Auditions are open!

Auditions officially opened last night at the Savoyards Information Night for Miss Saigon and it’s going to be a very exciting weekend of auditions.

You can now book your audition by contacting the Executive Producer, Jo Toia on 3893 4321.

Here is a reminder of the important dates and details.  Go back over our past posts which are full of details about how our auditions run, what to bring, how to stand out from the crowd, and lots more.  Audition Venue:  Wynnum High School, Peel Street, Manly.

Friday, 27 January at 7.30pm is open general audition for chorus.  Book by phoning Jo Toia on 3893 4321.

Saturday, 28 and Sunday, 29 January will be for principal roles, auditioning in private appointments of 15 minutes each.  Book your audition appointment by phoning Jo Toia on 3893 4321.  You will be emailed the extra resources you need for this audition.

Sunday, 29 January at 9am-12noon is our general audition for dancers.  Book your audition by phoning Jo Toia on 3893 4321.

Creative Director (David Williams), Musical Director (Geoffrey Secomb) and Choreographer (Tamsin Sutherland) are keen to get started on what is sure to be a fabulous theatre experience for performers and audience alike.

Questions and audition registrations can all be directed to Executive Producer, Jo Toia by phoning 3893 4321.

www.savoyards.com.au | www.facebook.com/savoyards.brisbane | ph: 3893 4321

Don’t call us, we’ll call you! – Chorus Auditions

Without a fantastic chorus, our shows would be a very empty.

Miss Saigon offers wonderful performance opportunities for the entire ensemble.  The music is rousing, full on and very powerful to sing.

The chorus is part of some of the most emotionally charged and vocally challenging pieces in the show, so we’re looking for people who can work as part of a team, have a sense of fun and a good work ethic.  Preparation for a chorus audition is a little different to a principal audition but the elements like professionalism and preparation remain the same.  Here’s what the Miss Saigon General Chorus Audition will look like.

VENUE:  Wynnum High School, Peel Street, Manly;  DATE:  Friday, 27 January;  TIME: 7.30pm start.

Be on time!  This audition will begin at 7.30pm.  Not 7.45pm or even 7.35pm.  ON TIME!  Show your great work ethic to the Production Team by being early enough to be ready to begin when they are.  This means arriving early enough to sign in with the Audition Clerks (presenting your Audition Form and photo), get a name tag, change your shoes (to something suitable for movement) and compose yourself.  Do yourself a favour and don’t be the person who wanders in after everyone has started.

Have some fun!  The Musical Director will split everyone into vocal parts (eg. soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and teach you one small section of the show.  You’ll then be split into smaller groups.  Each small group will work with the MD to determine ability to hold a part, intonation, and vocal skill.  This makes general chorus auditions a lot of fun because the pressure is taken off each individual.  You don’t have to stand centre stage and sing a solo, something that causes some of us to fall over in a dead faint at the mere suggestion.  Chorus auditions are hard work but they’re a lot of fun and they sound great!

Shake a little booty!  Choreographer, Tamsin Sutherland, will then put you through, what she calls, general movement.  The Chorus are required to perform formation work in some of the really big numbers and the team needs to know that your feet will do what you tell them to.  Make sure you wear comfortable clothes, and shoes that you can move around in.  Don’t wear heels or thongs because you’ll be asked to remove them (strapping twisted ankles is not built into our schedule for the evening).

So, how do you stand out in this crowd?  Here’s some suggestions -

• Listen to instructions and follow them immediately.  Nothing annoys a director/choreographer more than having to wait for ‘chatty sue’ to finish talking before the whole group can continue.  Time will be tight so work together and you’ll produce great results.
• Be confident.  When you’re working with the MD in your small group, don’t be shy.  Sing your part with confidence and don’t take yourself too seriously.  The team aren’t looking for polished performances.  If you get something wrong and acknowledge it, it shows that you have a good ear and can hear your mistake – a good thing for a chorus member.
• Be friendly and polite to everyone.  The Production Team will hear from the Audition Clerks if “King or Queen Diva” turn up expecting star treatment.  Just relax and have fun with the evening.  If you don’t feel confident, pretend!  Smile at everyone, laugh at yourself and you’ll be surprised how well things go for you.

