For me, Contemporary Musical Theatre arrived when Company opened on Broadway in 1970.
Stephen Sondheim had been around for years as a lyricist co-authoring masterpieces such as Gypsy and West Side Story. But Company was new. It was personal. It was modern. It pushed the art form of musical theatre to a new level. Even now it sounds like nothing else, not even other Sondheim, really. The score is heavily upbeat. The content has depth and nuance not typically seen on the musical theatre stage at this point. And the characters are, for the most part, three dimensional and far from stock. Even more notable, they are part of an ensemble. While Bobby is undeniably the “lead,” he’s almost a narrative vehicle introducing us to this world of grown ups. A true thinking, feeling, flawed, sexual and human grown up had been a bit of a rarity in the musical theatre at this point (I’d argue still). Let’s put it this way: We’ve come a long way from Floradora.
So Company is the moment for me.
Is all new musical theatre “Contemporary” by virtue of happening in the now? Not necessarily. Book of Mormon, while contemporary in content and sound (for some songs), is nothing less than a classically structured big book musical. “I Believe” is a contemporary showstopper, yes. But “Turn It Off” is a classic old school tap number. My point is, as an actor, it’s important to consider character as well as the show as a whole (Check my analysis of Herrod from Jesus Christ Superstar for further thoughts on this concept.). Those actors aiming for Elder Price probably want to stick to a Contemporary Showstopper in an audition. The McKinleys of the world might venture into Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire territory.
Or not.
Here’s the thing with auditioning for Contemporary Musical Theatre. If in doubt? Belt your face off. Sometimes creativity doesn’t pay off until the callback.
Or (insert long, dramatic, pained sigh here) … Ever.
I happen to think that sucks. When producers, casting teams, and directors are afraid to make a non-traditional choice because of money or perceived audience response or whatever, I think the work loses something. BUT if I didn’t talk about it, as a coach, I’d be doing you a disservice. A lot of the time, they go with what they know.
I think actors are artists, not imitators. I believe in deep joy and personal integrity (i.e. being yourself, not somebody else) when auditioning. Does that mean I often go home without the contract? You bet. And I think I’m happier because of it. I’m telling you this because I find that musical theatre…scratch that…..COMMERCIAL musical theatre is an undeniably prolific and astoundingly uncreative phase right now. That means there is a particular contemporary sound that is very popular and sought after. I also find a lot of actors trying to imitate it. And I totally get why. Typically, that’s the sound that gets hired. I just wonder what auditions would be like if everyone sang in their real voice.
Now, it should be said that Contemporary Musical Theatre is butter for some actors, and it’s the classic stuff that really stresses them out. I get that, and we’ve definitely covered that in this series. No matter what your personal struggle is, the solution is showing up as yourself. That’s scary as hell. If you show up trying to blend in, and you don’t get the part, at least you know that you weren’t really being you. You didn’t show EVERYTHING you’ve got. You’re protected. What they rejected was the status quo. But if you show up as yourself and you get rejected? Ouch. I know. You have to get a special place of secure in who you are to be able to do that, and sometimes it takes a really long time to get there. Mentally, I mean. Shit, it’s vulnerable for me to just write this.
Man, sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself. – Miles Davis
So why do I bring this up during a discussion of Contemporary Musical Theatre? Because it’s what’s happening now. And the human tendency is to mold oneself to the zeitgeist. I find that profoundly uninteresting. So here is where I tell you a little about me as a coach and artist, and some of my deeply held beliefs about an acting career.
1. Deep Joy. The journey is supposed to be fun. Hard work? You bet. Sleepless nights? Sometimes. Utter exhaustion? Absolutely. I’m in tech right now, folks. I get it. But if the journey is miserable, the arrival will be too. Some actors are profoundly unhappy people and they exist at every level, from storefront to Broadway. And I think that’s a choice.
2. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Sometimes opportunities come along that, from a sales pitch perspective, seem a little…small. They aren’t big and shiny. They might not impress the hoi polloi. But they feel good. They are fun. And they give you experience and value that larger venues may not be able to provide.
3. No comparing. No striving. The day I became a happy actor was the day I stopped caring about what the other guys were doing, when they were doing it, and how.
4. If I don’t want to, I don’t. I totally believe in pushing through fear. Auditioning is scary. Actors have to take big risks. Good risks. Leaps. But then, sometimes a project or an opportunity comes along and…it looks great. You know it’s an honor, or a compliment that it was offered to you. And yet, you kinda don’t wanna. You get tense when you think about it. You avoid dealing with it. It feels heavy.
