Robert Preston in The Music Man
Today we are going to talk about patriotic and culturally-specific pieces and whether or not it makes sense for you to include something like this in your book.
Patriotic
Yesterday, we talked about using Country, Folk and Gospel to beef up your book for a certain subgenre or two of musical theatre. Today, I want to tweak that idea a bit and talk about patriotic themed pieces. Like many American musical genres, these pieces will mostly come in handy for the “play where there is singing” as opposed to true musical theatre. However, let us not forget about patriotic cabarets and revues, shows written by George M. Cohan, historical drama and re-enactments. Also, there is also the musical theatre-friendly gig of singing the national anthem at a large (or small) event. Plus, there are many other performance venues like the USO, Veteran’s Benefits, school and university functions, government-sponsored dinners and events, special presentations, memorials, and making your WW II vet Grandfather happy, right? Dancers may want to pay particular note. Parades, patriotic production numbers and revues, vintage style singing groups, drag shows, and even The Rockettes may put together a piece that is shiny, glitzy and All American.
Local
Some actors hail from regions that are famous for a certain type of music, or a famous era in history, or a specific event. It can be fun to have a piece that reflects these scenarios. In Chicago, we’ve got tons of options. Chicago is famous for Chicago style blues. We’ve got that whole gangster thing happening. We also have many songs about Chicago:
A kid from Appalachia might want to consider having some bluegrass in their back pocket. Somebody from New Orleans may want some jazz in their book. A Texan may do well with a cowboy song.
Does this play into stereotypes? It doesn’t have to. If you’re proud of where you’re from and your roots, it can feel special to be able to represent that in your repertoire. Ten gallon hat not required.
If nothing else, consider learning your Alma Mater (college or high school.) It can be an instant connection in the right circumstances.
Songs from Childhood, Camp, Church and Family
Speaking of your roots, there are songs many of us grew up singing that may fit well into some specific audition requests. Story songs, personal songs, and childhood songs may work well when audition for folk or children’s theatre. Here’s one from my childhood that I keep in my back pocket. I don’t even have the physical sheet music. It’s not necessary. It’s just a little piece of me that I can reveal if asked:
Johnny Appleseed planted an orchard on my family’s land. Plus, we occasionally sang this number around the dinner table at my house and the houses of family friends. I know, it’s so wholesome you could blush. The point is, I’m connected to this. Brainstorming about these types of pieces help you plan ahead for weird requests. Did I ever tell you about the time I was asked to do my monologue as an elephant? Stranger things have happened. If you’re having a hard time coming up with something, think about songs from camp or church or school. Also see my post on Novelty Songs.
Culturally specific
Are you at all attached to your cultural background? Do you have experience in any folk tradition? Pieces like this are so interesting and evocative, plus foreign language and folk art forms are special skills. I’ll talk more about special skills in a future post. Right now, I’m specifically talking about culturally specific song and singing styles. Reggae, Bluegrass, Gospel, Klapa (A Croatian choral style), Kekawin (A Balinese Singing Style), Gregorian Chant, Tibetan Chant, Cantoring (Jewish or Catholic, for example), Native American, I could on for days with this one.
I have a couple Scottish numbers in my B Book, as well as some Irish, Bluegrass, Gospel and Hymns. I also have the Bach “Ave Maria”. It shows that I can sing in, not necessarily speak, Latin. It’s also a classical piece of music.
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Find ways to really show off who you are and where you come from. These pieces may never make it into your A Book, but doing some critical thinking about them now will help you when the odd audition requests pop up or if you find yourself being asked to audition with “alternative material.” These types of songs are inherently interesting and unforgettable. Harnessing our roots can be very powerful. Personal pride reads as confident and attractive. If you hear the question, “What’s your story?” it’s very freeing to be able to answer.
Authentic Auditioning 