Ten Top Tips for auditioning for your high school or community musical

Now that the new school year and performance season have started, many of our singing students are preparing to audition for musical theater productions either at school or in the community. Often, there is fierce competition even just to get into the ensemble of the show, much less win a role! Thus, it is very important to make sure to show yourself in your best light at your audition; don’t take yourself out of the running before you even start!

When you’re preparing for an audition, it’s important to think of how things look from the auditioner’s side of the table. Years ago, I asked a conductor friend, “Why do you always cast the same singers?” His response was enlightening: “When I’m putting together a show, I’m nervous about how things are going to turn out; the success of the whole production is on my shoulders and there are a lot of factors I can’t control. If I have a choice between two singers for a role, and I’ve worked with one of those singers before and know for certain that that singer is reliable, I’m going to cast the singer I know because it’s one less thing for me to worry about.”

Here’s a quick list of some big “do”s - and a few “don’t”s! - to keep in mind so that you can show that you are both talented and reliable:

1. DO arrive at your audition early so that you’re ready to go on time!
2. DO warm up before you get there.
3. DO dress appropriately for the audition, but DON’T show up in a costume unless the audition notice specifically requests costumes!
4. DO be polite to everyone at the audition; it may turn out that the audition accompanist is actually the music director or the monitor checking you in is dating the producer!
5. DO be a good sport about casting decisions. You may not fit the director’s concept for this particular show, but if you’ve made a good impression this time around, s/he may keep you in mind for a future show.

Here are some bonus tips specifically for prepared auditions:

6. DO select your repertoire early and have it fully memorized and dramatically prepared; DON’T cram and run the risk that audition nerves will short-circuit your memory.
7. DO make absolutely certain that your audition repertoire meets any posted requirements in terms of length, range and musical style.
8. DO purchase a copy of the sheet music for each of your pieces, and learn your songs exactly as they appear on the page. DON’T learn your song from an online karaoke video or by reading lyrics off of your smartphone.
9. DO prepare your sheet music properly for the audition accompanist. Make sure that it is legible, and that your starting and stopping points and any cuts are clearly marked.
10. DO discuss your tempo with the accompanist quietly before you start.

We‘ll be hosting a more in-depth discussion of each of these points on our Facebook page, Gori Voice Studios LLC, in the coming weeks; please feel free to visit us there. In the meantime, go break a leg at your next audition!

Grace Gori, M.M., is a professional opera singer and voice teacher whose credits include roles with the Washington National Opera, the National Symphony Orchestra, the InSeries and more. Her students have won singing competitions and performed roles and solos at local high schools including Walt Whitman, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, and Richard Montgomery. She and her husband, award-winning baritone Aurelius H. Gori, D.M.A., teach through Gori Voice Studios, LLC (www.GoriVoiceStudios.com) in Kensington, Maryland.