Don’t do it. That’s how you get burned out. Deep joy. I’m telling you. It works. As actors, we know that we have chosen to sacrifice participating in some big life events with family and friends. We miss weddings. Graduations. Funerals. Holidays. But sometimes, in the words of one of my dearest friends, you just have to “be a human.” So yeah, sometimes you have to pass up an opportunity in the name of love and connection.
5. If I don’t get the part, the part wasn’t on my path. That might be a little spiritual and woo woo for some actors. That’s what I believe. And that’s how I show up as myself. And that means here, not just in the audition room.
6. I deserve to be here. I have to know I deserve to be here because no one else will ever tell me that I do. OR for every person that tells me that I do, there will be someone waiting in line to tell me that I don’t. This isn’t about entitlement. It’s about owning your happiness and your confidence and not needing a permission slip. Don’t make other people responsible for your happiness.
7. They are auditioning for me, just as much as I am auditioning for them. We all want to work with awesome people. Sometimes auditioning for something is a joyous experience. You would just flip to work for this company. Other times they are disorganized and joyless. Not people I’d like to spend three months or more with. Or sometimes the folks behind the table are great, but you find out more about the project and while it sounds spectacular, it also sounds like it’s in a style of theatre you don’t enjoy. So you pass. Or you stretch your wings and try it. Either way, it’s your call. Empowering, isn’t it?
8. You aren’t really competing with anybody until the callback. And even then…
9. It just doesn’t matter. This too shall pass. The good and the bad. It’s all in the ephemera.
10. This is awesome. We have the privilege of telling stories to other people in a room together. We are practicing an ancient art form that connects not only to the people we are with today, but to the people who practiced this art form in the past. Even if the story is simple or goofy or corporate or whatever. Entertaining another human is a divine thing. And not everybody can do it.
Cultivating a Gratitude Practice can change everything. When you say “thank you” right before you leave the room, mean it. Thank you for having me. Thanks for sharing this time with me. Thanks for seeing me. Thanks for giving me this experience.
And you guys. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading.
Right.
Let’s talk repertoire.
Way way back, when we started discussing the “A” Book, I suggested having at least a contemporary upbeat, and a contemporary ballad. If you are really looking to be prepared for absolutely anything, I would also suggest having both a classic AND a contemporary Showstopper. But what is contemporary? There is no generic “contemporary” sound, really. At least not a singular one you can harness or utilize for audition purposes. We can identify a piece as “sounding contemporary” but that’s academic, not practical. Avenue Q is just as “contemporary” as A Light in the Piazza.
I’ve spent a lot of this series offering up alternative sources (i.e. outside the theatrical arena) for musical theatre repertoire, but for this category, we want to stick to Contemporary Musical Theatre proper (with perhaps a well-considered trip to the Musical Theatre suburbs. Stay with me.)
The number one way to find Contemporary stuff is to go straight to the major composers or to the other works of the composer in question. I covered many of them in the post The Big Guys. If you are just generally searching for contemporary pieces, pick a composer and work your way (at least partially) through their work. Keep going until you find some keepers. If you are auditioning for a particular show, start with that composer.
The second way, and my personal favorite, is introducing yourself to the really New stuff. The website I recommended in Shiny and New: http://newmusicaltheatre.com/, is an absolute goldmine.
The third way, is the method I mentioned in You Need a Hero. Take the resume and solo album of your Broadway idol (or Off Broadway…what have you) and look to their roles and set lists as potential repertoire. This would be one of those “Musical Theatre Suburbs” I was talking about. As I mentioned previously, big time and up-and-coming composers often lend pieces that sound like musical theatre, but are not from a larger show, to these stars for their albums. These are great options for your book. Here’s Audra singing one of my faves: “Cradle and All.”
That would work wonderfully as a contemporary ballad even though it isn’t from an actual musical. It just sounds like it is. And “sounds like” is enough.
Fourth, pick your type, dig through some shows and find that type within the show. Sometimes the formulaic can be very helpful. So let’s say you are the quirky sidekick type. You might for a cute comedic number. OR maybe you go in the energetic loveable villain direction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04uNN7yMwMY
No matter what, I find that using contemporary pieces is all about the smart cut. You want 32 bars with a money note and a 16 bar option. Easier said than done, but once you find it it will work for you for some time. You don’t necessarily need to end on the money note. In fact, in an audition, don’t save the best for last. From my own experience behind the table, I know within 10 seconds whether or not I’m going to call someone back. Your presence reads immediately upon entering the room. Sometimes it’s better if that big belt shows up quickly. The same goes for comic pieces, if you can crack the jokes early, you win over the casting team earlier. No bad thing. The filter is You. You decide your priorities. Just don’t make them wait.
