Musical Theatre - Where to Start

Musical Theatre - Where to Start

First of all - Listen. Listen to musicals. I continue to be amazed that people venture into the world of Musical Theatre but don't know much about the canon. You must know your material as well as your craft.
Knowing  Wicked, Next to Normal and Avenue Q - is not enough. So today before we "Figure out Your Voice Type". Ask -"Should I take lessons" (The answer is yes and btw more voice teachers to come but check out the ones I already posted) "What song should I sing?"" What should I have in my audition book?" "How do I talk to an accompanist?"  "What should my audition cut look like"....oh yes many posts to come!

Before all that a SHORT Quiz / homework. Ready?

Sondheim and Webber: Is there really fan rivalry? ( don't know who these two are? hmmm)

Who is Patty Lupone?

Who is Mandy Patinkin?

Who is Sutton Foster?

Ok - if you know the cannon - come back later this week. If not - here are just a few OH so few musicals for you to listen to and get to know. I believe all of these are before the 90s. Here we go.

A Chorus Line. (Every Little Step is a great documentary to go with this)
   This is the first musical I fell in love with. Sadly I was cursed with movement dyslexia and will never be a dancer.

Into The Woods, Assassins, A Little Night Music
Evita
Anything Goes
Oklahoma
Fiddler on The Roof
Show Boat
The Secret Garden
Grease (The Musical - not John and Olivia much as I love them!)
West Side Story

This is just a starter course - smaller than an appetizer. Seriously - if you don't know these musicals hop online and read about them. LISTEN to them. Go see them if you have the opportunity.

Choosing a Monolgue Part 2. Why an Active Monologue?

Why an Active Monologue?

Simply put and active monologue has an active objective. You -the character -want something right now. This means that -right now- you are pursuing an objective, varying your tactics and hopefully your stakes are high. That is what you want to show an auditor. You know how to make e a choice, you know how to go after it. Hopefully you know more than one way to pursue what you want. If it’s a good monologue it may have more than one objective and it DEFINILTY has more than one tactic.

I only recommend using a memory monologue when you are auditioning for a play that uses memory storytelling as the main modality. i.e. The Exonerated, Juvie, Runawys, A Chorus Line, The Weir, Still Life etc. The objectives in story monologues are not always clear, they are more about telling a story and sometimes you reveal your main intent at the end of the monologue. Memory monologues can also become self-indulgent – but let’s save that for another post!

This doesn’t mean M&Ms don’t elicit emotions. They are often entertaining and moving. Paul’s monologue in A Chorus Line is one of the most powerful moments of theatre I’ve experienced. Ruined has several memory storytelling moments that brought me to tears. In my opinion they are better suited for performance, not for auditioning.