A little about typical audition processes. What to expect, how to stand out in a good way, how to prepare, how to make a good first impression, tips and tricks, what not to do, etc.
For Musicals
We ask that every student prepare a short song or part of a song (1-2 minutes) to sing for our directors at auditions. Your song should be from either another musical or from a Disney movie. Please, no pop songs. Memorize your song and bring a musical accompaniment track for it on either a cd or a personal music player (like an iPod).
Auditions are divided up into one hour slots. You may sign up for the slot that works best for you. Within that hour you will be working alongside a small group of other students. Your group will start with some fun, casual theatre games to get things going. Our directors will then give a brief talk about the show, explain what they are looking for in each character in the show, and outline what the rest of the audition process will look like.
Students will then be called up on stage one at a time to sing. The directors will ask each student a couple of questions and then they will ask to hear the song. After everybody has a chance to sing, they will be asked to look over and perform rough readings of scenes from the show. When it's your turn to read, take your time and try to infuse as much personality into your reading as you can.
Finally, your group will be taught a short dance routine. You will learn it first as a group, then in smaller pairings. While the routine may seem overwhelming at first, you will probably pick it up fairly quickly. What makes it hard is getting the steps in your head so that you can remember them when you have to perform it without following anybody else. Ultimately, every member of the chorus will get to dance in the show. What we're looking for here is whether or not you have the coordination, confidence, and energy to warrant a featured dance role.
Overall, relax, don’t stress too much, and try to enjoy yourself. There is no such thing as a perfect audition, no matter how good you get. Relax, do the best you can, and leave the rest up to the directors.
Some good advice:
For Plays
The audition process for plays is exactly the same as it is for musicals except that each student will need to prepare a monologue (1-2 minutes) to perform instead of a song.
Please do not perform a “memory” monologue at auditions. (A memory monologue is one in which the character is describing something that happened in the past). A good monologue is one where the action is happening at the present time and there is something emotionally at stake for the character. This could be something as serious as talking to a dying friend, or as ludicrous as having an argument with an attacking pillow.
Memorize your monologue really well and then practice by performing it in front of your parents or friends before the audition day. This will allow you to break out of your comfort zone a little bit and be more comfortable performing for the directors. When performing your monologue, take your time with it. Good monologues have highs and lows, changes in speed and emotion, good visual and physical focus on specific things (i.e. acting to the spot above the directors’ heads), and good attention to detail in analyzing ahead of time the best way to say particular words and which words to emphasize for greatest effect.
Overall, relax, don’t stress too much, and try to enjoy yourself. There is no such thing as a perfect audition, no matter how good you get. Relax, do the best you can, and leave the rest up to the directors.