Auditioning for Musical Theatre Courses at Associated Studios
To audition for Associated Studios you can either submit a first round self-tape, or audition in person. Either way, you are required to audition with two contrasting Musical Theatre songs and one short monologue. Each item should be no longer than 3 mins each. Successful applicants will be invited back for a Dance, Singing and Acting workshop at Associated Studios.
Here are some tips for your Self-tapes:
Choose contrasting songs. For example: one song might be a 'legit' Musical Theatre song that may be sung in a more legit/ classical style. Examples would include pre-1960's songs from shows such as Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Kiss Me Kate, Oklahoma, West Side Story and more.
Your second song would ideally be in a different voice quality to the first song and also written by a different composer from another genre/era. If you choose a more contemporary style, examples might include songs from Waitress, Ghost, Big Fish, Bridges of Maddison County, Wild Party, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anastasia, Hair, 9 to 5, In The Heights, Next To Normal, Rent, Dear Evan Hansen, Tick, Tick, Boom, Heathers and more. Have a look at shows which were written post 1960. Please also consider whether you are showing that you can sing in a variety of vocal genres such as legit, mix or belt.
Some other Self-Tape tips:
Make sure you are well lit in your audition self tape. We do not need to see your full body. The upper half will do. Most importantly your face needs to be well lit. Try to film the video in front of a neutral background. Have your hair away from your face. Make sure the sound quality is reasonable.
Make sure you have a good quality backing track. There are good backing tracks available on YouTube and Spotify. You can also ask a Musical Director to record your backing track. If you do not have contact with a good coach or Musical Director, please write to the AS office on info@associatedstudios.co.uk and we will send you a list of Musical Directors.
Make sure you learn the songs from the sheet music and not from the recording. Recordings are often slightly different from the sheet music and if they are, you will not match with the accompaniment.
Keep your eyes open. Have an accessible and expressive face and use your eyes.
Listen to the whole show and understand the context of your song. You should research the show and know a little about the composer and the lyricist. You should also know the journey of your character.
When choosing audition songs, ask yourself the following questions:
Is the song appropriate casting for you?
Can you relate to the emotional journey of the song, and can you relate to the character?
Can you sing all the notes in the song? An audition is not a time to stretch yourself. You should be able to confidently perform your song and be up to the vocal challenges it presents.
What is the journey in the song? Make specific acting choices and give yourself a start, a middle and an end.
When choosing your monologue:
Does the monologue allow you to show more than one emotion or state? Soes your character have an emotional journey?
Can you relate to the character?
Try not to 'display' your acting. Be the character.
If you would like more Audition Tips please go to our Facebook page and scroll down to find the video session on Drama school audition tips recorded by Principal Leontine Hass and Deputy Principal Scott Harrison.
Good Luck!
