Audition Songs

We've had a lot of questions about auditions recently so I’m doing this to answer some of the questions you may have! Let’s face it. Audition songs can be extremely hard to find. They have to be perfect, because they’re one of the main reasons why theaters want you to audition for their shows. They have to know how good you are! But how do you find songs like these? Especially when auditions are looking for a specific type? Well, let me tell you all about them in four easy steps!

1) LOOK AT THE AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
One of the main things that the audition sign up will tell you is how long should your song be. The 2 lengths are usually 16 bars and 32 bars. 16 bars, for those of you do not know music theory that well (which is completely fine by the way, Ramin Karimloo cannot read music), is about 30 seconds. Most big auditions, like national auditions or college auditions, will ask for this amount just so that they can see everyone as quickly as possible. 32 bars is just about a minute. This may be for smaller auditions, maybe college musicals or community theaters. So how do you count the bars? Easy peasy.

Each bar is a measure. Just count however you need!

Now most places ask for a 16-32 bar range. So basically anyplace between 30-60 seconds. Give them basically enough to prove to them that you can hold your own if you got a lead role. Also, on the sheet it should say what types of audition songs they want to hear. Now you got all the information you need, let’s go hunting.

2) FIND THE SHOW TYPE
If you are going into an audition for Next to Normal, you probably don’t want to sing something from Oklahoma! There are two types of musicals, classical and contemporary. Classical would be like Rodgers and Hammerstein, Comden and Green, Frank Loesser. Contemporary would be Sondheim, Schwartz, Jason Robert Brown, and Duncan Sheik. Please, research composers when trying to find audition cuts. Get familiar with their work and find what you’re comfortable with. Look at the composers for the musical that you are auditioning for, and try to match that with other shows that they have done or look at shows that opened on Broadway about the same time that yours did. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH.

3) FIND YOUR RANGE
Once you know what you want, try finding your range. And when I say range, I just don’t mean your vocal range. I mean your character type, what role are you going for, is there more than one character that you can play in that show? Look at your past theatre history and look at what other actors have done in those roles and you should be able to see a pattern with what you’ve been typecast as. Maybe it’s the protégé, or the girl next door, or the best friend. Find your strengths! If you want to be Natalie from Next to Normal, you need a belty, edgy, teen angst song that shows off your high notes. If you’re going to be Johanna from Sweeney Todd (even though it’s Sondheim, it has a classical feel), you need a light, airish, flowing high soprano song. What matters is what look do you want to go for?

4) FIND YOUR CUT
My advice is to find something near the end so you can show off your range and those crazy belting skills. Be confident in your starting point, and make sure you tell a story! YOU MUST TELL A STORY. THAT’S WHAT ACTING’S FOR! You’re not only showing off your singing skills, you’re showing the directors that you can convey the meaning of a song easily and portray the feelings that the character is singing about. If you follow all of these, it will show that you are professional and confident about auditioning.

That’s about it guys! Again, feel free to comment or ask us questions! This blog was created so that we can help the fans with all of their “actor problems” (sorry couldn’t resist) and also so that we can see their progress and try to tell people our experiences! I know I personally want to be able to communicate with all of you and help you in any way imaginable! Like always, comment below OR find us on twitter! You can find me at @theatreginger for any questions about auditioning or shows! Love y’all and thank you always for your support!
Andrew

Spotlight: Newsies

Happy Labor Day weekend! It's the perfect time to take a trip to NY for a Broadway binge. Wish I was there for sure.

But you know one show you won't be able to see? Newsies. Okay, that was kinda harsh. It seems as if everyone in ¿the Broadway fandom? had an uproar over the closing of Newsies. It seemed like the show that was going to run forever.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. But a beautiful end, if that.

The musical takes you back in time to 1899, in the heart if New York City. Following a group of (very attractive) newsboys, the audience is caught in the middle of the famous Newsboy Strike. When the price of purchasing the paper is raised ten cents per one hundred papers, Jack Kelly rallies the newsies of New York to fight against the man.

Littered with friendship and courage, the show contains infamous songs such as "Santa Fe" and "Seize the Day".

Based on the 1992 Disney film, directed by Kenny Ortega, Newsies opened in 2011 at The Paper Mill Playhouse. In 2012,  Newsies found it's home at the Nederlander Theatre. Even though it has closed as of August 2014, there are rumors of a London production, as well as a North American tour that starts in October 2014.

The magic of Newsies is still able to live on a little longer, and it will continue to be a dear favorite to some. We greatly anticipate a revival.

