The Callback-Part 1- You get to perform today!

The Callback - Part 1

I thought this was appropriate today since - I have a call back today! I'll be Dancing, Singing and Reading for Matron Mama Mortan in Chicago. So - I'll share with you what I did between my original audition and today.

• Listened to Chicago once all the way through. I know the show - or I would have listened a lot more
• Listened to Mama's songs
• Sang through Mama's songs
• Read the script.  Read through all Mama's scenes a couple of times, a couple of different ways with different objectives. OUTLOUD!
• Read scenes with somone else, got their feedback, tried it on for size, kept some ideas, threw other's away.
• Came up with questions - if given the opportunity - to ask at the callback

This morning - I got up early, Drank water, started warming up, ate a good breakfast with some protein, drank coffee - drank more water to make up for the coffee, stretched out, practiced the few dance moves I know, warmed up my voice a little more. Petted the dog.

Now - I will hop into the shower, get dressed for the dance call, take a change of clothes for after the dance call, make sure I have water - lots of it! Pack some protien and BREATH.

The most important thing I can do today and that anyone can do at a callback - after you've done your research of course - is to have fun. Even if I never get to perform the role for an audience with this company - I do today. TODAY I am Mama Morton - TODAY I have a captive audience. TODAY I get to have fun - act, sing, dance PLAY, try different things with different people. TODAY I get to do what I love - Perform. That was true with my original audition and it is true today. If one starts looking at auditions as performance opportunities - the audition process becomes a lot easier. 

HAVE FUN! You get to perform today!

Prepare for the Unexpected.

The Smart Thing is to Prepare for the Unexpected

Sometimes – it’s the little things that throw you. Don’t let them.

Let’s pretend shall we?

So you have your monologues – Musical theatre – even though we haven’t gone over song choice- let’s say you have a song

You’ve done all the work you need to do on your pieces. You’ve practiced your slate. Everyone knows you are” Judy ­­_Peters” not “Juiceypotter”

Practice your pieces in different orders.

·         Song first – then monologue

·          Monologue then song.

·         Doing three pieces – there are a variety of orders – do that.

·         Practice your transitions

·         Take into account that you have to communicate with your accompanist during your time on stage.

You may get to your audition and in your head you have planned – song first then monologue. Let’s say the accompanist says – Why don’t you do your monologue first – that will give me time to look over the – Key Changes, Your Marks, I don’t know this song – whatever. What do you say? YES of course! Why – because in your head you are ready for this scenario. It doesn’t throw you – because you are

Prepared and Expect the Unexpected!

Active Audition Book

Active Audition Book


Your audition book is different from your “storage book”. Your storage book is just that – a place where you store material. My monologue storage book looks like this

Front panel – Clear so I can slip in the title page and a different color binder than my Active Audition Book .

Title Page – Bradetta’s Audition Material –( Name this anything you want – except Active Audition Book).

• 1st Tab – Comic 
• divided classic and modern - in all 5 sections
•  2nd Tab – Dramatic 
• 3rd Tab – Serio-comic
•  4th Tab – cross gender 
• 5th Tab – for others

These may be monos I liked, grabbed, stuck in, noted the source and forget about until I am looking for something specific. I don't know exactly what I have in storage until I look through it.
I have a separate storage book for Music. I copy the entire song and note somewhere in the book the source especially if the music was hard to come by.

I do the same tabs – My title pages says Audition Songs – it’s the same color binder as the other storage – because these stay in the house I don’t panic about confusing them

My Active Audition book I don't divide these into classic/modern monologues- beacuse I know them, I'm familair with all. They are Monologues are  that: -

• I know cold and after a focus exercise I could do right now – Performance Level

– I currently have 8 of those 

•  I could do if I ran through it in my head a couple of times – Performance Level -

– I currently have 6 of those

•  I have done my work, I have memorized them – I may have even done them before in an audition but I need to look it over, remind myself who the character is, maybe go over a couple lines I have forgotten- Performance level – IF I HAD TO

- I have 6 of these

• Monologues I want to use in the future – I don’t have them memorized, I have read the play, I have started character worked – they are nowhere near performance level -

-I have 6 of those –

The tabs are thus – Performance Level – Take A Moment – Take Two Moments - Soon

This shorthand works for me - do what works for you.

That is my monologue book. We’ll talk about songs in another post. Here is also what I keep in my Active book before the tabs start- Blank sheets of Audition Reflections, This includes a Mileage Log. I also have a pocket for any parking receipts or any other expenses I might have encountered on my outing. I do this later part for tax purposes. Take a look at the Audition Reflections. After I fill them out I put these in a three ring binder named – you guessed it – Audition Reflections.

More on that in the next post!