Singing Auditions and Singer Tryouts

Auditions for Broadway and off Broadway shows

So you think you can sing! Do you love Karaoke and enjoy being up on stage with all attention on you as you sing your heart out for your audience.

There are many opportunities for singers all the way from community choirs to Broadway shows. To get to the big time of Broadway shows and recording contracts you will need to start somewhere and the place many new singers start is in the community.

Going from nowhere to big time is difficult. It will take lots of work, dedication and you will need to audition. For many professional singers the place to start is with small gigs at clubs, choirs and community events.

Many people have a great voice and lots of talent. Where they fail is in their follow through and dedication to their art. To become famous you will need to get noticed by the people who book shows and sign talent. To get noticed by them you will need to sing, many times for free at any event that may help your career, go out on singing auditions and put in the leg work to get you noticed. Basically, you need to market yourself.

There are steps you need to take to become a professional singer and you need to plan a road map to where you want to be. Having the talent is a small part of that road map, having the dedication and networking to get where you need to be is what will make or break your career.

To become a professional singer you will need some voice lessons. No matter how good you think you are, you can always be better, especially in a field that is so competitive. Building a resume that includes training and singing gigs is what you need to do to establish yourself as a dedicated pro.

Many singers dream of Broadway. The casting directors that book those singers want to see not only talented singers, but trained singers who can perform like pros under pressure and have the training to do so.

Getting an audition as a singer is actually easier than it is for other performing arts such as actors. Many auditions for singers are put out as open casting calls for shows, including Broadway and off Broadway shows.

Even though many of those auditions are open, you may want to gain experience in smaller shows before trying out. This is where community shows and musicals come into play.

Don’t expect to start at the top. Start at the bottom with small roles in small productions, start in the chorus then work your way to a featured role. Once you get to be a featured performer in a small show, set your sights on larger productions and audition for those larger productions. Once in the larger production, network with others and move on up to even bigger productions.

Make sure you know your range and the material you can shine at.

After gaining the proper experience, you can begin auditioning for parts in national tours, Disney shows, cruise ship shows and of course the Broadway shows. Don’t rush the process. Many large shows are booked by the same casting directors especially when it comes to large national tours. The last thing you want is to blow an audition and get a reputation for doing so.

Before auditioning for a large production make sure you have prepared the correct audition song that suits the production and your voice. Never try anything new at an audition. A good thing to do is to consult with a voice coach before doing so and making sure that you are using the best music and song for your range.

Most large productions use union singers. You will need to join the union which for musical theater is called Equity since the large musicals will only audition Equity performers. Once you joined the union you will be in the loop of who is hiring singers where and be in a better position to land the better gigs.

To get into the union, you may need to start in the chorus then work your way up. For many singer auditions Equity performers get priority for the better jobs but non union performers are also hired who will later join the union after joining the production.

Great singers are always in demand and jobs are listed daily, many of which are open casting calls. Those jobs are available in not only New York and Broadway, but all over the U.S. and even internationally on tours, theatre productions, and cruise ships.

Disney hires singers all the time for their countless productions and many of those are open auditions in many cities. Disney even has a entire site dedicated to auditions for their shows that include their theme parks, Broadway shows, national tours and cruise ships.

To get onto a Broadway show, you will need to start somewhere and work your way on up. A mistake many singers make is auditioning for a top spot when they are not yet ready to do so and end up hurting themselves in the process.

Do your research, know your range, begin with small supporting roles and work to get better and better. If you do that you will get noticed and make a name for yourself as not only a professional, but a professional with great experience in various roles that may warrant a starring role in an upcoming production.

Singers can make great money for doing what they love. Equity(union) singers can make anywhere from a few hundred a week to thousands depending on the show and contract. Many of the touring jobs have great benefits such as room, board and international travel. To get more info about the musical theater union you can check out actors equity here.