Have a question? Want to comment? Leave it below.
Kendall

Into the Woods (2014)

Sorry for taking a little hiatus, but I was busy moving back into college! Anyways I’m back!

I would hope that most people are aware of a certain huge musical blockbuster coming out this Christmas. And no, it’s not Annie (blah).

The Pre-Production

Production for Into the Woods really began in the early 1990’s where there was a staged reading which included Robin Williams as the Baker, Cher as the Witch, Steve Martin as the Wolf, and Danny DeVito as the Giant. But after a negative report, the film stayed inactive. But in January of 2012, Rob Marshall was hired to direct the new adaptation for Disney, making this the first Broadway musical adaptation produced by Disney. A reading took place before casting that included Broadway favorites James Corden, Megan Hilty, Laura Osnes, Donna Murphy, Anna Kendrick and Cheyenne Jackson.

The Casting

The casting process for this movie has been a source of some debate and controversy. The first wave of casting was when Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, and James Corden were all confirmed to play the Wolf, the Witch, and the Baker in May of 2013.  Soon after, Christine Baranski and Emily Blunt were cast as Cinderella’s Step-Mother and the Baker’s Wife and Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal entered negotiations to be the Princes. Gyllenhaal dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and Broadway vet Billy Magnussen replaced him. Anna Kendrick began talks to be cast as Cinderella a month later. Mackenzie Mauzy, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, and Daniel Huttlestone joined the cast soon after to play the parts Rapunzel, Florinda, Lucinda, and Jack, respectively. Then Sophia Grace Brownlee was cast as Little Red and the theatre world exploded with outrage. Most of the critique to this particular news was due to the fact that Sophia was way too young and that the role came with a scene that had some sexual undertones that would not look very good on screen. Soon after, Sophia’s father issued a statement that she had withdrawn from the role due to her age and it was an amicable decision between the actors and the producers. Lilla Crawford was announced later to replace Brownlee and additional casting was announced as well.

The Filming

The filming for Into the Woods started in September 2013 and lasted for about 3 months. But in the summer of July 2014, Rob Marshall said that they were adding scenes to the script and went back for additional shooting. The film is now completely finished with filming and is now in post-production.

The Controversy

In June, Stephen Sondheim was quoted saying that Disney had made some adjustments to the book, stating that the sexual undertones of “Hello, Little Girl” had been erased, as well as moments such as the Baker’s wife’s affair with Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s death. When this happened, I know I lost some faith in the production. The whole point of Into the Woods is to bring these dark adult themes to the stories to really tell a story that has meaning. No one will take a movie seriously if it’s just watered down. But Sondheim recently said that although material has been made age-appropriate now, most of the content is still in the film, such as Any Moment and Hello, Little Girl. So far, the only changes that we know of are the cutting of the Narrator, Rapunzel’s death (but her end is still pretty dark), and a couple of new songs that were written for the movie but were instead left out of the final cut. This was a bummer for me, because this may mean Into the Woods may not get any Original Song Oscar nominations.

Well, that’s all the information we have so far! Expect this movie to be a big hit like Les Miserables was a couple of years ago, but with hopefully more critical acclaim. Oh, and hopefully, you have seen the trailer. If not, here ya go.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNVGDZHRJXM

After seeing that, I have absolute faith in Rob Marshall. I mean, he did such a fantastic job with Chicago! I still have chills.

As per usual, any questions or comments can be put in the comments below or be sent to me on the twitter! Contact @TheActorProblems or myself @theatreginger if you have any questions about auditions, productions, or if you just want to talk about theatre!

Have a great week y’all!

Andrew

Coast to Coast Theaters: Alabama

South City Theatre, located in Columbiana, Alabama, is considered the best little theatre in the state. They have own Best in Show multiple times in Alabama, as well as represented Alabama in the Southeastern Theatre Confrence. The theater is run by Sue Ellen Gerrells, who is on the board for the AACT and is on the vice chair for the Southeastern Theater Community Confrence, and her husband Mike, who was the past president of The Seasoned Performers.

SCT is located in what used to be an old church. The theater puts on six stage shows a year, along with classes for children. The shows tour around the Alabama area as well. This coming season includes: 

Wait Until Dark

Oh No, Here Comes Christmas

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

The Real Queen of Hearts Isn't Even Pretty

Mama Won't Fly

The theatrr offers classes for children, all the way up to high school. Their most recent class was a Summer camp that ran for two weeks, Monday through Friday. Students learn many aspects of theatre, from presence, to dance, to song, before putting on a showcase on the last day.