When the audition is over, do me a favour – go home and plan the next one.  Don’t fuss over your mistakes or torment yourself wondering whether you made the right impression. You’ve done your best and now it’s out of your hands.  If your aim was to learn something new and have fun, your evening will be valuable no matter what comes out of it.  Savoyards’ Executive Producer will contact you by Wednesday, 1 February, to let you know if you have been offered a place in the cast.

If you have any questions you need answered before the Information Evening on Monday, 23 January, email us at auditions@savoyards.com.au.

www.savoyards.com.au  |  auditions@savoyards.com.au  |  ph 3893 4321

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Don’t call us, we’ll call you – PART 2

Ok.  So you’ve made it through the door into the audition space without throwing up all over your shoes.  If you’ve done your preparation, you’re probably feeling pretty good about what’s about to happen, so let’s take a look at how the Miss Saigon production team will run things at a Principal audition.

One of the audition clerks will escort you into the space and introduce you to the team.  You don’t have to fumble while you try and remember what your own name is.

If you’re using a backing CD, the Assistant Director will look after that for you.  If you’re using sheet music, have a quick chat with the audition pianist and let him know where you want him to start and finish and mark out the tempo you would like.

A little hint about sheet music:  Place your sheets in a presentation folder (plastic sheets bound in a plastic cover) with the page you’re starting at on the left hand side of the book.  This means that the pianist may not need to turn pages.  They’ll love you for it.  Clearly mark your start and finish bars and any notations, although it’s best to keep these to a minimum.

Once you’re ready, find your spot on the stage, prepare and “let ‘em have it”!  Now, here’s where you have to remember something for me – if the production team stops you before you’ve sung all your 16 bars, IT DOES NOT MEAN YOU STINK!  It simply means that they have heard enough to know what you sound like.  During your 15 minute audition, the production team want to work with you on the excerpt from the show (handed out at Information Night, January 23).  It’s important for you to remember that the team are not expecting or looking for a polished performance.  They want to see how well you take direction, what you do with direction, and get to know you just a little.  At the end of this session you will be told whether you are required for call backs on Monday, 30th January.

Now here’s the most important part about auditions – Once you have done all you can do, congratulate yourself for having completed another audition and move onto the next one.  Just leave it alone.  It will do you no good to rehash every little moment, trying to second guess the result because from here on in, all the other factors come into play.  Factors you have no control over – your height against the other parts; whether you present how the Director sees the part; or whether there is someone simply better than you for the role.

Someone told me once that “auditions never get easier, you just get better at them”, and it’s true.  You get better at letting go; better at presenting yourself as confident, regardless of how you feel; better at singing because you’re always training.  Better!  Every person at the production table knows exactly what you’re going through because they’ve been exactly where you’re standing.  They want you to do well and will do everything they can to help present yourself well.

Tomorrow:  What happens at the General Chorus Audition, Friday, 27 January.

www.savoyards.com.au  |  auditions@savoyards.com.au  |  ph: 38930983

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Don’t call us, we’ll call you!

If you’ve done more than one audition, the old “don’t call us, we’ll call you” phrase is one you’ve dissected and tormented yourself with for hours.

“Did they mean I was no good?”  ”Will they really call me?”  ”How did I do?”  ”Should I call them?”

Once you’ve done a few more auditions, you begin to learn that the audition process is fraught with danger for any performer, especially if you measure your self worth by them.  If not getting the part causes you to sink into a depression that has you sucking your thumb in a corner for a week, your process needs to change.  It’s natural to be disappointed but if you’re too emotionally involved in the process, you’ll always find it difficult and stressful.

