Musical Theatre
In musical theatre, a standard audition consists of two sixteen-measure selections of music, contrasting in style, intention, characters, time period, or all of the above. There is also usually a monologue portion, where the actor is asked to perform a one-minute monologue. A headshot and résumé are almost always required. Although auditions vary depending on the theatre, program, or show, this formula is considered “the norm” in the musical theatre world. The purpose of an audition is two-fold. Practically, performers audition to get a callback. "Callbacks", or callback auditions, allow the artistic team to assess a performer’s skills in accordance with specific characters. They see the actor for particular parts and have them sing the songs that those characters sing, read the scenes in which those characters shine, etc. Therefore, because this business will be handled later, the audition is not a platform for selling oneself as a character. Instead, the audition is a chance for the performer to show off what they do best.
Read more about this topic: Audition
Famous quotes containing the words musical and/or theatre:
“I was with Hercules and Cadmus once,
When in a wood of Crete they bayed the bear
With hounds of Sparta: never did I hear
Such gallant chiding; for besides the groves,
The skies, the fountains, every region near
Seemed all one mutual cry. I never heard
So musical a discord, such sweet thunder.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
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—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)