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Acting in Plays, Singing/Looking for an audition piece for Man of La Mancha

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Expert: - 10/31/2009


Question
Hello, I was wondering if I could get a few suggestions from you for a great audition song for my community theatres spring production of Man of La Mancha. I am a 24 year old male, and I sing a baritone although I can sing a B or 2. I do not know anything about this musical except that the main supporting character is a tenor role and the lead role is a baritone role. I'd love to get some insight into the style and genre of the music and characters and what might be best to show the goods to the director. I have worked with this director in the past, but never on musical theatre.

Thanks!

Answer
Hello, Kyle –

Thank you for the question.

The role of “Don Quixote” in MAN OF LA MANCHA needs the bright sound of an heroic baritone. It helps if he’s tall. The high Ds and E-flats must be strong and predictable. The middle register is where most of the role takes place. Given the overall range, the role could easily be done by a bass-baritone with a secure upper register. All my bass-baritones exercise to A-flat, some go higher.

You must be in the best physical shape of your life. This role also needs the best actor in town.

Consider the following for your audition:
C’est Moi – CAMELOT
Marianne – THE NEW MOON
Melinda – ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER
There But For You Go I – BRIGADOON
I’ll Never Say No – UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN
They Call The Wind Mariah – PAINT YOUR WAGON

Check out the titles in this anthology:
Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology -  Baritone/Bass, Volume 1
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=91201406412&lc=recs:det...

Once you’re at that site, you can access the other 4 volumes in the Baritone/Bass series.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1446404455.html
I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

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Sean Martinfield

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I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre. There are a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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