Theater Auditions for Beginners

As a voice teacher and a on-again-off-again stage/music director, I see the same common mistakes made over and over when beginners try their first theater auditions. Many of these mistakes can be avoided with a little planning. All of these tips apply to kids, teens, and adults looking to try out for a school show or community theater production. They apply to professionals as well, but I want to talk to those of you who are just starting out.

Homework

Before you even think about picking out an audition song, you need to do your homework. A little legwork now will help you feel prepared — or at least a little less nervous — when you show up for your theater audition. It will also help you avoid stuff that will throw you off your game.

Audition Information

Read the theater audition notice carefully so you understand what the production staff wants. If you have any questions, ask! Community theaters typically post their audition notices on their website with contact information. If you’re trying out for the school musical, ask the director or the teacher in charge of the drama club. You need to know the following information:

Are they supplying the songs for audition or should you come prepared with your own? If they are supplying the music, how do you get it? If you are supplying your own song, can it be something from the show or do they want you to sing something else?
Will you be singing your audition song with a live pianist, a backing track, or acapella (unaccompanied)?
If you’re preparing your own song, will you be expected to sing the whole thing or a cut? A cut is a portion of the song. If the staff wants a cut, make sure you know how much they want – is it by the number of bars or by time?
What does the rehearsal schedule look like? Production week dates? If they haven’t posted all of the dates, that may mean that they’ll be creating a schedule based on availability of the cast. If the schedule is settled, do they have an absentee policy if you know you can’t make a couple of rehearsals? Consider Production Week mandatory. If you have conflicts, this isn’t the production for you.
What else do you need to bring with you to the audition?
Will there be callbacks?
Pay attention to any other information.

The Show

Even if you think you know the show, do a little research. Get to know the characters, the storyline, and the music.

Youtube and Wikipedia for quick audition research

Read a synopsis of the story. Wikipedia usually provides a decent high-level overview.
Listen to a cast recording (or two) from the show. Search YouTube for your show. You’ll find professional and amateur recordings of the music.
If a movie version of the show exists, check it out. Movie versions often differ from the stage show, it will still give you a sense of the show. Do not learn your music from a movie version of the show, though. It may be a different arrangement.

The Characters – What part do you want?

Are you interested in a specific part? Even if you’re brand new to theater auditions, you can still go out for something specific. Understand that you may not get the part, though – no matter how amazing you are. Some directors want tried-and-true actors in the main roles, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it your best. You never know. In one show I directed, we cast someone as the lead who had minimal stage experience and that actor knocked it out of the park.

If you’re interested in a specific character, make a notes about:

Character / Role type – hero / ingenue? best friend / sidekick? villain? parent figure? Romantic lead?
Characteristics – Is the best friend quirky? Is the villain outright evil or are they more subtle? Is the hero unconventional?
What about that character speaks to you?

And finally, decide if you’re willing to accept another part or be a part of the ensemble. The saying goes that there are no small parts in theater, just small actors. In the same play above with the breakout actor, the ensemble filled a bunch of small roles. Several actors in the ensemble embraced the challenge and made each bit part they played as important as the lead. Without that ensemble, the show would not have been as good as it was. If you’re new to theater, I recommend being open to whatever role you land. You never know what might come of it and it will be a way to learn more about the craft.

Practice this along with your music

Most theater auditions involve a little cold-reading. If you’ve done your homework, the reading won’t be completely cold — you’ll know a little bit about the character(s) you’re reading for and what motivates their words. However, you’ll still need to create a believable performance with just a minute or two to prepare. Get used to doing that now before walking into your theater audition.

Grab something to read – a book, a magazine article, even this blog post! Skim a paragraph or two and then read it out loud. As you read it, put some emotion behind it. Create some inflection points. Make it sound like you’re actually talking instead of reading from a page. Your emotion doesn’t have to match what you’re reading. Before starting to read, pick a couple of words to describe a mood or a character and read like that. Be silly!

The Heart of your Theater Audition: The Music

Picking the song

If you’re new to theater and don’t have a catalog of music to pick from, this will be your most challenging task. If you did your homework, you’ll have an easier time, though. If you google “audition songs for [SHOW]” (where SHOW is what you’re auditioning for), you’ll find Reddit threads and websites devoted to suggestions. I particularly like this site’s lists of shows with a breakdown of song options for each character.

If your show is more obscure, you might have a little more legwork to do. Using the characteristics for the character(s) you’re interested in, see if you can find a song from another show that ticks those boxes. If you aren’t sure where to look, ask your musical theater nerd friends. I’m assuming since you’re going out for a theater audition, you have a few of them!

