top of page
Auditions

Audition Do's and Don'ts

Theater professionals were asked to list "do's and dont's" for auditioning, as well as overdone songs and monologues.  Their replies are listed below.  The following does not necessarily represent the views of all the Directors for the StageDoor Theater Company.

Audition Do's
  • Choose appropriate material. Pieces of extensive anger and/or vulgarity can cause Directors to tune out.

  • Time your audition carefully.  Timing starts after your introduction

  • Take time to shift focus between pieces

  • Announce yourself, your number and your piece(s) clearly.

Audition Don'ts
  • Don't sing acapella

  • Don't use pre-recorded accompaniment

  • Don't sing if you can't

  • Don't dance if you can't

  • Don't choose a bad script

  • Don't choose a piece with offensive language

  • Don't choose a piece that berates the audience

  • Don't use a dialect or accent

  • Don't throw chairs onstage

  • Don't speak to the floor, chairs or the thrust

  • Don't treat the timer or accompanist with disrespect

  • Don't turn your back to compose yourself

  • Don't rush through it to get it over with

  • Don't speak so softly you can't be heard

  • Don't apologize for your mistakes

  • Don't leave the stage with a negative feeling

Overdone Monologues
  • Dentity Crisis - Peter Pan

  • Girls Guide to Chaos - dating speech

  • Beyond Therapy - all monologues

  • Brighton Beach Memoirs - all monologues

  • Baby with the bathwater - all monologues

  • Star Spangled Girl - all monologues

  • House of Blue Leaves - all monologues

  • Fifth of July - all monologues

  • Wall of Water - last cigarette

  • Talking With - 15 minutes

  • Boys Life - all monologues

  • Lone Star - Roy's Edith Ellen

  • Heidi Chronicles - all monologues

  • Laughing Wild - Tuna monologue

  • Romantic Comedy - Marshmallow

  • Shadow Box - Beverly

Overdone Songs
  • Little Shop of Horrors - all songs

  • The Fantasticks - all songs

  • Les Miserables - all songs

  • Phantom of the Opera - all songs

  • Evita - all songs

  • Kiss Me Kate - I hate Men

  • Chicago - All that Jazz

  • South Pacific - Wash That Man...

  • Show Boat - Can't Help Loving

  • Sweet Charity - Hey Big Spender

  • Guys & Dolls - Adelaide's Lament

  • A Chorus Line - All songs

  • City of Angels - You can Always

  • My Fair Lady - all songs

  • Jekyll and Hyde - all songs

  • Titanic - all songs

  • Footloose - all songs

  • Rent - all songs

  • Once Upon a Mattress - Shy

  • Little Women - Astonishing

  • Thoroughly Modern Millie - Not for the Life Of Me

  • Company - Being Alive

  • Miss Bird (song)

  • Embraceable You (song)

  • I Get a Kick Out of You (song)

bottom of page