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Acting in Plays, Singing/Minstrel Auditions for OUAM

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Expert: - 2/17/2009


Question
A community theater in my area is putting on Once Upon a Mattress this summer. The typical audition format is bring your own song, and then have a cold read for the part you're reading for. I would love to be the Minstrel. I'm a 20 year old Tenor with a range in full voice definitely to the Bb that the role calls for, and sometimes high C. I've worked with the director before, so she knows me and my voice, but I want to wow her in audition.
MY only issue is the piece I should choose.
Last year in auditioning for South Pacific, I sang "Anthem" from Chess. I earned a few lines, and she changed the Contrabass solo in "There's Nothing Like A Dame" into a Tenor Solo, and ranged it up into my top voice. So she knows I can sing well.
Should I choose something like "Johanna" or "Bring Him Home" to show off my lyric quality and head voice, and prove I can sing "Many Moons Ago" sensitively, and not merely be a belty Tenor? Those songs are great, but it's not quite the same character archetype, lol. Or should I pick something uptempo, and more along the lines of "Normandy" or "The King, the Minstrel and I"? "Giants In the Sky", maybe? Or something else all together? Hopefully, you can see my dilemma. I own the five editions of the Musical Theater Singer's Anthology for Tenor, but I'm just not sure what direction I should go in. The audition isn't for a while, but I like to be well past prepared with these sorts of things.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Answer
Hi, Aladdin –

Thank you for a well-stated question.

"The Minstrel" in ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is what is known as an "Everyman".  That character's job is to convey what is going on and offer a few wink and nods about the inside scoop.  I trust that whatever you sing, your passion is about demonstrating your tenor vocal chops.  What this role requires is that we see YOU.  In this sense, it's about You being a standard/pop artist whose been brought into a Broadway Musical to just be himself.  Get yourself into shape.  The last Minstrel I saw was in a pair of powder blue tights….

Consider the following songs:
Isn't It Romantic? – LOVE ME TONIGHT
Come To Me, Bend To Me – BRIGADOON
On This Night Of A Thousand Stars – EVITA
You Gotta Look Out For Yourself – CITY OF ANGELS
The Night Was Made For Love – THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE

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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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