Acting in Plays, Singing/audition musical theater

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Expert: - 2/25/2011


Question
One song I have chosen for a college musical theater audition has the line, "It sure sucks for you".  The song is The Lamest Place in the World. Is it okay to use the word "suck" or should it be modified?

Answer
Hi, Janet –

Thank you for the question.

You have my permission to stay with the word "suck" as provided by the composer/lyricist, Jason Robert Brown.

If the audition panel or anyone else gives you any guff about it, point out to them that there are far more provocative lyrics in the 1968 musical HAIR – which is performed in High Schools, unadulterated.

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.
Below are links to my articles and youtubes on San Francisco's entertainment and cultural scene:

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SF BALLET –Program 4, All Tchaikovsky
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AVENUE Q – A Totally Fabulous Place To Be
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THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT – Best Picture Nominee Cast Donates To On-line Charity Auction
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DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY – This Sunday at Davies Symphony Hall
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EDITORIAL – A confession about ballerina Lorena Feijóo
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PULP FASHION: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave at the Legion of Honor
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“NUREMBURG: It’s Lesson For Today” – Rare Documentary Restored
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BUDRUS – A Documentary on uniting Palestinians and Israelis
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NADJA SALERNO-SONNENBERG – and New Century Chamber Orchestra Announce February 2011 Tour
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LORRAINE HUNT LIEBERSON – Featured Artist On Philharmonia Baroque's New Recording Label
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THE ELIXIR OF LOVE FOR FAMILIES (The Movie) – Free Screenings At The Herbst
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BEETHOVEN – A Two-Week Gig At San Francisco Symphony
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ASIAN ART MUSEUM – Proposed financial agreement provides long term stable financing
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2ND ANNUAL GERMAN GEMS – Comes to the Castro Theatre
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PIANIST HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD – This Week with the SF Symphony
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FILM NOIR FESTIVAL – At the Castro Theatre, 1/21–30
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THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS – Opening Celebration, January 14th
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A Conversation with Elza van den Heever
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ARTHUR SZYK: Miniature Paintings and Modern Illuminations
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I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS – What were they smoking?
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SHREK THE MUSICAL – Ogres and Freaks and Spells, “Oh, my!”
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THE BLACK SWAN – Don’t Save The Drippings
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=96580

CD: MAHLER’S “Songs With Orchestra” – SF Symphony Completes Mahler Recording Project
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RECLAIMED: Paintings From The Collection of Jacques Goudstikker
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FROM BEGINNING TO END – At the Castro Theatre, FRAMELINE34
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SABINA ALLEMANN – Former SF Ballet Ballerina Returns In A.C.T.'s "The Tosca Project"
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THE RUFFATTI ORGAN & CAMERON CARPENTER at DAVIES HALL
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JEANETTE MacDONALD – Hollywood Diva Remembered at the War Memorial Opera House
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AMANDA McBROOM – A rose for new CD, "CHANSON"
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ZUILL BAILEY – A Conversation
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A CONVERSATION WITH LUCIE ARNAZ – This Week At The Rrazz Room
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JANE MONHEIT – This Sunday At The Empire Ballroom
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DIANE BAKER – Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
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CAMERON CARPENTER – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
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AT LAST! – ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=27122

A Conversation with Ruben Martin Cintas, Principal Dancer with SF Ballet
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=22107

Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
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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: 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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