[littlelottie]

So im looking at potential material at the minute and have read in a couple of books, what shows to avoid rep from... Although I still believe if you can do a song well, do it!

I am a huge Sondheim fan but hear that you should avoid singing a Sondheim piece because it is generally too hard to sight read from an accompanist point of view. Does anyone know if this is true? I'm not a "Belter" as such and his music suits me in chest voice (as well as head) and if I could do one of his pieces, it would be ace, but equally I don't want to chose something that is hard for a pianst to sight read.

Also, is The Girl in 14g a really bad move for an audition piece? I need a comedic, uptempo, contemp piece and this was one of a few I was considering.

Throwing these questions out there in the hope that someone can help me out - Im completely stumped! And TERRIFIED!!!

All info/advice greatly recieved!

xx

[Mark_E]

I think Sondheim is ok. Most of the top drama schools should have a pianist who can sightread sondheim, or atleast be familiar with his music.

And id stay well clear from Girl in 14g.

One thing I would say is have one modern song in chest voice and another in legit soprano type singing.

[meerkat]

This is a useful book that I have come across. ( there are others like it on the market) The author often gives advice on the discussion boards of The Stage under Training and Tuition.

So You Want to Tread the Boards: The Everything-you-need-to-know, Insider's Guide to a Career in the Performing Arts (Paperback) by Leslie Bricusse (Foreword), Jennifer Reischel (Author)

Good Luck with your auditions.

[Mark_E]

I agree excellent book! I had it out of the college library for the whole of last year!!!

I would say though don't take the exclusions list too seriously. I did a song from the list at my audition and got in!

[Matthew Winn]

I would be much better going in with something like "How Could I Ever Know?" from "Secret Garden" - still contemp, but more legit. Is this a bad move?

To quote from an online discussion back in 1994, from an MD with many experiences of numbing auditions:

Please, please, please, on behalf of those who sit in or play for audition, be creative with your audition selections. Please do not sing:

"You Can Always Count on Me" (City of Angels)
Anything from Les Miz, Phantom, or Miss Saigon
"How Could I Ever Know" (Secret Garden)
"Dance Ten, Looks Three" (Chorus Line) - we are not impressed nor shocked that you can use the words Tits and Ass
"Love Changes Everything" (Aspects)
"Tomorrow" (Annie)
"Soliloquy" (Carousel)
"Memory"

because we have heard them 10,000 times.

Many more tips here, and a whole bunch of what-not-to-sings here.

[Weez]

What does the audition call for? What are you auditioning for? If it's a musical theatre course and you're proving your complete awesomeness as a singer, you'll most likely need two contrasting pieces (a classic up-tempo and a contemporary ballad, or a classic ballad and a contemporary up-tempo), but if it's for a straight acting course and they just want you to present one song so they can see what you're like, then go for ANY song as long as you can completely OWN it.