Auditions for musical theatre tours

This topic has 3 voices, contains 2 replies, and was last updated by NateOMatic 184 days ago.

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November 14, 2011 at 3:24 am #6884
j.a.cunningham	<p>Hey everyone</p> <p>I was just curious as to what or how exactly an audition for a musical theatre tour goes. I’ve been playing and MD’ing shows for about 4 years now on the community theatre level, and have done some professional gigs but only played, not MD’ed. Though I’ve been lucky to get a lot of experience and build my resume, I have actually never had to audition for any of the shows I was a part of. </p> <p>What should I expect at an audition for a touring company such as Networks LLC? I’m not exactly sure what to have prepared. I have one semester left towards my undergrad in Piano and Oboe Performance so classical and musical theatre pieces are not a problem but I’m unsure what else they are going to expect to hear. I’m not the best at jazz improv and I can get by reading chords, but this is what scares me the most. I’m an excellent sight reader and can play anything you put in front of me as long as it’s notated, including jazz and other styles, but being asked to improv over changes scares the hell out of me…</p> <p>Thanks for any advice you may have!</p> <p>Jordon</p> <p>Any advice? </p>
November 14, 2011 at 4:04 pm #7952
David J. Hahn	Hi Jordan - If you’re not the best at jazz improv, then I wouldn’t bother with it. That’s a specialized skill that you’d only rarely use in musical theatre and I don’t see any reason that Networks would test you on that skill. I’m sure there won’t be any of that on the audition. I’ve never auditioned for a gig either, but I’d heard from others who have auditioned for Networks. I knew someone who went in and played the overture to a show – I forget the show, but it was a difficult overture. I’m look at their website….their current shows (La Cage, Les Mis, Shrek, Young Frankenstein, Beauty and the Beast, etc…) are pretty standard musical theater rep. I would prepare to play something flashy in that style. Maybe the overture to La Cage? Or something with a dance break? Generally, though, I’m not sure what to expect. I’ll say this, though – auditions are very rare in this business. You’ll get a lot more work by recommendations. Networks is one of the only companies that even offers auditions – and I would guess (just a guess) that they still hire most of their players from recommendations and only rarely through auditions. So take the audition, but don’t sweat it too much. Use it as an opportunity to introduce yourself to the Networks people. Maybe one day in the future they’ll receive a recommendation for you and they’ll remember your audition fondly. That’s when you’ll get a gig.
November 15, 2011 at 1:21 am #7956
NateOMatic	I would expect, if you are asked to audition for a tour, that you’ll be given material from the show in question to prepare. The few times I’ve ever auditioned for a tour that’s what I’ve done. You may also be asked to send samples or your playing beforehand, but I’m guessing if you’ve got an audition then you probably already did that. You may be asked to read something cold, but again it’s likely to be from the show, so you can always get familiar with the score in advance. I can’t see why you’d have to do any jazz improv unless it’s specifically required, which in music theatre is seldom if ever. You may be asked to demonstrate your conducting if it’s for a keyboard chair. And there may be some Q&A time, as in any job interview. Sometimes I wish there were more opportunities for musicians to audition; although actors often lament the rigors of their audition process, it always makes me think “wow, how lucky! You can just show up at a place and get seen for the gig!”