.
What they
need to see is a performer working at ‘full steam’ and with confidence. --
It is more important that you do something that you know pretty well, and
can carry off, and show your potential acting and singing ability well,
rather than attempt something new which is closer in style for the show, or
what they asked for in the audition notes.
(They are
not going to say “This person is absolutely right for this role, but we can't
use them because at their first call, they sang a song from "South Pacific"
when we specifically asked them to sing something by Andrew Lloyd Webber -
'naughty naughty! "
Once again, if they don't
have the intelligence to see through the choice of song, and have the sense
to ask you to go away and learn something appropriate, (if they really need
that,) then you don't want to work with them!)
Many
performers make the mistake of auditioning with material they don't
know absolutely back to front. What the auditioning panel then get is a
performer who may appear to have potential, but is not showing them the full
performance they may be capable off, because they don't
really know the material well.
In
choosing audition material, the priority
should always be: "What do I know REALLY WELL?"
THEN, try and match what they
are asking you for, if they have been specific in asking for songs from a
particular period, style or show.
As a general
rule, you need to look at the musical they are auditioning for, and find
musicals that are similar in style.
If you are
auditioning for "Cabaret", then songs from "Chicago" would be relevant.
If you are
auditioning for "South Pacific" then songs from other Rogers and Hammerstein musicals would be suitable.
But
once again, the top priority should be - Sing something you know really well
and can really put across!!!
No matter how
off topic it might seem, that will always be a better result!
Just be
honest with them. Tell them: "I don't have any song in my repertoire that matches exactly what
you were asking for"
But I can do
this song from ------“ |
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