Expert: Wanda Reinholdt - 2/2/2008

Question
Hi, I have a "YAGMCB" audition on Feb. 12 and I really want the part of Snoopy. My voice part is tenor/baritone and what are some suggestions that could really convey Snoopy? Just some general good audition songs. Thank you.

Answer
Hi there Maurice.  Thanks for writing.  

Congrats on the audition!  I wish you all the best.

The first thing I would say to nailing your audition is to give up the idea that you will get the role of Snoopy.  The choice is really not up to you.  It is up to the Director.  You can want that role but it is really important that you take what you can get and that you have a good attitude and do the best you can with what you get if you get anything at all.  

This might sound a little harsh but part of doing well in the world of theatre or musical theatre or the arts in general is to build on what you get and to be happy with it.   

I'm not sure how old you are or who you are auditioning for.  But in the real world of auditioning for professional gigs, you will definitely find that if you go into an audition asking for a particular role, that your attitude will be questioned.  Only when you get to have an agent or when you have a career that is going someplace and recognized can you get picky and really focus on certain roles.  

So I would encourage you to focus on doing the audition well rather than on the role you want.  Let roles and stories attract you to audition for shows (like Snoopy did for this one for you).  But leave the decision up to the Director.

Next, I would suggest that you go the library and find audition pieces for tenor/baritone.  There are lots of songs to choose from.  Listen to as many as you can and choose a musical theatre piece you love.  

I rarely give suggestions as to what it is that you should do in terms of a song.  I do not know enough about you nor about your ability nor about your voice to give you a suggestion that will really work for you.  

But what I can say is that it is important that you like the song.  And it is important that you can understand the piece in terms of its purpose.  If you don't get the piece, then don't choose it.  Find one that you can understand.

When rehearsing the piece, first learn the melody all by itself.  Get that ingrained into your mind first.  Next, memorize the words all by themselves. Once you have the melody memorized and you have the words, then put them together.  Learn to sing the song without thinking about it.  Once you have the song down cold, then and only then look at the purpose of the song and choose 2-3 actions to do with your body to tell the story while you are singing.  What do you want to accomplish with this piece?  What are you going for?  Choose an action verb to describe your purpose and then actions that would do that.  

Does that help you?

Wanda