8 year old DD Auditioning for a Play...need advice!

[Just Kate]

Dd 8 has decided that she would like to  audition for a play. This will be her first audition, so I'm a little unsure of exactly what we need to do. The play is Aladdin Jr. and is at the theater where she took acting class last year. Because I've never been involved in anything like this, I need your help!

 

Here are the instructions for the audition:

 

Children auditioning will cold read provided slides; however, prepared one minute monologues are accepted and encouraged. Please, prepare a 16 bar musical selection with accompanying sheet music. Be sure your sheet music is clearly marked with Start and Stop, a piano accompanist will be provided.

 

I am unsure of how to find an appropriate monologue. Any suggestions? I've googled a bit but I guess I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

 

As for the music, she recently performed My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music for an academic competition from her school. We have the sheet music and she can sing it well. I just don't know what "prepare a 16 bar musical selection" means. Yeah...I never did much with music, as you can tell.

 

Any other tips you could share? She is really excited! She took two semesters of acting class and enjoyed them, and she was also given the lead role in her school Christmas play (where she sang two solos!). She enjoys performing and I am happy that we found this opportunity.

[JFSinIL]

I'd contact the theater folks where she had the classes, and tell them you are a newbie parent at all this, and what does 16 bar mean.  In case no one here knows. I don't :-)  Good luck to her, too. Sounds like she has found a fun hobby!

[alisoncooks]

If you have the sheet music, you can see a bar.  Those vertical lines drawn between the music notes?  They make small boxes?  Each box is a bar.  So 16 of those.  (IIRC, it's been many years since piano lessons, LOL.)

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Dd 8 has decided that she would like to audition for a play. This will be her first audition, so I'm a little unsure of exactly what we need to do. The play is Aladdin Jr. and is at the theater where she took acting class last year. Because I've never been involved in anything like this, I need your help!

 

Here are the instructions for the audition:

 

Children auditioning will cold read provided slides; however, prepared one minute monologues are accepted and encouraged. Please, prepare a 16 bar musical selection with accompanying sheet music. Be sure your sheet music is clearly marked with Start and Stop, a piano accompanist will be provided.

 

I am unsure of how to find an appropriate monologue. Any suggestions? I've googled a bit but I guess I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

 

As for the music, she recently performed My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music for an academic competition from her school. We have the sheet music and she can sing it well. I just don't know what "prepare a 16 bar musical selection" means. Yeah...I never did much with music, as you can tell.

 

Any other tips you could share? She is really excited! She took two semesters of acting class and enjoyed them, and she was also given the lead role in her school Christmas play (where she sang two solos!). She enjoys performing and I am happy that we found this opportunity.

 

Use the song she knows. The 16 bars is a guideline, pick 16 that highlight her singing or that are her favorite part. You can add an extra bar or two to keep her from cutting off a sentence or phrase.

 

For monologues just google kids monologues, there are many online. I'd pick one that sounds cute/funny since the show is Aladdin.

[Caroline]

For 16 bars of My Favorite Things (I have the sheet music)

 

Raindrops on roses through the first These are a few of my favorite things is 16 bars.

 

Also when the dog bites... Through then I don't feel so bad is 17, so that would be fine, too.

[Just Kate]

If you have the sheet music, you can see a bar.  Those vertical lines drawn between the music notes?  They make small boxes?  Each box is a bar.  So 16 of those.  (IIRC, it's been many years since piano lessons, LOL.)

 

 

For 16 bars of My Favorite Things (I have the sheet music)

 

Raindrops on roses through the first These are a few of my favorite things is 16 bars.

 

Also when the dog bites... Through then I don't feel so bad is 17, so that would be fine, too.

 

Thank you! I am so musically challenged!!! I appreciate the help. :)

[GailV]

Yes, 16 bars is 16 measures.  Some places will let you go a little over for the musical phrase to make sense; others will cut you off at exactly 16 (usually because they have hundreds of kids auditioning).  You just write "start" and "stop" above it the music, and draw a couple of lines.  It's okay for her to ask the accompanist for a pitch so she knows the note to start on.

 

For cold reading of sides  -- this is where all the times you have her read aloud to you really kicks in, because that's what it amounts to.  It might help if she's seen a script before so she knows what it looks like, but, really, they're probably going to know that 8yos aren't looking over scripts daily and might be unfamiliar with how they look.  For example, if there are stage directions on the script she won't read those aloud -- sometimes that isn't obvious to someone seeing a script for the first time.  (Honestly, I once read advice from a casting director that one of the best things you could do with your child is have them read aloud every day because then they learn the skill. And it comes up at many auditions.)

 

For the monologue you could look online or look in a book at the library ... and those things tend to be a bit dull and overdone, really.  She could also do something age appropriate from a book she enjoys -- dd has done a selection she pulled  from Wuthering Heights.  For example, maybe put together a minute's worth of things Fern said in Charlotte's Web.   It's also okay to piece together things from other plays or television shows or movies, as long as it's age appropriate.  Overall the auditors know that finding things for young girls is really tough.

 

Edited because my computer spazzed out and posted this mid-typing.  Yikes, I haven't even re-read it to see if it's moderately coherent.

 

Edited again to add:  A lot of what they're looking for is going to be whether she's the correct size and whether she seems easy to work with.  You can't control size, but if she follows directions well, arrives on time or a little early, is polite to everyone and generally seems like a good team player, that counts for a lot.