Guidelines

Unless you’re auditioning for a musical by Stephen Sondheim or Jason Roberts Brown, don’t use songs from their shows – especially if you’ll be singing with a live pianist. Sondheim and JRB songs are notoriously hard to play and not all pianists can handle these two composers. A pianist can make or break a theater audition if they can’t play the song you bring. Also if you’re new to theater, their music can be challenging for beginners to sing.
Pick the song that showcases your voice over everything else – even if it doesn’t directly speak to the character you want. When I’m acting as musical director, I want to see two things first and foremost: Can you sing? And can you put a believable character to what you’re singing?
Knock a simpler song out of the park instead of struggling through a difficult one. Granted, if you’re going out for a role that has complicated music, this may hurt your chances of landing the part. But, if you can’t make the difficult audition song look easy, odds are, you weren’t going to get that part anyway.
Memorize your song – even if theater audition notice says you don’t have to. Be able to sing the song in your sleep.
If the audition doesn’t call for a cut, keep your piece under 3 minutes long. If the piece has repeats, skip the repeats. If there’s a pianist, cross out the repeats in your music.

Gather your materials

Grab a copy of the music. I regularly use SheetMusicPlus or MusicNotes for my materials. In both cases, you’ll buy a PDF that you can immediately download and print out. If the audition uses a pianist, you’ll need the sheet music.
Grab a copy of a backing track. You’ll need something to practice with, but you’ll also need to bring it with you to the audition if they aren’t using a pianist. You can find backing tracks on YouTube, but this could be a challenge for the audition. Purchase band/orchestra tracks from Karaoke Version. PianoTrax carries piano backing tracks – great to practice with if the theater audition is using a pianist!

If the theater is providing the music, most of these guidelines still apply – you just won’t need to purchase sheet music. If you’re interested in a specific role, but you’re struggling with the assigned song for that part, pick something else. If they do not provide learning/backing tracks, visit one of the websites listed above.

Check out How to Learn a Song and Connect with Your Song for advice on putting your song together.

Theater Audition Cuts

Most directors do not want to hear your entire song. Many theater auditions need to move a bunch of people through the process in a short amount of time. Respect the director’s wishes and prepare an appropriate cut. If you don’t, you might not get the chance to show them your best part of the song or you may get cut off in a weird spot.

What is a cut?

Song cuts can be denoted two different ways: by the number of measures/bars, or by length of time. Typically, auditions look for 1 – 1.5 minutes of music or 24 – 32 bars of music. If you do not plan a cut, you may be cut off during your audition. Not only will this rattle your nerves, it will tell the director that you don’t follow directions. Take the time to plan your cut.

If there’s a pianist, once you settle on your cut, mark where your cut begins and ends in your music. Be prepared to tell the pianist how to bring you in – play a pitch, play a one bar intro, etc. If there isn’t a pianist, make sure you know the exactly where to start your backing track. Write it in your music!

Good cuts

A good cut:

Showcases your voice – pick the portion of the song that you sound your best. It may not be the most difficult part of the song.
Showcases your character-building abilities – pick a portion of the song that gives you something to work with.
- Intros: Frequently “paint the scene”, so it may not have much to work with.
- Choruses: Might have great character elements, but if the words stay the same every time the chorus comes up, try not to repeat it in your cut.
- Songs that are duets, group songs: Work your cut so it’s only using one character’s lines. A large group number often doesn’t have enough for an individual to work with for a theater audition.
Has some variety – vocally & character story/emotions
Speaks to the role(s) you’re interested in – vocal & character

Once you settle on your cut, stop practicing your entire song and focus on it. Don’t wait until the audition to use it.

The Day of the Theater Audition

Before you walk out the door…

What to bring:

Your music and/or backing track
- If the music is a photocopy or printout, put it in a 3-ring binder – no loose papers!
- Unless the song/cut is more than two pages, make sure the copy is double-sided.
A bottle of water
A snack (if the audition is open call or includes multiple phases, etc, it could be long)
Resume / Headshot
- If you don’t have a headshot, use a picture that clearly shows your face with a neutral background and no other people/pets.
- If you don’t have a theater resume, create a document with: Name, phone number, email; experience (this could include singing in a choir, etc); Availability for rehearsals and production week(s)
- Staple the resume and headshot together
Reading glasses (if you need them)

Some community theaters have a form to fill out that covers resume information. While usually not necessary, a headshot helps directors remember who you are when they start casting. Some community theaters will photograph the audition participants as part of the process, but this isn’t standard. If you’re auditioning for a school show, you’ll most likely have a form and probably won’t need a headshot.

