Audition tips from an ALT veteran can help you be prepared.
During the past two seasons while The Goddard Center was under construction, Ardmore Little Theatre still found a way to put on quality productions for the community in a variety of locations. The size of those venues, however, dictated that the shows performed must have small casts, and most of the directors hand-picked their actors for those shows.
The Goddard Center reopened its doors on April 27 and ALT will officially be back home on June 1, just in time to conduct auditions for its summer musical, “The Wizard of Oz,” emphasizing the theme “There’s no place like home.” It’s been a while since many actors have auditioned for a show, and there might be some newcomers unfamiliar with the process. So, here’s a little refresher on how it works, courtesy of long-time ALT actor and drama coach Brian Gunter (picture shown above), via an audition workshop he conducted as part of ALT’s ongoing theater education program.
“The Wizard of Oz” auditions are set for 7 p.m. Monday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Goddard Center, under the direction of Diana Carter. The production is open to adults and children, 7 years and older. Those interested should have a 1- to 1½-minuite solo audition song ready, with either sheet music, CD, phone, or tablet, and should be prepared for a company dance audition following the singing auditions.
Gunter said auditions are not all that different from job interviews and the most important rule of both is to be prepared. Most people know the story of “The Wizard of Oz,” but often a play or musical might not be as familiar, so the best place to start is getting to know the material. If possible, get a copy of the script beforehand. Study it, be familiar with the characters, and practice some of the lines for the character(s) you are interested in until you feel comfortable. “You want to know what role you are auditioning for. Being familiar with it means most of your nerves will be alleviated,” Gunter said. “If you’re prepared, you won’t have any reason to be nervous. What you put into yourself is what you’ll put out. Other than that, whatever nerves you manifest will simply reflect your desire to do a good job.”
For musical auditions, knowing your strengths is a must. Pick two songs that you can sing well that highlight your vocal range. Gunter suggested having one up-tempo song and one ballad. Most auditioners only sing once, but occasionally a director might want to hear something different and having a second song ready to go can give the singer an edge.
He also suggested that singers not choose a song from the show for which they are auditioning. There will be plenty of opportunity to sing those songs during callbacks. And directors can get bored hearing the same song over and over during auditions. “It shows a lack of inventiveness. It shows a lack of preparation. It shows a lack of wanting to learn something new.”
As for singing talent, Gunter said don’t let yourself miss out on the experience of being in a musical production because you think you don’t have a strong voice. It’s not necessary to be the best vocalist, but to best present your personality while singing. “If you find that you are an actor who can sing on pitch but find your singing is more character driven, then by all means lean into that when choosing your song. Not everyone has the singing voice that allows them to be Dorothy Gayle from Kansas in ‘The Wizard of OZ,’” he said. “Your song should be what’s best for you. And it doesn’t have to be from a show. It can be a novelty song. Denise (Huggins White) sang ‘The Pasta Song’ to audition for the role of Madame Thenardier in ‘Les Miserables.’ It showed a spirit. It showed a little lightheartedness. Pick what works for you. You don’t necessarily have to be a singer to be a music-theater person. Just because you don’t have this developed voice doesn’t mean you can’t be a character,”
Auditions will also include actors reading scenes from the script. Since scripts for “Wizard” are not available ahead of time, Gunter has tips for those who will be called onstage to do what is called a “cold reading,” meaning they are seeing the script for the first time. Again, the first step in getting up for a reading is to bring your confidence with you, even if you have to fake it.
“When you walk onstage, your body language is going to tell a lot. Have command of the stage, whether you have done it before or not. When you’re thinking about the project, something’s going to come across. You can fake comfort,” he said. “In a cold reading, you have to learn how to find the ‘tone’ and the ‘events’ even in just a few lines of text. ‘Tone’ is just the manner with which you say that line. An ‘event’ is when someone comes into or leaves a room, a change of scenery, a change of subject, a change of thought. It is signified by change of punctuation. The delivery changes after commas, colons, and semicolons. When you learn how to notice those events in the text, they become more natural.”
Gunter also had some tips for those who will participate in dance auditions. One thing to consider is make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes and clothes that move well. It’s not necessary to have dance experience, but being able to move is important.
“When you get called to the stage for dance auditions, be down front and center behind the choreographer or dance captain. In that position, you can see and you can be seen,” he said. “When it comes to dance, if you make a mistake, smile. If you don’t make a mistake, smile.”
Above all else, those who show up should relax and have fun. And novices should embrace the veterans, who have a great source of experience and theatrical knowledge to share with them.
“This is what community theater is about. It’s all different levels of all different people. This is the best breeding ground and training ground to do what you want to do. It’s about being a generous performer. It’s not every man for himself. Observe other people. See how they walk. See how they talk. Try to guess the story,” Gunter said. “In anything you do, tell a story. Everything being equal, the person who tells the best story wins.”