So, let’s say you are a mid-to-late 20 something mezzo. (The law of averages says you are.) Let’s talk about different ways to approach a go-to 32 bar money note contemporary cut.
Here is “Once Upon a Time” from Brooklyn. This song offers quite a few options for a great 32 cut, with the potential with a couple of money notes:
Here is “A Way Back to Then” from [Title of Show]. It’s belt but not high belt. It’s got room for riffs (or not. Your call.)
How about upbeat? Here’s a piece from Legally Blonde (go to 1:21 in the video). This is Vivienne. It’s great high belt. It’s upbeat, and the character is awesome. Strong. Opinionated. http://youtu.be/3hEwcM0MmeI?t=1m21s
Here’s the thing about that 32 bar contemporary money note cut. I quote Amy from Little Women: “You don’t need scores of suitors. You need only one. If he’s the right one.”
Okay, two or three, in this case. So yes, it can be a bit of a challenge, but you don’t need a million options. Just a few.
While I may bemoan a certain lack of artistic risk in today’s commercial musical theatre, I am thrilled at the availability of scores, cast recordings, videos, sheet music, etc. that is available. Truly, you can just immerse yourself until you find something or things that you can’t wait to perform.
My other bit of advice is: Don’t search in a blind panic. Really try to give yourself some head space and some room to enjoy the journey. Also don’t type yourself out. While character type can be a guide and a filter to help you narrow down the vast amount of material that is out there, don’t let it be a tool for limiting yourself. If you absolutely cannot find something, throw type, gender and everything else out the window. Start with pure personal like or dislike. I don’t care if an 85-year-old hermaphrodite space alien sings the piece. If you like it, it’s worth considering. You may not be able to use that exact piece all the time, but you can look for pieces like it, pieces by the same composer, or pieces in the same style.
In short, finding Contemporary pieces is far more about strategy and personal preference than adhering to some generic sound. The cannon is far too large to leave yourself out of the picture. Remember: You Trump Everything.
Source: Warner Bros.
Acting and auditioning can be so vulnerable and exposed that it is often comforting to rely on the tried and true with our material. It’s familiar. It’s good. There’s context. It feels safe and appropriate.
But sometimes it’s refreshing to go out on a limb and try something new. Really new.
NEW MUSICALS
You know how it feels like only big names get cast and the unknown actors don’t have a chance in hell? Well take that feeling and multiply it by 1,000. Now you know what it’s like to try to get a new musical produced.
But new musicals are out there. In droves. And they want to be heard. (And they aren’t all movie adaptations.)
Using pieces from original, up and coming, and/or unproduced composers is a great way to have a piece that is singular and special in your book. It also helps a fellow artist by performing their work in front of people that produce theatre.
How to access these pieces?
WORKSHOPS AND NEW MUSICAL PROGRAMS
Source: Broadway World
New theatrical work often goes through the workshop process wherein playwrights, lyricists, and composers get the chance to hear and see their work performed by actors, and have the freedom to edit, alter and rewrite based on what they are seeing. It is a wonderful thing to be one of those actors. No, workshops don’t usually pay much (if anything) but they provide connections and most of all, useable material, sometimes composed with you in mind!
In Chicago alone, we have big New Musical programs and projects as well as a long list of theatres that produce them.
Northwestern University hosts the American Music Theatre Project.
Light Opera Works hosts the Midwest New Musicals Workshop.
WEBSITES
Most composers have websites that allow you to listen to their work. Some even provide the ability to purchase sheet music. If they don’t, you can always contact them and ask if you can use a piece for auditioning or performing.
One major online resource for new work is: NEWMUSICTHEATRE
COLLABORATION
You can even try teaming up with an emerging writer or team of writers by putting together a joint cabaret or showcase, pitching a show to a theatre company, or self-producing. You could even commission a writer to compose a bespoke piece just for you.
Also, composers often have stand-alone pieces (much like I mentioned in You Need a Hero), that don’t have a home in any larger musical, but still deserve an audience. They may be willing to loan such a piece to you for auditioning purposes.
SELF-COMPOSED
Source: Hello Giggles
A trickier area, but let’s talk about it. Actors, like a lot of artists, usually have another art form or two up their sleeve. If you are also a composer, your own work is not completely off limits. Here are a few considerations:
- Self accompaniment – My rule (and you know how I feel about rules) is only when asked, whether in the posting or in the room. Otherwise, utilize the accompanist.
- Charts or Fake Books: Only provide an accompanist with complete sheet music. No basic notation or charts. If you can, make sure it’s not hand-written either. Even the nicest handwritten sheet music is difficult to read.