What to wear:

I have seen auditions where the person dressed for the part they wanted. Their song also strongly reflected this. This may work for some shows, but it isn’t necessary. Your best bet is to wear something comfortable that you can move in – especially if there’s a dance/movement component to the audition. If there’s a dance/movement component, wear or bring shoes for it. Sneakers are fine, but if you have character shoes (example for women; example for men), bring them.

Get your head in the game…

Before you leave, warm up vocally and physically. Run your audition a couple of times. You don’t want the first time that you sing your audition that day to be in front of the directors. Spend a few minutes sitting in a quiet place, focusing on your breath, and visualizing your theater audition.

When you get to the audition…

If your audition is scheduled, plan to show up at least 15 minutes before your time slot. Give yourself time to fill out any paperwork and to allow your nerves to settle down.

Showtime!

When you enter the room or come out on stage, smile. Make eye contact with the directors / audition panel. Speak clearly as you state your name and what you’ll be singing. The directors may have questions for you either before or after you sing.

If there’s a pianist, given them your music. Remember that the pianist wants you to have the best audition possible. Give them the tools they need to help you do it. As mentioned above, have your cuts clearly marked. If there’s a place that you want to slow down/speed up – have it marked. Walk them through your markings. They might want to know what tempo (how fast/slow to take the song) you’d like. It’s ok to sing a few bars to give them a sense of what you want.

Once you’re done talking to the pianist and are on your spot, take a couple of deep breaths, find your character, and cue the pianist to start.

As you sing:

Focus on a spot in the room/theater just above the audition panels’ heads. If you’re new to this, looking at the directors may make you feel more nervous.
If you screw up, keep going. If you forget the words, try your best to improv the words until you get back on track. Do your best to not get flustered. The more you’ve practiced, the less chance of big mistakes happening, but mistakes still may happen.
If they stop you early, don’t take it personally. It’s not necessarily because you’re doing badly. The directors might have seen all they need. Usually, if they request a cut, they’ll let you sing your entire cut. If they don’t specify a cut, they may stop you after a couple of minutes.

Cold Reading

Many theater auditions include a cold read. The directors will hand you a short monologue or a dialogue from the show and ask you to read from it. They will most likely give you some direction. Listen carefully to their directions, then take a minute to skim the material with their directions in mind. If, as you read, you can look up some, try to get your head out of the script. If you can’t, hold the paper/script in a way that allows you to read it, but the directors can still see your face. Use reading glasses if you need them!

Dance/Movement

Many theaters wait until the callback to do this, but not always. Typically, you’ll be grouped with other people auditioning and taught a short movement pattern. The choreographer and director will be looking to see how well you follow directions and how quickly you pick up the sequence. If the show is “dance heavy”, you might be asked to do more. If you don’t consider yourself a dancer, don’t worry – you’ll be with a bunch of other people who also don’t consider themselves dancers! In the shows I’ve worked on, this part of the audition doesn’t play a big role in casting. It gives the choreographer a chance to assess what they have to work with so they can plan the dances accordingly.

Have fun!

Theater auditions can be nerve wracking! The directors want to see you succeed – they are rooting for you! Do your best to relax and have fun. The worst that will happen will be that you don’t get a part. In the meantime, you’ve learned a bunch about auditioning and you will most likely meet some fellow theater nerds who are just as nervous as you!

Callbacks

Most productions hold callbacks to help them whittle down their choices. Callbacks might include reading for certain roles, singing portions of songs from the show, and a dance audition (if it wasn’t done during the main audition). You’ll be provided with materials for the callback. Take time to learn the song(s) – memorized if possible. Practice any dialogues/monologues they provide. Carefully read through any directions that the directors provide and make sure you’re prepared. If you have questions, don’t be afraid to contact the theater and ask.

The Best Way to Nail a Theater Audition

Like any kind of performance, auditions take practice. The more you do them, the easier they’ll be and the better chance you have at nailing the audition. Regardless of whether this is your first audition or fiftieth, you need to do the work to prepare yourself. Since you can re-use audition materials, you’ll eventually have a handful of music that you can pull from which will cut your preparation time down. If you’re doing community theater, you’ll also start getting to know the “usual suspects” – directors and actors in your area – so you’ll be surrounded by friends and acquaintances which will also make it easier.

If you want help with your auditions, learning roles, or just want to learn to sing show tunes better, I can help! I’m one of those theater nerds that I mention above, in fact. I teach exclusively online so it doesn’t matter where you live. Book a free Discovery Call with me today – let’s talk!