Choosing the correct audition material is very important to successfully booking the job. There are a number of things to consider when you are selecting a song:
There are lots of songs that we love, but we need to be real about if the song is something that shows you off. Remember in an audition you want to show of you best skills, not what notes or styles you can't sing.
Choose something that is similar in style to the character you want to play in the show. A good place to start is looking at material by professional actors who have played the role on Broadway; other roles they have been cast in might have material that will work for you. Also make sure that you are being honest with yourself about what role you would like to play: do you have the needed skills, are you the right type, do you have the correct energy and most importantly does your audition song show off these qualities?
You MUST stay away from material that is going to make you blend in. Theatre is about standing out in a positive way. You want to come across as clever and original. A good rule of thumb is to stay away from any shows currently on Broadway, have been made into a film or are highly popular. Another common mistake is sharing your material with friends. This is not a time to share; if you have done the work to find an great song don't give it out.
You want to choose something that has personalization for you. The more you genuinely connect to the material, the less you need to try to "act." We want you to be truthful, honest and spontaneous in your audition.
First make sure that the music you are bringing is designed to be used to sing to. Your music should say Vocal Selections, Vocal Score or Piano-Conductor's Score on it. In case you are unaware, there you can not use a vocal book from a show, piano solo music, big note learning music, or music for any other in instrument. There are typically three lines of music in each staff; one for the vocal and two for each hand of the piano player. As in the example below:
Format
(Greeting) I am (your full name stated very clearly) and today I will be performing a song from the musical (show title) entitled (song name) Music by (composers name) and Lyrics by (Lyricists name)
Example
Good afternoon I am Jill Smith and today I will be performing a song from the musical “Oliver!” entitled “As Long As He
Needs Me ”Music and Lyrics by Lionel Bart.
In terms of the bar requirement, bars are the measured out sections of the music. In the above example they are numbered out 12, 13, 14. In that section there are 3 bars. The 32 bar requirement is an approximation, make sure that your cutting of the song makes sense with the story in the words, and also sounds finished. If you have specific questions feel free to stop by, but do not wait. If you are asking questions the day of or the day before your audition it will be very difficult for you to make changes and have an effective audition.