- Identifying the piece: Casting teams get a little twitchy and uncomfortable around self-written pieces. Partially, this is because they want to see how you handle material that is written by someone else because that is precisely what they are hiring you to do. Secondly, and I mean no offense, most self-written work that comes through the audition door is not very good. That doesn’t mean yours is bad. That just means by identifying your piece as your own, you’ve made your job more difficult by making the casting team immediately skeptical. While I don’t advocate lying to a casting team, you can be a bit coy if you need to. Rather than identifying the composer right off the bat, just say the name of the piece and the name of the show. If they like it, they’ll ask who the composer is. Tell the truth.
- Unless a posting or your agent or another source makes it clear that self-composed and/or accompanied work is acceptable or encouraged, don’t lead with this piece for a general audition and be very calculating about when you choose to bring it in. New work is one thing, self-composed is another. Remember, they are looking for an actor first. Not a writer.
- Hear the previous advice, but just know that it is merely advice, not a hard and fast set of rules.
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New Work is exciting and nearly demands attention because of it’s originality. If your book is looking appropriate but somewhat staid and traditional, check out all of these resources. Consider joining or auditioning for a workshop. You never know where it might lead.
The Incredibly Divine Ms. M
Who are your idols? Who are your faves?
I ain’t gonna lie. In my eyes, Ms. Bette Midler can do no wrong.
I mean have you seen this? It’s her performance on the final Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It is the pinnacle of song styling. Genius. I cry. In fact, I cry so heartily that I should not watch this in public. Just one of the greatest performances of all time.
…I love Bette Midler because I love her sense of humor and the material she chooses. I’m attracted to her style and I look to her, not only for entertainment, but to learn because I would like to do what she does.
So who do you look up to? Who do you admire? They don’t even have to be performers. They could be your Mom or Dad or friend or a character. We all pick up on other people’s style. Whatever they’ve got that you really love and admire is probably lurking somewhere within you.
Take a look at your idols and their resumes. Look at their albums or body of work. Somewhere in their repertoire might be a piece just perfect for you.
Sutton Foster (Source: The Gazette)
Broadway stars and their solo albums, in particular are worth a look. Often big time or up-and-coming composers will write songs just for these ladies and gents OR they will provide them with pieces that never made it into a larger musical. This is how I found my Guettel piece, actually.
Note: I am not suggesting we turn into a bunch of creepy copy cats. This strategy is all about taking something you love and putting your personal spin on it. This is all about sourcing material, not changing who you are. It’s just one more way to utilize your preferences and sources of joy.
Special Note: The Signature Song
A warning: there’s sort of an understanding that only Judy does “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” By now, you probably know I have a bit of an aversion to arbitrary rules. Yes, there is an argument to be made to avoid your favorite superstar’s signature number. You can try looking at their b-sides for more juicy stuff. However, a tweak of perspective can make all the difference. Take a look at Bette’s “One for My Baby” I posted above. That’s actually a big ol’ Sinatra signature. But she pared it down. Made it realllly personal, and subsequently made it her own. STUNNING!
Pant, pant. Okay. Sorry. I just…love that performance.
Common Wisdom says don’t set up bad comparisons. The idea is that if we sing someone else’s signature song, we are setting ourselves up to compete against some of the greatest performers of our time.
Another form of this theory is avoiding big popular numbers: “I Dreamed a Dream”, “Memory”, “Defying Gravity”.
Man, I hate rules like that. Here’s the deal. Is it a risk to perform songs like these? Yes. Are you setting yourself up for eye rolls and such? Maybe. But rules are made to be broken, baby. If you perform one of these undeniably, if these are the songs that speak to you the most , You just f*cking love them? Then do it. Try it out. At least at one audition. See what happens. You’ll never know until you try.
Another strategy is to do what I call the One Off. It’s not THE song. It’s the second song. Or the third. So you don’t do “Don’t Rain on My Parade”, but maybe you do “Who Are You Now” or “His Loves Makes Me Beautiful” which are also from Funny Girl.
Recommendations
Here are some interesting folks with quirky resumes who might just have a song or two in their career history that will knock you head over heels:
Doris Day
Robert Preston – He did a particularly horrific PSA in the 60’s that would be a brilliant comedic number.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Lea Salonga
Tom Wopat
Marilyn Monroe
Rita Moreno – Quirky guest appearances (think kid’s programs, The Muppet Show, Variety Shows, late night appearances, cameos) can be ripe for the picking
Gregory Hines
Liza Minnelli
Nell Carter
Linda Ronstadt
Now, I understand you may be questioning my sanity, but I just want you to stretch your idea of what can go in your book. There is just so much good stuff and weird stuff and juicy stuff out there, you can have an absolute blast digging up pieces that may be hidden away somewhere just waiting for you to find it.