Edited June 15, 2016 by GailV

[Rebel Yell]

First, it sounds like it's a musical, not a play. ;)

 

Second, if she wears glasses or contacts bring them! Sweet Child still laughs at her awkward reading for Shrek the Musical because she forgot her reading glasses and was trying to squint/focus with the page up against her nose while trying to also act. (It was fine, she got Dragon!)

 

Find the best 16 bars or measures from the song she knows well. Far better to do a familiar or 'simpler' song very well than to attempt a difficult song to impress the judges and not do it justice.

 

Dress comfortably, but nicely. Not overly formal or stiff or fancy, but neat, clean, current style, flattering. Styled or neat hair so it doesn't flop in her face. Lip balm so her lips aren't dry.

[Just Kate]

First, it sounds like it's a musical, not a play. ;)

 

Second, if she wears glasses or contacts bring them! Sweet Child still laughs at her awkward reading for Shrek the Musical because she forgot her reading glasses and was trying to squint/focus with the page up against her nose while trying to also act. (It was fine, she got Dragon!)

 

Find the best 16 bars or measures from the song she knows well. Far better to do a familiar or 'simpler' song very well than to attempt a difficult song to impress the judges and not do it justice.

 

Dress comfortably, but nicely. Not overly formal or stiff or fancy, but neat, clean, current style, flattering. Styled or neat hair so it doesn't flop in her face. Lip balm so her lips aren't dry.

 

LOL...thank you for the correction. You are right and I should have worded that correctly!

 

Thank you also for the tips. Dd does wear glasses, so I will make sure she has them at the audition.

[Ali in OR]

I know our theater folks emphasize basics like being able to introduce yourself clearly and thanking them (evaluators) when you finish.

[Joyofsixreboot]

What was said about the music.

Speak clearly, slowly, make eye contact naturally. Directors can't afford to cast a kid who will be too quiet, etc.

An age appropriate monologue-Alice in Wonderland, Pippi Longstocking,Little House. I dislike little kids doing Agnes of God or something of that ilk.

Break a leg!

[catz]

I always think it's better if kids OVER act and are TOO loud rather than the other extreme at auditions.  It's easier to get kids to tone down than turn it up and some quiet kids won't turn it up. It sounds like the monolouge is optional, so if this is happening like tomorrow, I wouldn't necessarily sweat that for a first time audition.   If you have time, I always think my kid shows his stuff better when he has time to prepare a monologue.  He is better at really showing what he can do with a little prep.  Not everyone is an amazing cold reader.

 

When they ask for 16 bars, it's usually just a verse or a chorus and if it's a little more or less than 16 that is fine.  They don't actually count.  I always tell my kids it's better to leave them wanting to hear more than think "good grief, will this kid quit singing already".  LOL.    ;)  16 bars goes by in a whip for an upbeat song though.  I wouldn't mark stop in the middle of a phrase. 

Edited June 15, 2016 by WoolySocks

[Just Kate]

I always think it's better if kids OVER act and are TOO loud rather than the other extreme at auditions. It's easier to get kids to tone down than turn it up and some quiet kids won't turn it up. It sounds like the monolouge is optional, so if this is happening like tomorrow, I wouldn't necessarily sweat that for a first time audition. If you have time, I always think my kid shows his stuff better when he has time to prepare a monologue. He is better at really showing what he can do with a little prep. Not everyone is an amazing cold reader.

 

When they ask for 16 bars, it's usually just a verse or a chorus and if it's a little more or less than 16 that is fine. They don't actually count. I always tell my kids it's better to leave them wanting to hear more than think "good grief, will this kid quit singing already". LOL. ;) 16 bars goes by in a whip for an upbeat song though. I wouldn't mark stop in the middle of a phrase.

Great thoughts from everyone! We still have a little over a week until the audition, so I think we will try to find some sort of a monologue. I love your advice on "leave them wanting more". Lol

[Rebel Yell]

Definitely introduce herself and thank them after. Diamond was one of the audition judges for a high school musical that needed a few children for the cast. The boy who got the role was better than the others, but they were completely impressed that he shook their hands and introduced himself. Very simple, "Hi I'm Boy and I'm auditioning for the role of Gavroche."

 

Also, Call Backs. Sometimes, there is just one audition and the cast list is posted or emailed fairly quickly. Sometimes the judges narrow it down and want to see certain kids again to see how they fit a particular role, of how they sound or harmonize with a group they could potentially be cast with. This might be done immediately on the original audition day, or it may be a separate day. If it's a separate day that is often noted in the audition announcement so people know to be available on that date as well.

 

The following is for a high school production, but it may be helpful now or in the future:

When Diamond judged the auditions, some of the high school kids prepared songs and auditioned for specific lead roles. A few weren't right for the part they wanted, or someone else was more right. Call backs were the same day, so some of the kids did not have another song prepared for the character they were being considered for. The director asked them to sing the song they knew/prepared in the style that the role they were being considered for. Kind of like "Sing the love song like you're going to war."

 

Keep us posted and let us know if she gets a part!

Edited June 16, 2016 by Rebel Yell

[GailV]

 The boy who got the role was better than the others, but they were completely impressed that he shook their hands and introduced himself. Very simple, "Hi I'm Boy and I'm auditioning for the role of Gavroche."

 

 

 

Note of interest -- many casting agents and directors do NOT want to shake hands with people auditioning.  The general rule of thumb is to wait for the agents/directors to initiate the handshake.