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Acting in Plays, Singing/audition guidelines for professional productions

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Expert: - 4/18/2009


Question
Hi-  1. If a singer is Caucasion, must she avoid choosing audition tunes from Flower Drum Song, etc?  2.  If the audition requirement is for 16 bars, and the song is in cut time and speeds along, can the singer get away with a few more bars?  3. For an initial audition, must one hit the highest and/or lowest notes required for the part, or can the singer expect to show the particulars off at the call-back?  4.  If the singer is more trained than the character, (such as Meg the ballerina in Phantom of the Opera) does the auditioner sing the initial audition piece with less strength/ability than she is capable of?  
Thank-you SO much for your help.  My resident triple threat and I go 'round and 'round on this at every audition.


Answer
Hello, Bonnie –

Thank you for the questions.

Do a reality check about what is appropriate in terms of Who sings What repertoire.  Thirty years ago the term "Non Traditional Casting" came into being.  A song by Rodgers and Hammerstein is a song by Rodgers and Hammerstein.  If songs such as "I Enjoy Being A Girl" or "Love, Look Away" work for your voice and fit the vocal requirements of the show at hand then keep them in your audition binder.

Sixteen bars is sixteen bars – regardless of time signature or tempo.  If I'm on your audition panel I will know in less than 8 measures if you have what the Producer is looking for.  If not, and the line is wrapped around the block, I will cut you off.  "Thank you!"

Never count on being called back.  Never make your audition panel guess what you might do with more time or on a better day, etc.  You've got one shot.  That's it.  If the role you want has a defining high note in the best known song – then within the 16-measures of your audition you better include that high note or stay home.  The same is true for every member of the ensemble.

The only person who is going to get the role of "Meg" in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is the one who is the best dancer with the best voice.  Your job is to prove your vocal chops to the Producer and Musical Director and – if asked to read for the role – to be the best actress in town.  One of my clients played the role of "Meg" throughout the 4-year run here in San Francisco.  She has a beautiful voice, is a superlative dancer, and an amazing actress.

The dark side of Theatre is that your competition would rather see you die than succeed.

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 – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1140282088.html
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Acting in Plays, Singing

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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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