Remember: Your dreams and ideals are important. Music is written to be performed. Always question the status quo, and for the love of God, go for what you want with all your heart.
Tomorrow? Tomorrow we talk Comedy. Day 8 – Comedy Tonight!
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Stage Manager
When under the tutelage of a great stage manager, somehow everything seems right with the world. The birds sing prettier, the sun shines a little brighter (or in my case, it goes behind a cloud a little more quickly. I don’t do direct sunlight.), the Advil and number 2 pencils are abundant, and the breaks come at regular intervals. A fantastic stage manager takes a production from good to great. They are paragons. They are rare. Like the unicorn, they are wonderful and mysterious creatures, I don’t understand them yet I just love them.
- Stage Manager
But.
The reality is we don’t always have access to the savvy motivated stage manager and their magic AND we don’t spend all of our time in shows and rehearsal, either. Nor is the stage manager meant to be the actor’s personal assistant or advocate. We spend much of our careers on our own, researching, auditioning, taking classes, running lines. While the movie stars have their staff, most of us are left to our own organizational devices, schlepping our shit and trying not to lose our delicate and fragile minds or cause others to lose theirs. I encourage you not to take advantage of the stage manager, nor bemoan their absence from your larger life, but rather emulate them.
I encourage you not to take advantage of the stage manager, nor bemoan their absence from your larger life, but rather emulate them.
They are artists, too. There is a reason actors and stage managers are represented by the same union. Their carefully and artfully timed cue is just as powerful as your own. And they have to manage a crew at the same time.
Stage Manager
We juggle multiple projects, dayjobs, social lives (sort of), auditions, family. It’s downright exhausting if not handled properly and let’s face it, we’ve all seen careers die just because actors didn’t want to juggle all of that anymore. The passion died because they needed a nap, a drink, and a system.
I can’t nap or drink for you, but I can help with the system.
Stage Manage Yourself
Our good friend the stage manager is a miracle worker not because they are actually mythical and magical creatures with time bending powers and endless access to office supplies, but because they are organized and they have a plan.
As artists, we often labor under the idea that we will be forgiven our flightiness or odd behaviors because our creative genius is too valuable to lose. Well, here’s the thing, there are a lot of creative geniuses who have their shit together. The actor who habitually shows up late, doesn’t do the work, behaves badly or obliviously eventually stops being hired.
There are a lot of creative geniuses who have their shit together.
Even though combining the word “business” with “art” is somewhat taboo in the land of non profits and mission statements, allow me to encourage you to think of yourself as a small business. A self-contained incorporation. It’s not about looking at profit margins because lord knows there aren’t any. It’s about asking who and what your team is, how it’s working for you, what you need to acquire, and what needs to go. Agents, publicists, your repertoire, your wardrobe,your education, your reading material, the classes you take, your headshots, your resume, even the office supplies you choose are all working for you. They are your employees. How are they doing? It might be time to have a staff meeting.
Before we dig full force into those larger areas – Girl, you need an executive assistant.
In theatre, we call them the Stage Manager. And for your career? It’s all you, baby.
I actually own a stage management handbook. While I don’t use the chapter on rail plots or working with sound supervisors, I’ve found a way to use almost everything else. Being self sufficient makes you easy to work with, gives you that soldierly sense of “Good to go.” Anna Deveare Smith says the rehearsal room and stage are sacred spaces. I agree. When the production staff sweeps and clears the stage or room in preparation for the creative work, it’s a ritual we need to respect and even emulate when it comes to our own process. We need to do the work it takes to prepare what Peter Brook calls “The Empty Space.”
“This whole creation is essentially subjective, and the dream is the theater where the dreamer is at once: scene, actor, prompter, stage manager, author, audience, and critic.” – Carl Jung
In this series of blog posts, I will give you an actor’s translation of a stage management handbook: strategies, systems, suggestions, and tools that will make life easier on you as a performer. Easy as it is to make fun of us performers, it takes certain conditions to be able to stand in front of a bunch of strangers and dig down into the depths of your vulnerability, technique and talent. The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management defines, in part, the job of the stage manager thusly, “…They establish a creative environment by combining the ability to prioritize and anticipate and solve problems, with calm sensitivity and grace under pressure.” They have to do it for a team. You only need to do it for you.
Define your process. Create your ideal conditions. Have what you need.
Stay tuned for Part One: On the Home Front. Coming soon.
Authentic Auditioning 