Check put their website at southcitytheater.com.

Community theatre is the best way to get involved, as well as bringing a smile to many faces of the public. Support your local theatre by auditioning or attending upcoming shows, and live in the magical moment for just a little while.

Leave any comment below and come back again for another post!

Kendall

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

You have probably seen all your friends and even your favorite celebrities blowing up Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with this tag video. ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, affects the nerve cells of the body, shutting down control of the body. For the past few years, ALS Association has been using the ice bucket challenge to raise awareness and money for the cause, but it hadn't been so popular until this year.

The official site for ALS describes it as:
"Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons  die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed."

Woah. Even though ALS has been known since the late 1800's, it wasn't until famed baseball star Lou Gehrig retired after finding out he had ALS himself. The disease has taken many lives and so far there is no treatment that stops or slows down the process, only drugs that make living more comfortable.

If you haven't seen the ice bucket challenge yet, here's how it works. You take a giant bucket (I've also seen bowls, Gatorade tubs, and coolers), fill it with ice and then water, and turn on a video camera. In the video, you say you are raising awareness for ALS, who tagged you, if someone did, and then three people you want to tag. Then you pour the ice and water on your head. Some people have done this fully clothed, while some are brave and go down to only a bathing suit. 

Here's the catch though: if you don't do the challenge, you have to go to the ALS website and donate $100. Last year, it raised just about 1 million dollars. Today, August 16th, ALS Association announced that the donations have surpassed 10 million dollars! This money will be used to help people with ALS, and to continue in the search for a treatment.

Now, this is a theatre blog, so I've got to throw Broadway in this somehow. The Once cast on Broadwya have done the challenge, and now put the Once touring cast, the Pippin cast, and the Les Mis cast up to the test as well. I just hope none of them catch a cold!

Are you up to the challenge as well?  Let us know what you think!
Kendall

Preview for the 2014-2015 Broadway Season (Musical Edition)

There’s nothing like the anticipation of a new show coming to Broadway!! And already it looks like we’re getting some pretty great ones! In this blog I will be going through the musicals that are set to come to Broadway! Just to be clear, some of these shows do not have a set theatre and are only eyeing a 2014-2015 opening. I will make this clear in the synopsis below the shows. These are only shows who I believe will make it in time for a 2014-2015 release. Also, when I say when a show “opens”, I mean they start previews on that date.

Original Productions:

Finding Neverland

The musical that is based on the film which is based on the author of Peter Pan’s life. Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Bonnie & Clyde) plays Barrie, a struggling playwright who creates a special bond with a family when one of his plays flops. The original production opened to mixed reviews in England and since then, the entire creative team has been replaced with Diane Paulus (Pippin, 2013) directing and featuring James Graham, the author of the book and the composers Gary Barlow and Elliot Kennedy. Right now, it’s playing at American Repertory Theatre and it has just been announced that it will make the transfer in the spring. This is a show to watch for, expect great things to come to this one. If you’re interested and want to listen more, look up Jennifer Hudson singing one of the songs in last year’s Tony awards on YouTube.

The Last Ship

The story about a young man who travels and returns home to find his love engaged to another man. With music written by Sting and the book written by Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal) and John Logan (Gladiator, Skyfall), this musical opened to pretty decent reviews in its Chicago tryout, which had critics praising the score and the cast, but had some faults with the plot. The show will open on Broadway September 29 at the Neil Simon Theatre.

Honeymoon in Vegas

This new musical with music written by Jason Robert Brown (Last 5 Years, Bridges of Madison County) and a book written by Andrew Bergman, who wrote the screenplay of the movie of the same, tells the story of a man named Jack who is afraid of commitment with his girlfriend, Betsy, and a man who falls in love with Betsy! This show is set to open in November at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway after a try out at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Definitely expect a Tony nom for JRB for this one.

Fun Home

Just recently announced, this musical just closed off-Broadway and I’m so excited that it’s making the transfer. The musical is based on the graphic novel of Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel which in turn is based on Alison’s relationship with her father as she comes out as a lesbian and their struggles with sexuality together. With a powerful book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and a fantastic score written by Jeanine Tesori, this musical was nominated for several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. This show will open at the Circle in the Square Theatre on April 4, right before Tony deadlines. Sound familiar? Yeah, that’s what the Pippin revival did. Look where it got now. Smart move, Fun Home.

