AUDITIONS

AUDITIONS * AUDITIONS * AUDITIONS

Devanesen Productions seeks performers for a concert of contemporary musical theatre.

We are looking for a strong ensemble cast to perform numbers from spectacular new shows such as :
WICKED – AVENUE Q – THE WILD PARTY – HAIRSPRAY – SUESSICAL

Please prepare two contrasting songs which best show cases your vocal range and style. An accompanist will be provided, so please bring sheet music in the correct key.
(No Backing Tracks, A Capella or Transposition.)

Auditions
Sunday October 24th
Tuesday October 26th
Wednesday October 27th
(If Required)

Rehearsals : Tuesday, Wednesday and Sundays From November 3rd
For a January Season.

Please Email sunnytheatre@yahoo.com for details and audition bookings.
Or call Sunayan 9533 6574

Also seeking interested parties for technical positions
Stage Management * Lighting * Sound

Sunny wrote:
> Please prepare two contrasting songs which best show cases (sic)
> your vocal range and style. An accompanist will be provided,
> so please bring sheet music in the correct key.
> (No Backing Tracks, A Capella or Transposition.)




A capella can show vocal range and quality but not whether you can sing in time and in key with accompaniment. And transposing from sight is too much to ask of any accompanist, and is just asking for trouble....so I understand this reasoning.

But no backing tracks is an interesting stipulation..? I guess you have your reasons, and you obviously trust that you have a highly capable accompanist.

I have been to auditions on several occasions (and not only my own) where the accompanist screwed up the piece so badly that it really disadvantaged the performer. I suppose you could argue that a performer needs to be able to adapt if the music is played differently to how they'd practiced it...and so long as everybody is put under the same stress I guess the audition process is fair. In fact, on one occasion, I believe it helped me get through an audition...after the third attempt where the accompanist struggled to get the tempo changes (and this was for a national professional audition) the audition panel let me pass on that song because it was obvious I could do it but was being hindered by the player. (This, I might add, was not sheet music I had chosen, but a piece from the show I was auditioning for! When choosing your own pieces I recommend EXTREMELY simple arrangements.)

Of course, backing tracks can also be hideously done. I recently observed an audition where the piano playing on tape was so atrocious it detracted from whether the poor girl could sing or not...the performance was terrible but it sadly may not have been her fault, it was too hard to tell.

Would you object if someone arrived with their own accompanist?


Cheers,
Craig

[%sig%]

Okay, where are these auditions? And what is the age ranges? Female or male? Thanks.
Regards
Abby Nicole

Craig,
The stipulation of no backing tapes, is one that applies in pretty much all of your auditions for music theatre from community theatre companies to drama schools. It is not unusual in the slightest.