General Audition Information
Auditions
Auditions can be held in many different ways, but in general you can expect the following:
Student will sing a small part of a song or be asked to prepare a number of measures (or bars) from a song of their choice. They may also be asked to learn a short dance, prepare a monologue (a scene in which only one character speaks), or do a cold reading (a scene a director provides the actor to review for a minute or two prior to reading out loud).
Directors respond positively when your child can do the following:
BE PREPARED: Lyrics and melody of your song is memorized.
SMILE AND ENJOY THE AUDITION PROCESS: The director and the audition team want you to do well.
SHOW GOOD BEHAVIOR: Directors are often more concerned with how you behave than how well you sing, act, or dance.
TRUST THE DIRECTOR'S CHOICES: Do your best at whatever you are asked to do, even if you are reading for a role that you find challenging or awkward.
Callbacks
The director may hold another set of auditions after the initial round, called "callbacks". At callback auditions the director may ask certain auditionees to sing again, read another scene, dance some more or any combination of these. They will often ask pairs or groups of actors to read scenes to see how different combinations of actors work together (often referred to as having "chemistry").
Callbacks can be a source of stress and confusion for young actors. If some kids aren't invited to callbacks, they may think they did something wrong or are not being considered for a part. This may or may not be the case. Some roles may have been cast after the initial audition and may not require a callback.