Acting in Plays, Singing/Into the Woods auditions

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Expert: - 12/6/2011


Question
The auditions for my high school's production of Into the Woods is coming up soon. I really want a part, but I'm worried I might not get in, since it has such a small cast. I'm an alto / mezzo-soprano, but I can sing quite high, and I sometimes sing soprano (but there are plenty of true sopranos at my school to snatch up the soprano parts). But, I don't have much of a belt at all (highest is an A, maybe, so really nothing)

I'm also really tall, so Little Red is out for me. I want to know, which part should I audition for (and do I really have a chance to get in at all)? Also, what would you recommend I practice before the auditions?

Answer
SEAN MARTINFIELD, Vocal Coach
SEAN MARTINFIELD, Voca  
Hi, Samantha –

Thank you for the question.

Do you know the score of INTO THE WOODS?
Have you ever seen a production of it or watched the DVD of the original Broadway cast with Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason?

Based on your vocal range there are a number of parts open to you:
The Baker's Wife
Stepmother
Lucinda
Florinda

Consider adding these songs to your audition portfolio:
Another hundred people – COMPANY
I'm Going Back – BELLS ARE RINGING
You've Got Possibilities – IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S SUPERMAN
Why Can't You Behave – KISS ME, KATE
You Can Always Count On Me – CITY OF ANGELS

Your job at this audition is to prove your vocal chops and your musicianship. Sondheim's music is not easy. Know the material of the character(s) you want to play. With whatever you decide to sing, suggest the character through your presentation. Don't be concerned about things that don't matter – such as, how tall you are. With the right director, anything is possible – including a tall "Little Red". Why not? But you have to give your audition panel everything you've got during those fleeting moments of your song. Don't make them guess at what you MIGHT do come Opening Night. Show them now.

Seriously consider the role of "The Baker's Wife". She's sexually frustrated. The Witch has zapped her husband for stealing her greens. For quite a while now, it's been a whole lot of nothin' in the Romance Department. Unless they kill the giant and brake the spell, she's in for a lot of long and cold winter nights ahead. That explains her sudden rapture when the Prince kisses her in the forest – "What was THAT?!"

I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Check out my recent interview with popular TV host, David Perry, on "Ten Percent":
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SanFranciscoSentinel.com
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Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

Expertise

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: Seαn 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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