Local Theater?

Question:I am 16 years old. There are plays at are local theater, where teens and high school students perform in plays, and they are not any better than me. I want to take performing arts in college, and I hope to do theater. I can sing very well, am in 2 choirs, take 2 privates a week, and have performed in plays. I am very expressive and can act well. Would it be good if I started to perform in plays? Will it help me get noticed? I am just trying to get into as many things as I can to help me achieve my dreams of performing. How do I know when there are auditions and what do I need to know and do?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I am 16 years old. There are plays at are local theater, where teens and high school students perform in plays, and they are not any better than me. I want to take performing arts in college, and I hope to do theater. I can sing very well, am in 2 choirs, take 2 privates a week, and have performed in plays. I am very expressive and can act well. Would it be good if I started to perform in plays? Will it help me get noticed? I am just trying to get into as many things as I can to help me achieve my dreams of performing. How do I know when there are auditions and what do I need to know and do?

Absolutely get out there and get on stage! Local theatre offers a unique quality that professional theatres don't: They are designed to help you learn and gain experience! Look in your local newspaper, go to the theatres themselves, check and see if they have websites. They WANT you to audition for their shows; they'll want to get the word out as much as possible.

As for auditions? Auditioning can be a stressful process, and almost no one likes it, but until someone comes up with a better way to determine auditioners' individual talents, it is here to stay. One thing to keep in mind: the production staff is not made up of evil, sadistic people. They want you to do well. They want you to walk in the door and be exactly what they're looking for. That makes their job of casting much easier!

At some point in the process, the director will give you a script and have you read through a scene with other auditioners. Don't panic! It's not supposed to be memorized, and almost everyone is as unfamiliar with the material as you are. The director merely wants to hear the quality of your voice, see how you look with the other actors, and see if you can make a "connection" with other auditioners. If you stumble on the words, it's not the end of the world. Focus instead on really trying to listen to what is being said, and react to it even when you are not the person speaking! Try to understand what the scene is about, what your character is trying to accomplish, and how that character would go about trying to achieve their goals.

You usually get a few minutes to look over the script, especially if you are in the first group to read a particular scene. If you have any questions about the scene (or how to pronounce any words), ask the director before you start.

If at all possible, try to get ahold of the script ahead of time. Most times, you can call the box office of the theatre the week before auditions, and they will provide you with a copy. If they do, make sure you return it before the first scheduled audition! If they will not, the Peoria library has a number of scripts on the shelves, or you can try to find it at a bookstore or on the internet (like the Drama Book Shop). If you are after a certain part, it is important that you become as familiar as you can with that role. Try to figure out what would be likely passages for the director to have auditioners for that role read, and prepare them ahead of time.

The director may give you advice about how to read a certain line, or how to read the whole scene. If that happens, try to incorporate the suggestions in your performance, even if it seems odd or wrong. Everyone will notice how well you take direction, and that has a huge impact on whether or not a person gets cast.

I've heard of auditions where they ask auditioners to bring a one-to-two minute memorized monologue to perform, but that is extremely rare, and usually only in professional auditions. I've never had to prepare a monologue for an audition.

For most musicals, there will be a dancing audition. Don't panic about this, either! Some auditions don't even have dance auditions, and if they do, they are frequently very easy steps, just to see how gracefully auditioners move, or if they can move on the beat, or even if they know their right from their left! Do your best, but ultimately, choreographers are most interested in who looks energized and exciting while moving in time with music. If you have dance training, so much the better, but it is not usually necessary, unless it is a huge tap dancing show (like Crazy For You), or unless you are auditioning for a specific part that needs ballet (like the Dream Ballet dancers in Oklahoma!).

If you mess up the steps, put your feet in the wrong place, or forget what to do with your hands, it is not the end of the world. Even very polished dancers mess up sometimes. It's just like the reading audition: you are doing this without any prior practice, so no one expects you to be perfect. However, when you miss something, it is important that you keep smiling and keep going! A big smile and an air of confidence can hide a multitude of mistakes with your feet. Actual dancers can take note of this, too. Even if you do the steps perfectly, if you are not doing something interesting with your face, or if you look like you're really concentrating hard instead of enjoying it, the staff may pick someone with slightly less dancing ability, who looks like they're having fun.

As a general note, make sure when the choreographer is teaching the steps, you are standing in a place where you can see. Frequently, people uncomfortable with dance try to hide in the back. It doesn't work. The choreographer knows this trick and will see you anyway. Also, if you stand in the back, they may automatically assume that you can't dance at all!

Almost all musical auditions will require that you bring a prepared piece to sing. Don't panic! This is another way to let your personality shine through, even if you're not the best singer in the world.

