Every ovation-worthy performance and beloved play or musical starts with an audition. Auditions are critical for those involved in the arts because they grant exciting new opportunities and experiences. However, the high stakes of an audition can often make for a stressful experience.
This year, the Mamma Mia! spring musical auditions will begin with individual voice auditions, where students will sing 32 bars of a Mamma Mia! song of their choice. Then, for the acting and dance components, students will perform scenes of their choice and learn a short dance combination from the show.
In anticipation of the auditions at the end of the month, here are our favorite audition tips from us (in beige) and other arts students who are veterans of the audition process.
1. Choose audition materials you feel the most confident with. Think about what parts you may want: choose pieces that cater to that role and show off certain aspects of your talents. – Musical theater audition veteran and Juilliard Pre-College Voice student Ava Maha ’23
2. Being familiar and at ease with the audition process is important, so practice it from the beginning to the end of the piece to simulate the audition. – Maha
3. Find your character before you go into an audition and sell yourself. – Arts Concentration Theater Jordan Dodd ’25
4. Take time to center yourself beforehand and realize that at the end of the day, it’s not a huge deal. The sun will rise the next day if your voice cracks or you fall out of a turn. – Sofia Schmidt ’25
5. Walk in with a confident mindset and energy; the panel will pick up on that.
6. Before you sing, give the accompanist your sheet music and give them your tempo by tapping your chest instead of clapping or snapping.
7. When singing, look and focus on a spot slightly above the panel’s head.
8. Don’t just sing, make sure you’re telling a story.
9. When dancing, the face is arguably more important than the steps. Use your face and perform because that’s what’s fun to watch.
10. Ask questions when learning the choreography, the panel won’t get annoyed.
11. Make bold choices and stick with your choices. – Director Ms. Deighna DeRiu.
12. Be flexible, particularly if you’re working with someone else on stage or if a director asks you to go in a different direction. – Ms. DeRiu
13. Be sure to thank the panel after your audition.
14. Just go for it, have fun, and take risks. – Ms. DeRiu