So, how do you deal with the audition process?  Everyone has a different process but here are some suggestions that should help you with Savoyards’ Miss Saigon auditions later this month.

1. Attend the Information Night.  Savoyards gives you the opportunity to learn more about the show at their Information Night.  It is very important that you attend this event as it is here that you will meet the production team and get important information such as rehearsal and performance schedules and be able to ask questions specific to your audition.  It will also be a practice run for getting there as the auditions will be held at this venue.  If you are auditioning for a Principal role, you will also receive an excerpt from the show that you should learn in addition to your chosen piece.  You will also be able to book your audition at this event.  If you are unable to attend the Information Night, please contact the Company at auditions@savoyards.com.au.  VENUE:  The Imperial Playhouse, Wynnum State High School, Peel Street, Manly.  DATE:  Monday, 23rd January, 2012 at 7.30pm.
2. Prepare, prepare and then prepare some more.  Confidence and a great audition come from hard work and preparation.  You’re always working to improve your skills, you’ve worked hard on your audition piece, you’ve done some research on the show, the production team, the company producing it, you know where you’re going so you won’t be late; in fact you’ll be early.  If you are doing the Chorus audition on Friday, 27th January, you will not be required to perform a solo piece (more on this later).
3. Pack your audition kit – a bottle of water, your resume, glasses if you need them, a pencil, dance shoes.  Remember to hydrate yourself well before your audition.  Our summer heat will drain you and dehydration can cause you to lose focus and concentration.
4. Play nice!  When you arrive at the audition venue, sign in with the Audition Clerk.  Give her your resume and head shot (N.B. These are not returned).  Complete the Audition Form IN FULL, checking the rehearsal and performance schedule available at the desk for any dates you are not available.  Then find your space and gather yourself.  Be professional and pleasant.  It doesn’t matter whether you’ve done many auditions or if this is your first, professionalism is a must.  And here’s a little secret – the Production Team inside talk to the Audition Clerks outside.  If you are a complete pain, rude or pompous, the production team are going to know about it.  They will take your professionalism and behaviour toward others as an indication of your ability to work as a team.
5. Relax!  I know it sounds stupid to say it but it’s important.  Find your own space and calm yourself, do your visualisations (faking your confidence works – trust me), and don’t feel the need to hold a conversation with anyone.  You can be polite but silent if you want.

Well, we’re at the audition door now.  Tomorrow, we’ll look at how these auditions will run once you get inside the audition space.  If you have any questions that you need answered before the Information Night on the 23rd January, email us at auditions@savoyards.com.au.

The production team are very excited and eager to meet you at Information Night.

TOMORROW’S BLOG:  Inside the Audition Space

www.savoyards.com.au  |  auditions@savoyards.com.au  |  ph: (07) 3893 4321

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Miss Saigon Audition Idea #5

Choreographer, Tamsin Sutherland is keen to see Brisbane’s dancers at the Miss Saigon General Dance Audition, on Sunday, 29 January.

This will be a group audition for all those who are auditioning for specialty dance positions, including the Vietnamese prostitutes in the opening scene of the show.  Dancers will also be expected to sing and will perform their singing audition after the dance audition on Sunday morning.  Those auditioning for a named role will be expected to prepare an audition piece; others will audition as chorus.

If this is as clear as mud, make sure you’re at the Information Night on Monday, 23 January, where the Production Team will be available to answer all your questions.  You can contact the company with any queries before that time by emailing committee@savoyards.com.au.

Please wear appropriate dance attire and shoes, preferably no baggy pants.  Please bring flat shoes (for example jazz or ballet), and chorus shoes/heels.  Be aware that the floor can be slippery.

Both Male and Female dancers are required, and will be involved in all the styles of dance in the show.  There will be several short dance routines to learn together, then performed in smaller groups.  These routines will cover the styles of military marching/formations, sexy club dancing, and ‘Vegas’ show style.  Bring along any ‘tricks’ that you’d like to demonstrate.

