Audition Song Help
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Acting
Forum Discription: Q&A about auditions, character development and other aspects of the craft
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4589
Printed Date: 5/03/24 at 9:09am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Audition Song Help
Posted By: Showtime
Subject: Audition Song Help
Date Posted: 4/26/10 at 4:24pm
| I'm going to audition for "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown" in a couple of weeks and I would like some suggestions on what would be a good song to audition with. It needs to be something for a female with an alto range. Any ideas would be appreciated. |
Replies:
Posted By: brandiwb
Date Posted: 5/03/10 at 4:15pm
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I often try to sing a song from the show when auditioning. Otherwise, I would choose a something that is in the same style. Nothing jumps out at me right off.
Any reason to not sing a song from the show?
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Posted By: TonyDi
Date Posted: 5/04/10 at 7:13am
One of the most fun songs in CBrown for alto - actually Sally sings it - is called PHILOSOPHY. Cute song, not a super wide range but fun, bouncy and challenging enough perhaps to use from the show. If you need a sound file I can send you the background midi file (perhaps in WAV or MP3 format) so you can cut a CD of it and use it to audition with if you'd like. Somewhere I might have the original recording so you can hear what it sounds like and/or the sheet music - which I'd have to dig out of the archives and scan. Fun show - hope you get to do it.
TonyDi
------------- "Almost famous" |
Posted By: SherrieAnne
Date Posted: 1/15/11 at 10:29pm
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Looking for advice on an audition song for GREY GARDENS - I'm not familiar enough with the show to do any of the music. The role I'd be going for is the 80-year-old Edith, so I'm looking for something similar to "The Cake I Had". I'd thought about "I'm Still Here" from FOLLIES - yes? no? maybe so? Any advice/suggestions appreciated - I have a week from tomorrow... ------------- There's a little bit of diva in all of us. Some just have a larger helping than others. |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 1/17/11 at 12:27am
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Here is an 'Audition song advice' article, which may help?
http://www.theatreface.com/profiles/blogs/choosing-an-audition-song?xg_source=activity - http://www.theatreface.com/profiles/blogs/choosing-an-audition-song?xg_source=activity ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: SherrieAnne
Date Posted: 1/18/11 at 10:10pm
Excellent article, thanks - it should be part of every actor's notes. (She might have added "gender-correct" - I canNOT express how painful it is to see a man come into an audition and try to sing "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina"...) 
I think I am going to go with "I'm Still Here" - assuming the weather lets me make the 20-mile drive to auditions at all... ------------- There's a little bit of diva in all of us. Some just have a larger helping than others. |
Posted By: NDTENOR
Date Posted: 1/19/11 at 1:22am
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The link to the web page advise about choosing an audition song is generally very good but I do differ on one point:
There is a big difference between "professional" theater auditions and community theater auditions. At professional auditions is is not unusual to get 400 to 500 people audition ( depending on what size city you live in.) At community theaters it's a bit variable but I'd say 50 to 60 people auditioning is more the maximum range. At a professional theater they generally DO NOT want to hear a song from the show at the initial audition because then they would hear 40 or 50 people doing the same song which might get very boring. At a community theater audition you might have 3 or 4 people do the same song if it was from the show. Not exactly such a big problem. So the director should not have such a big problem. If the director of a community theater show DOES have a problem with you doing a song from the show at the initial audition then ,personally, I would think twice about working for that director. The director in a community theater show should be trying to make you feel as comfortable as possible and allow you to perform with the least amount of stress and restraints. If you want to do a song from the show it should not be the directors concern.... they should simply want to hear how you sing and sing your best. My general experience has been that community theater directors who are a bit too "dictatorial" about what to do or not to do at auditions are not going to be that pleasant to work for anyway. Oh, and by the way, even at professional auditions .... if you get called back for a specific role... 9 times out of 10 you WILL have to sing a song or that specific characters song from the show anyway. They will want to specifically hear how you sing THAT song from THE show. Most reasonable community theater directors,in my experience, don't really care if you do a song from the show or not but they will eventually want to hear how you sing from the show. And weather you sing the song at INITIAL auditions or later at callbacks really doesn't make that much difference. In the final analysis: be comfortable with what you sing and practice a lot. |
Posted By: Rorgg
Date Posted: 1/25/11 at 5:22pm
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I avoid songs from the show in question just for form's sake, unless specifically requested. That said, if the part has a notable song or two, I will learn them ahead of time, simply because it'll come up at the callback. I can use the first audition to do something completely different that will show off my voice in the best possible light, then come back and give them something new. That said, as a director? I don't care. Directing CT, I just want people in the door and comfortable enough for me to see them at their best. I tend to do readings because that's what's expected, but I'll also put on the audition notice that a short monologue is not expected but acceptable, because some people prefer it, and it's nice to give them a shot to shine. |
Posted By: SherrieAnne
Date Posted: 2/03/11 at 5:24am
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I generally don't sing from the show when I audition - unless it's a show (or a director) that demands it. (The last time I can recall doing it was an audition for PIPPIN where I sang "No Time At All".) I have a stack of theatre music that's about 3' high, and I try to find songs that show off my voice and not everyone will be singing - I auditioned for FRANKENSTEIN: A NEW MUSICAL with "Crazy World" from VICTOR/VICTORIA, and I love using the music from NUNSENSE II and FOLLIES. That said, when I directed GODSPELL, I did ask that people sing a song from the show - and NOT "Day By Day". ------------- There's a little bit of diva in all of us. Some just have a larger helping than others. |