Keep it brief! When I audition, I try to sing one verse and one chorus of a song, unless it is unusually short. They say that a music director will know whether they want to cast you within the first two measures of your song. I don't necessarily believe that, but no one wants to hear all four verses of "I, Don Quixote" in the middle of a long day of auditions.

You must bring sheet music. There are a number of good stores in the area that sell books of Broadway show tunes (like Kidder Music in Peoria or The Music Shoppe in Normal). A really good place to order music on the internet is Sheet Music Plus. The public library can also be a source of sheet music. I know the Peoria library has quite a good selection up on the second floor.

An accompanist will be provided, but you can bring your own if you desire, although this is seldom done. It is almost never good form to bring a recording with which to sing, or to sing a cappella (unaccompanied). Mark your music with appropriate staring and stopping points, and any changes in tempo. The accompanists are generally very good, but if you bring an extremely difficult piece to play (either exceptionally fast with weird rhythms or in a terrible key), they may have difficulty, which could throw off your audition.

Your selection can really be any piece of music you want, although some are better choices than others. Pop music is hardly ever heard in auditions; stick with traditional musical theatre songs unless auditioning for a rock musical or explicitly told otherwise. Try to avoid songs that are overdone. I personally try to avoid songs from really well-known classics like Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, The Wizard of Oz, or Grease. Also, really try to avoid songs from Phantom of the Opera, Les Mis廨ables, and Rent, as they have really been sung a lot at auditions for the last ten years. Songs from Disney movies are also not my top choice, although I've seen others sing them with some success.

So that's what not to sing. It is more difficult to determine what one should sing. I have put together a list of suggestions (by no means all-inclusive!) of songs that have worked well for me and my friends, or that I would like to hear at auditions. You can view that list here.

It's a good idea to know the title of the song you're singing, as well as who wrote it and what show it's from. Sometimes the production staff will ask you to announce what song you will be performing before you sing, and if it's something a little unusual, you may want to tell them anyway, just so they don't spend your auditioning time trying to figure out what you're singing!

If it is possible, it is really advantageous to sing something stylistically similar to the part for which you are auditioning. It also needs to be in your range; don't sing something unless it shows off the best of your voice. Some music directors specifically ask for auditioners not to sing something from the show for which they are auditioning. When I music direct, I don't have a problem with that, but keep in mind that if you are auditioning for A Chorus Line, and everyone decides to sing "Nothing," then the staff will have a very hard time distinguishing one auditioner from the next, and you could get unfavorably compared to a more experienced singer.

Most importantly, be courteous to the accompanist. Give them your music (neatly marked), explain what tempo you would like it played, and point out any unusual tempo changes. After you sing, thank them! Most accompanists are wonderful players, but even if they are lousy, they are doing you a favor by playing for you, and everyone will notice how you treat them. It's an indication of how easy you will be to work with should you get cast.

Know your type! This is difficult for all of us, but it is important to audition for roles that fit you. If you are an alto, auditioning for a high soprano role is not advisable. Similarly, if you are 16-going-on-17 and are auditioning for The Sound of Music, trying out for teenager Liesl von Trapp is a better idea than auditioning for the matronly Reverend Mother (unless it is a Youth Theatre or High School production). In amateur theatre, it is possible to occassionally get cast "against type," but it is safer for you to play to your strengths.

Get there ahead of time! Try to arrive five or ten minutes before the announced starting time. There are almost always audition forms to fill out before beginning the actual audition. This allows the production staff to begin reading, singing, and/or dancing people on time. You may wait around for a few minutes while everyone else is filling out their forms, but directors usually appreciate th

You should ABSOLUTELY, without a doubt, start acting in plays. If you want to major in acting or performing arts in college, you need extra curriculars that mirror that desire. Obviously, if you want to be an actress or a triple threat, you need acting or musical theater experience. It will most certainly help you get noticed, and if you put your heart and soul into getting a lead role in will put you in the system for more lead roles in the same theater co. (sad but true--> people who get leads in teen theater usually end up getting leads again in that same theater group) Look in local newpapers and websites for auditions, and they will give you all the audition info you need. Good luck! Once you get involved with these teen theater groups, you will be noticed, have great extra curriculars for your college apps, and have fun at the same time!
I hope this helps! Keep acting!
-Pelagia

are u just trying too show off???
well sure it will and yes you will probably get the lead role with all that singing. to get to auditions u must get an agent first they are hooked up with all the casting directors and auditons coming up so get a GOOD agent!!! and good luck!!!!!!!! :) keep acting and singing

This is almost a non-question. "Getting noticed" is not what you need. (In fact, the term "getting noticed" is considered a little arrogant - it implies that you are better than everyone else and all you need is someone to notice you.) All you simply need to do is call this place and ask them when they audition, or if there is a mailing list for auditions.