Everyone wishing to be considered as a ‘dancer’ must attend this Dance Audition regardless of whether they are also trying for a Principal Role.

We are excited to welcome Philip Allan as Assistant to the Choreographer for the show.  He brings a wealth of experience and we’re very lucky to have him as part of the team.

Philip has a Diploma of Ballet from The Rambert School (London).  He was a  professional ballet dancer with Irish National Ballet, and Royal New Zealand Ballet, and more recently appeared with Paris Opera Ballet in their season of La Bayadere.  Some of Philip’s Musical Theatre credits include West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables, Cats, Oklahoma, and most recently, The Mikado.  Philip is currently a Freelance Classical Ballet Teacher, specialising in Boys Coaching and Pas de deux.

www.savoyards.com.au  |  ph: 3893 4321  |  committee@savoyards.com.au

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Miss Saigon Audition Idea #4

Today, let’s get a feel for some of the music of Miss Saigon.  Here is the London cast including Jonathan Pryce as The Engineer, Lea Salonga as Kim and Australia’s own David Campbell as Chris.  Spectacular performance opportunities for principal roles AND chorus.  Can you imagine being part of the big chorus number “This is the Hour”?  Extremely powerful stuff.  Enjoy!

www.savoyards.com.au  |  ph: 3893 4321  |  committee@savoyards.com.au

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Miss Saigon Audition Idea #3

Choosing an audition piece is difficult.  You’re unsure what the audition panel want to hear; you might not have experienced many auditions; you’re new to the company – it all adds to the stress.  The Miss Saigon Production Team  have provided the following information to help you in your preparations for January auditions.  These recommendations only apply to those performers auditioning for principal roles.  Those people auditioning for chorus will attend a general chorus audition, working with the Musical Director in small groups and you will not be required to present your own song choice.

Principal Auditions:

Prepare 16 to 32 bars of a song that you are completely comfortable with.  In other words sing something that shows your voice at its best.  Choose a section of the song that best presents your voice but also shows your range and musicality.  For instance, this may mean that you begin in the middle of the song.  You may only get to sing 16 bars but prepare 32 bars in case they need to hear more.

Choose a song that is similar in style to Miss Saigon.  In other words, Gilbert and Sullivan or heavy rock and roll are probably not going to show whether you are capable of performing a contemporary opera.

You will have 15 minutes to show us your ability to “sell” a song. We’re not looking for a fully developed character at this point; we’re looking for your potential to develop the character.  In your preparations, separate the words from the music and analyse the text as you would a script.  What is the piece saying and how should you tell that story.  Don’t stand and sing a song – sell the story within the song.

At the Information Night (January 23) you will be given a section of music from the show.  This will give you five days to become “familiar” with the piece so the Director and Musical Director can work with you on it as part of your audition.  The reason the team would prefer you don’t learn a song from the show as your main audition piece is this -

• Nerves will cause you to learn the piece so thoroughly that it will be difficult for you to alter habits of presentation later on if they don’t mesh with the Director’s overall vision of the show;
• You are free to choose a piece that really shows off your voice and that you are familiar with, reducing the impact of nerves on the day.

Only having 5 days to become familiar with the Miss Saigon section you will receive at Information Night means exactly that – you will just be “familiar” with it.  Please don’t learn it  so well that you establish patterns of presentation.  The team will want to work on it with you to determine:

• How well you take direction
• How quickly you implement direction
• How easy you are to work with
• How flexible you are as an actor and singer

There will be more details about audition day later but, for now, enjoy this video of Tony Award winner, Cady Huffman (Ula in The Producers), as she tells us that even the best can stuff it up.  True talents take what they do very seriously but never take themselves too seriously.  In other words, keep your sense of humour – it will keep you sane in this journey called theatre.

www.savoyards.com.au   |   ph: 3893 4321   |   committee@savoyards.com.au

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