“Why aren’t you on Broadway?”
It’s not my time
“Don’t you even want to try?”
I will, someday in the future when it’s right. My life isn’t over yet.
“Don’t you regret it?”
Yes, every day I do. But I have found my balance.
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Let's face it: you've chosen a tough business. The competition is fierce, and people can be ruthless at times.
Chances are you are doing musical theatre because you are passionate. You can't imagine doing anything else. This is what you want more than anything, so it hurts that much more when things don't work out.
So how do you deal with that?
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A number of years ago, I decided to try my hand at directing. I had been involved in community theater for several years as an actor and felt I wanted to experience the dramatic arts from another angle. I expected there to be learning curve (which there was). What I didn’t expect was how directing changed my perspective as an actor, especially when it came to auditioning.
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Perhaps our understudies are underappreciated, and it's time we shouted from the rooftops about the amazing amount of time and effort they put in to these roles without the payoff of audience feedback.
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There are so many lists warning you what songs you shouldn't audition with, I thought I'd switch things up and list a few that I'm always glad to hear.
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“Dear 15-year-old me choosing an extra-curricular activity,
It’s difficult to choose an activity, isn’t it? When you’re new to the school, you want to make sure you’re in the ‘right’ friend group. What do I mean by ‘right’ friend group? ‘Right’ means who you get to be the real you. ‘Right’ means friends you are comfortable with. A friend group that accepts each other...Where can you nurture a friendship like that?
In the theatre.”
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Auditioning with a reprise is a fantastic choice of material. Typically they are already short cuts, contain some great performance moments and can even show off your acting range. I’m honestly shocked I don’t hear more of them in auditions.
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No matter if you are going into musical theatre, classical music, or even pop music, a strong and solid vocal foundation is where everything begins. But how to begin? Its a big old world out there, even bigger now that the internet has made everything available at the touch of our fingertips. A word of caution as you take this very crucial first step; not everyone is what they seem. It used to be that snake oil salesmen the like of Pirelli were found only at the circus; now they can be found in the pages of well-known industry magazines, on YouTube, and from self-professed ‘coaches’. So how can a young singer take the first steps?
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I love Center Stage. There I said it. And I'm not ashamed to admit it either. It is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. If I pass it on TV, I can't stop watching it until I see everyone clapping around Jody to the piano version of "We're Dancing."
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I’m writing this letter from the battlefield. It’s Wednesday—well, early Thursday now—of Tech week and the show I’m working on opens Friday. I’ve slept 8 hours in the past 3 days. The paint in my hair is at least a couple of days old and I haven’t changed my clothes in a week. I can’t remember the last time I saw the costume designer without some sort of sewing in her hands. At least I’ve seen her—I asked the props designer to go find gaff tape a couple days ago and I haven’t seen her since.
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