If you are auditioning for college theatre programs starting in the fall, then you are probably wondering what should you be focusing on in your preparation. We’ve got you covered! Here’s everything you should be working on and preparing for the last three week before your college theatre auditions.
The Practical Prep
- Make sure that your registration for the audition has been confirmed and that they are expecting you.
- Confirm that you have a hotel reservation and that your other travel itinerary is confirmed as well.
- If traveling on a plane, make sure that everything you need for the audition (audition clothes/shoes, dance clothes/shoes, audition book, headshots/resumes, medications) are packed in your carry-on luggage and taken onto the plane with you. It rarely happens, but you don’t want to risk an airline losing your luggage with all of your audition necessities inside. Those items that are important for your audition need to stay in your possession as a carry-on.
- Leave plenty of time in your schedule for traveling to and from the venue. You don’t want to arrive winded and sweaty because you miscalculated how long it would take to drive/walk there.
- Have a backup outfit in case anything happens to your audition outfit. We don’t like to think of this happening, but spills and tears happen, so we want to have an alternative outfit on hand just in case.
The Artistic Prep
- Practice your audition pieces, but be careful to not OVER practice and tire out your voice. If you practice a piece more than once, have a specific goal/adjustment that you are making for each repetition. In other words, don’t practice mindlessly. Practice with intention. Each day over the next three weeks, you can make small but important improvements to your songs and/or monologues if you are intentional
- Make sure that you are using and exercising your head voice. Lot’s of auditioning students have a great belt sound and their songs reflect that. Great! But, if you only use your belt voice or your chest voice, your muscles can become fatigued and chronically tense, leading to vocal issues that you really do not want to deal with as you approach auditions. Just like dancers will stretch to increase their flexibility and their strength potential, singers need to regularly sing and exercise in their head voice (vocal muscles will stretch in head voice) to create balance, flexibility and greater strength potential. It may seem counterintuitive to use your head voice to help your belt, but creating and using a strong head voice will absolutely make your belt freer and give you more range as well.
- Don’t allow yourself to get stuck with one way of delivering your material. Play with your monologues and explore different perspectives, emotions, tactics, etc. This creativity can help keep your material fresh, grounded and authentic. You may also discover some other artistic option that you really love.
- Hold a mock audition for yourself and any friends that are auditioning as well. Invite your friends and family to watch you perform your entire audition package from start to finish.
- Ask for feedback from your audition coaches, directors, voice teachers and other trusted mentors. Everyone’s opinions will differ, but someone may be able to give you insight into an aspect of your audition that you didn’t previously notice.
- Continue with your dance training and attend classes regularly. Make sure that you are incorporating stretching into your daily routine.
- Prepare backup material. Sometimes in an audition, the panel likes the work you’ve done in the room and they have time to see a little more, so they may ask you for additional material, whether that be a song or a monologue. You want to have several extra songs that vary in tempo, style and emotional content from your initial audition pieces and a couple of extra monologues that are also different from your initial material. This is a chance to give the panel a deeper understanding of who you are as an artist.
- Make sure that your audition book is well organized, easy for the pianist to read the sheet music (clear, in the correct key and no missing notes or pages), extra head shots and resumes and extra monologues in the back. We always recommend a three ring binder for stability (loose papers can fly off a music stand) and organization. Ask a pianist in your area to play through your audition songs while you sing, so they can point out any concerns or changes that need to be made long before you step into college auditions.
The Physical Prep
- Get plenty of sleep each night to ensure that your body is healthy and strong and ready to perform at your best in your college audition.
- Focus on eating healthy foods, while avoiding foods that are not nutritionally dense. A healthy diet is the foundation of a healthy performer.
- Stay hydrated with plenty of water intake, avoiding caffeinated beverages, and adding quality electrolytes to your water. We suggest avoiding electrolyte mixes/drinks that have sugar, artificial colors or artificial flavors.
- Prepare a Vocal Health Kit. If you’re not sure what to include and you’re a student of College Audition Project, be sure to reference the email that our CAP Team member, Camiah Mingorance, sent out to everyone in early October or just reach out to Camiah for specifics. Bring this Vocal Health Kit with you when you travel to auditions.
- Manage your stress. This is easier said than done, but we encourage you to find strategies that help you feel more peace and calm as you approach your college auditions. We suggest exploring these options: mediation, prayer, journaling, therapy, breathing techniques that slow your breathing and creating affirmation statements that help you stay in a positive frame of mind. Stress can quickly derail your physical health and your audition experience. Managing it before your college auditions begin will help you to perform at your very best and be more resilient into your professional career.
