Helpful Hints for Auditioning

OVERALL

SET UP YOUR HOME STUDIO:

Find a space where you can move around freely taking care to move items that might impede your creative exploration. This is especially important for dance and movement.

Ensure the camera portion of your device is at eye level. This way the camera can record you the way others see you. You can use a tripod (at least 60 inches tall) built for a smart phone or tablet. If you do not have a tripod, consider using a stack of books on a desk or box.

Do your best to find a space that is free of visual distractions. Solid colored walls are ideal, but any background that does not steal the focus from your performance is desired.

Take care that your space allows for adequate lighting. Do not have a lamp or window directly behind you as it will cast a shadow over your face. Keep the lighting source behind your recording device or to the side of you so that your face is lit.

 

SONGS

Many accompaniment tracks to musical theater songs are available on Youtube and other websites. If you do not have a way to work with a live accompanist or don’t have access to a recorded track of your music, consider using an app that will play the piano part for you. Harmony Helper is one such app that allows you to take photos of your sheet music, upload them to the app and then generate a piano track that you can use.

When using prerecorded music, make sure the music source (the speaker or output) is closer to you than it is to the device on which you are recording. By having the accompaniment near you, your voice and the music will reach the microphone on your device in a more balanced manner.

 

MONOLOGUES

Only perform Shakespeare if you feel comfortable. Because classical monologues are public domain, you can search for these on the internet and find many alternatives to Shakespeare that were written before 1900.

 

DANCE

Applicants are encouraged to keep a full-length mirror behind the filming device so as to see themselves as they execute choreography.

 

More information about the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen >

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