Not many original works have been announced. Sad. Because there’s a massive amount of revivals heading our way. Let’s take a look at some of them!

Revivals:

On the Town

The classic story that spawned the fantastic Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra movie returns to Broadway this fall in October at the Lyric Theatre. Hopefully this will prove to be a great revival and not just a rehash. Directed by John Rando.

An American in Paris

Hey look, another classic Gene Kelly movie-musical. Wonderful. Already it seems like the revival category might be overcrowded by Golden Age musicals. Although the cast has been announced and an opening set for March 2015, no theatre has been set. Directed by Christopher Wheeldon.

The King and I

Now this, I am looking forward to. Kelli O’Hara (Bridges of Madison County) and Ken Watanabe (Inception) lead this production with Tony award winning director Bartlett Sher taking the helm. Expect definite Tony noms for this one. Opens March 12 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.

On The Twentieth Century

Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked) and Peter Gallagher (Guys and Dolls) return to Broadway! Directed by Scott Ellis, the story of a Broadway producer trying to convince a former love to return to his life while on board a luxury train comes back onto the stage! Will open February 12 at the American Airlines Theatre.

Side Show

This new reimagining of one of my favorite shows is coming to Broadway! The original musical featured Alice Ripley and Norm Lewis, and while it was nominated for Tony awards, did not receive that much acclaim but this new reimagining is apparently fantastic! Featuring a reimagined new score as well, this darker take on the story will certainly be in the running for Tonys. This revival will open October 28 at the St. James theatre and is directed by Bill Condon.

Sorry for it being this late, but this took a while! Have any comments on my picks? Have any questions about any other planned shows? Comment below!

Andrew

Stage Makeup for Everyone

Wearing stage makeup is not about unattractiveness or flaws, it's about being able to be seen on stage.  Naturally, the face gets washed out by stage lights and distance from the stage to the audience, so stage makeup is helpful to looks more defined. Both men and women should use stage makeup, and even if you don't wear makeup regulary, it wouldn't hurt to stop by a drugstore, Sephora,
Ulta, or anywhere else near you that sells makeup to pick up a few nesecities.

Remember that every theater is different and requirements for makeup vary.  Some more difficult makeup such as age makeup, scars, dirt, and other techniques may be done by someone for you, or you have to do them yourself.

Moisturizing skin is vital to both healthy skin and long lasting makeup. Depending on your skin type, you can get many types of moisturizers and lotions. These should be applied before makeup and should have time to set.

A good makeup primer is helpful if you tend to have oily skin, especially under hot lights. If you tend to have drier skin, you might be able to get away with skipping this step.

Foundation should be next, and about 2 shades darker than your natural skin tone. Apply this all of the face, ears, neck, and possibly to the top of your chest. Remember to blend evenly so no lines or steaks are shown.

I recommend two different concealers. One should match your foundation color for blemishes, dark spots, or scars on your face. This can also be used to hide an visible tattoos on your body. The other concealer should be a shade or 2 lighter for under your eyes. Apply this in a V shape underneath to highlight more naturally.

Set your foundation and concealer with a powder. Match the color to your face and apply anywhere you applied makeup.

An important step that if often overlooked is eyebrows. Simply filling them in can open up the face. You can get eyebrow pencils, gels, or waxes, but the simist way is just to use an eyeshadow that matches your eyebrow color and an angled makeup brush.

Eyeshadows, unless specificied by the script, director, or anyone in charge if makeup, should be kept naturall. Whites, tans,  creams,  bieges, browns, and blacks are best. A beige or tan on the lid and then brown in the crease  is the most basic look you can create. White under the brow and in the  inner corner highlights the eye.

To contour the face, use a bronzer. This can be put around the face and under the cheeks bones to slim the face. Highlighter can be put the the center of the face, as in the forehead, nose, and chin. It can also be applied above the cheek bones. Blush should be put one the cheeks. As for colors, choose ones best for your skin tone.

Eyeliner is very important for bring out the eyes. It can be applied all along the top lash line and half way on the bottom, to keep the eyes open. The best color for women is black, and men as best suited in brown.

Mascara is basic and should match the eyeliner used. Apply simply to the top and bottom lashes.

An extra step at the end is a setting spray. This can refresh the makeup and  make it last longer.

Makeup varies from high end to drugstore to cheap cheap cheap. Quality all depends on how much you're willingly to pay. Always remember to make sure you know exactly want your director wants you to look like and if you have an problems, YouTube has a multitude of videos to learn how to create costume makeup.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Best of luck!
Kendall