There comes a time in every musical theatre actor’s life when they could use a little country in their book.
Now, if the idea of doing a countrified anything, from Dolly Parton’s Dixieland Stampede to a production of Floyd Collins makes you want to hurl, then say no more. This ain’t fer you. See you tomorrow. Not everybody needs a country piece. But if you are attempting to be prepared for anything, then you may want to consider this genre.
There are also those among us, myself included, who actually grew up kicking a little shit whether we wanted to or not and some aspects of the Country/Americana world speak to us. I am a bluegrass girl. I love it. And the two times I’ve gotten to sing publicly with a bluegrass band were two of the most blissful moments of my life. As such, bluegrass has a home in my book. I also grew up singing in church, so I’ve got some hymns in there, too. These are comfortable pieces for me, and I do use them quite a bit. Although, typically these auditions are usually for a straight piece that will include music, rather than true musical theatre.
Slashies (Musical Theatre/Straight Theatre Actors) take note. Americana, Hymns/Gospel, Country, and Folk are popular fodder for straight shows that utilize music. Much of the cannon is public domain. It’s kind of weird but true. If you don’t consider yourself a true musical theatre actor, BUT you do consider yourself an actor who sings, this genre could be very helpful for you.
Note: For any musical I mention, you could easily use a piece from the musical theatre cannon to audition. These are suggestions to get your gears clicking and to address possibilities for a second audition piece.
Countrified Musical Theatre
Representative Shows: Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Calamity Jane, Lil’ Abner
Classic Country
Representative Artists: Patsy Cline, Older Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn (avoid her collaborations with Jack White. Those are more in the bluegrass vein.), Hank Williams
Representative Shows: Always Patsy Cline, Regional Shows (Think Branson, Galtinburg) like Dolly Parton’s Dixieland Stampede, Theme Parks, Singular Country Songs like “One More Angel” from Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Will Rogers Follies
Pop Country
Hidden underneath the glitz of Pop Country is good ol’ high belt. In fact, if you’re smart, you can find a great high belt piece in the world of Pop Country. A couple tweaks to accompaniment and your performance, and the country goes away. Just a lil’ bitty piss-ant trick you can put up your sleeve in a pinch.
Representative Artists: Faith Hill, Newer Dolly Parton, Reba Macintire, Carrie Underwood,
Representative Shows: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Bonnie and Clyde, 9 to 5
Bluegrass – Accompaniment warning. Banjo and fiddle don’t translate very well to piano. Luckily, bluegrass’s roots are ancient Celtic and British ballads that were meant to be sung on their lonesome. This is kind of a special skill sort of piece. Often you’ll be able to pull it off unaccompanied. However, if you need piano notation, look to slower, guitar based pieces or bluegrass style hymns. You can do most of the styling with your voice. Bluegrass is heavily belt. It’s got a cry/call sound that hearkens to its ancient roots. (Can you tell this is my favorite genre of music?)
Representative Shows: Floyd Collins, Big River, new work
Representative Artists: Allison Krauss, Emilou Harris, Some Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley, The Osborne Brothers
Americana, Folk, and Maritime
Another way to approach the earthier shows is to utilize music from certain eras and regions in the United States. Maritime pieces often share similiarity with bluegrass. The instrumentation is similar because the instruments are portable. What works well on a mountainside also works pretty well on a ship. And guess what? That same group of instruments are highly sought after in the world of historical and outdoor drama. I’m telling you, if you can play guitar and sing at the same time, you will work forever.
Representative Shows: The Civil War, Dessa Rose, outdoor dramas, Shows using authentic era-appropriate music
Representative Artists: Peter, Paul and Mary, experimental Springsteen, Sting (I swear), some Gordon Lightfoot
Sacred Harp/Shape Note
The Sacred Harp tradition is old. Like Bluegrass, it’s roots go back to Celtic and British music. Civil War, Appalachian, Southern, and religious music all share roots here. It’s a special skill, and one to consider adding to your book if historical or genre pieces appeal to you. For the unfamiliar ear, the sound may be a bit off-putting. Take a listen. It’s powerful and has a ritualistic quality. The first round is sung in “solfege” followed by the lyrics.
Gospel/Religious
Representative Artists: Mahalia Jackson, Sela, Kirk Franklin, Lead Belly, Odetta
Representative Shows: Myths and Hymns, Crowns, The Color Purple, Sister Act, Dream Girls (A big bad ass gospel piece could seriously come in handy if you want to audition for Effie), original work, film, passion plays, church gigs
Holiday Songs
I don’t need to tell you there is a certain type of show that opens Once Upon every December. Having a well thought out Christmas piece can come in very handy when you are auditioning for a Christmas Carol. Often, we are asked to sing, and often we panic and knock out a round of Jingle Bells in our “happy birthday to you” voice. Consider sticking a holiday piece into your repertoire if you are at all interested in the huge market of holiday shows.
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It’s important not to write off the entire Country genre without exploring it a bit. It’s not all Daisie Mae and Garth Brooks. There are some beautiful and gentle ballads to be found, as well as some powerful pieces that cover themes of love, loss, family, friends, history, and struggle. Sounds a little like theatre, huh?
Authentic Auditioning 