Building Your Audition Book
Building your audition book is a perpetually exciting and personal process that goes hand in hand with your artistic self-discovery. Your repertoire grows with you and can represent different aspects of your persona to showcase your unique strengths.
Here are some questions to consider as you refine your audition package, whether that includes monologues, musical theater selections, classical arias, or more.
What are my favorite pieces?
Always begin with what you love. Forget about what others want you to be, and start with the pieces that tug your heart strings. What pieces, when you experience them over and over, make you laugh or cry every time?
Your starting pieces should deeply resonate in your soul. These are works that, no matter if it’s raining & 4am on a Tuesday, you absolutely want to wake up and share them with the world.
Each audition is a chance to perform and share your craft. Amidst many things you cannot control, the choice of which pieces you bring into the room are the most vital because of the meaning the pieces hold for you.
Do these pieces showcase a variety of my talents?
Ideally your book will contain a variety of pieces that play to your strengths within the industry requirements.
For musical theater auditions, your book should contain a mix of:
Comedy & Drama
Up Tempo & Ballad
Classical & Contemporary
Pop / Rock
For Classical/Choral auditions, showcase your skills in other languages, time periods, and vocal skills, for example:
Languages: English / Italian / French / German / Latin
Time Periods: Baroque / Classical / Romantic / Contemporary
Vocal Skills: Legato / Runs / Range / Breath / Dynamics
For Theater auditions, you can showcase your range by having contrasting monologues that include an understanding of:
Comedy / Drama
Circumstance
Character Type
Time Period
Accent Work
Lean into your strengths by showcasing upfront anything you can perform in your sleep. For repertoire that is more challenging that you continue to hone, make sure to share in a safe space several times prior to officially adding to your audition book.
What types of characters do I play well?
Firstly, you may begin to notice that there are patterns in the works that you love. Are you drawn to themes of romance or heart break? Or to zippier pieces with a dark comedic twist? What excites you? Royal period pieces? Rugged rural pieces?
Secondly, how do others see you in every day life? You can discover more about this by asking for feedback from colleagues, friends, or strangers (!) what types of characters they see you playing. This is a reflection of your personal style - how you dress, how you speak, what defenses or charms you naturally employ. While in acting we take on different personas, it is helpful to know how people see you when you walk into a room. Here are some questions you could ask:
Where do you imagine I was born?
What kind of job do you imagine I have?
What kind of languages do you imagine I speak?
What do you imagine I do for fun?
What do you imagine I like to eat or drink?
What types of relationships do you imagine I have?
Lastly, see if the characters you enjoy playing intersect with how others see you. Lean into any pieces that convey this strong intersection and be sure to refresh this process every season. We are always learning, growing, and changing: neither what you are drawn to, nor how others see you, is forever set in stone.
Does this resonate with the current / burgeoning market?
Research what work is currently on the market on Broadway, Film, TV, and elsewhere. These markets are all listening to one another, and most importantly, listening to the consumer.
Be sure to actively consume & sense for yourself where the market is going. For example, the Musical Theater market is currently exploring JukeBox Musicals (ex. Once Upon a One More Time). Writers / Creators / Producers are also listening to current events and responding to the times. Does the consumer want to escape into laughter and fantasy? Does the consumer want to explore deeper what’s happening in the world or join in protest against policies? Sense for yourself where the future opportunities may be that have not been explored yet. Get interested in what is being produced, why, and what types of works matter to you. Your career will be built by the consistent quality of your work, as well as the roles you choose to take on and why.
Where am I in this?
The most important thing to consider in choosing pieces to bring to life is where are you personally in the work? Many pieces come to us at the serendipitous time, as we are working through different challenges and opportunities in our lives. If there is one excerpt (scene/song/monologue) you love from a larger work, go ahead and delve into the entire work from top to bottom. Learn all the songs / dialogue, break down the script / score, and spend time living in the work.
Explore for yourself what may be drawing you to the piece at this certain time in your life - What qualities do you have in common with this character? What themes resonate with you? Under what circumstances in your life could you become this character? When you show up to an audition having lived the entire piece and understood the character thoroughly, the experience of sharing one scene from this character’s life will feel deeply personal and alive. Your sharing will no longer be an audition, but a communication of something greater rising from your soul.
If you are in the midst of crafting your audition book and would like support in your audition journey, feel free to reach out below for a 30 minute complimentary Vocal Consultation and become a part of the Vocal Center community. It is a very special experience to bring your art to life, and you deserve support in sharing your work with the world.
Warmly,
