Musical Theatre Audition Technique

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

Goals

• This course is for students in the BFA Musical Theatre Program, or others by permission of the instructor.
• This course is an intensive study of proper audition techniques for Musical Theatre, while also including thorough discussion about the state of the musical theatre industry and how best to get roles.
• Through performances, discussion, and projects, students will develop skills in auditioning for musical theatre and other performing arts opportunities in various contexts while also developing general professional and networking skills.

Objectives

• Successfully find and perform for auditions in the theatre industry
• Manage and utilize a networking tracker for their professional connections
• Accurately assess their own skills relative to the worldwide theatre industry
• Choose appropriate audition material for professional theatre auditions
• Quickly prepare professional-level auditions and callbacks
• Prepare a professional-level book of sheet music for audition pianists
• Perform pop-rock styles accurately and effectively
• Perform with energy that captures the attention of an audience

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
20 in-class auditions	40%
2 Busking performances and reflections	20%
Skill assessment	10%
Networking tracker	10%
Completed audition binder	10%
Final audition	10%

In-class auditions: Pass/fail. 2% of final grade per audition. Each audition must feature new material never used in class before unless previously approved by the professor. Video self-tapes must be well-framed, professional, and have reasonably high-quality audio and video. All performances must be memorized, sheet music must be correctly marked in a binder.

2 busking performances and reflections: Must perform for a minimum of 30 minutes in a public space with another student present. Information of when and where performance will happen, plus rain date, must be emailed to the professor with at least one week’s notice. Reflection of other students’ performance must be a minimum of two pages handwritten, single space. Must include a general list of pieces performed, how many people watched, for how long, and what material got the most engagement. Performances are 5% of final grade, reflections are 5% of final grade. Pass/Fail.

Skill assessment: Must be completely filled out with a reasonable and balanced assessment of skills, then reassessed at the end of the semester for updates and deeper awareness. 10% of final grade. Pass/Fail.

Networking Tracker: Must include names, titles/roles, contact information, how you met, and a fun or interesting fact of at least 20 professionals with some connection to the theatre industry. 10% of final grade. Pass/Fail.

Audition Binder: Must contain at least 6 songs and no more than 12 songs (pass/fail). Each song should have a clear 32/18/8 bar cut marked correctly (-1% per song without cuts). Binder must sit comfortably on a piano, pages must turn easily (5%). Must have at least one up-tempo contemporary, up-tempo legit, slower contemporary, slower legit, at least one funny song, at least one golden age song, and at least one pop-rock song. (-1% per type of song missing) 10% of final grade.

Final Audition: Same pass/fail rubric as for regular auditions, but must be a minimum of 90 seconds and a maximum of 2 minutes and 30 seconds, at least three pieces, including at least one song and at least one monologue. Going over 3 minutes is an automatic fail.

Grading Scale:

Percentage	Letter Grade
93.0-100	A
90.0-92.9	A-
87.0-89.9	B+
83.0-86.9	B
80.0-82.9	B-
77.0-79.9	C+
73.0-76.9	C
70.0-72.9	C-
67.0-69.9	D+
63.0-66.9	D
60.0-62.9	D-
0-59.9	F

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance is required. Any absences must be excused by the professor.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

• UPTA Pre-screen registration - $75 https://upta.org/guidelines/audition-screening/
• AND/OR SETC Pre-screen registration - $40 https://setc.org/auditions/
• Properly marked sheet music for 50+ songs throughout the semester
• Three-ring binder (2”)
• Notebooks, pen and pencils to be used in class and for some assignments
• Laptop and internet access for online assignments