When/Where should I go?
July 27 (Saturday), 5 to 8 PM. The location is 14 Beaverfork Rd, Conway, AR 72032. Please park or drop the auditionee off at the lower parking lot. The double doors directly beneath the steeple will be unlocked; please enter through those.
When you arrive, please proceed to the table at the center of the foyer and sign in. One of the auditions staff will be there to guide you through the sign-in process.
How long will I be there?
Auditionees should plan on being at auditions for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Since it is a first-come, first-serve event, we cannot provide you with an accurate duration (sorry!), so please make sure to keep in contact with your auditionee if you drop him/her off. Unfortunately, we are not equipped to entertain kids all evening!
What should I bring?
Each auditionee should come prepared with a short musical selection and the sheet music for the selection. We ask that the selection be shorter than 3 minutes, if possible. We will provide the accompanist, or the auditionee may accompany him- or herself on piano. Please note that canned (pre-recorded) music, such as soundtracks, will not be able to be played. If the auditionee does not have a musical selection and wishes to audition for a musical part, he/she will sing “Happy Birthday.”
What should I expect?
You (or your child) will probably be pretty nervous leading up to the auditions. That is, of course, completely normal! Individual auditions will last no more than 5 or 10 minutes and will be performed in front of the auditions staff (no more than 5 people). That’s right: you’ll have the whole stage to yourself, so feel free to ham it up!
If you’re auditioning for a singing role, you’ll be asked to perform your musical selection first. Then, the auditions staff will ask you to read some material from the play itself.
Note to parents, friends, guardians, etc.: we do not allow anyone except the auditions staff and the individual auditionee into the auditorium during a live audition. This insures each auditionee performs under the same circumstances, as well as helps protect the auditions staff from backlash in the event of (heaven forbid!) an unpopular casting decision.
Characters
You’re probably wanting to know a little bit more about the characters you’re auditioning for, so maybe the information below will help out.
When will the cast be announced?
We anticipate being able to announce the cast decisions by August 3. We will post the list both to this webpage and our Facebook page.
So, I made the cast! What next?
You will receive a copy of the script, a copy of the songbook, and a CD of the soundtracks and songs. There will be a cast get-together and read-through on August 10. The directors will provide you with a schedule of rehearsals, which brings us to our next topic…
What about rehearsals?
The entire, full-length musical must be learned and mastered in 8 weeks’ time—no small task, to be sure! Being involved in this musical requires a special time commitment. We understand that not everyone has that amount of flexibility with work, other activities, and so forth. However, we also understand—from past experiences—that regularly missed rehearsals cause the entire production team to fall behind schedule. Oftentimes, this lost time can’t be made up. If you’re not able to commit to 6 – 8 hours per week for rehearsals for 8 weeks, we strongly recommend that you reconsider being involved in this production.
What if I wasn’t cast for the play?
The worst part about auditions—for auditionees and the auditions staff—is cutting someone who’s worked up the nerve to actually go through with auditions. There aren’t enough parts to go around, and the simple truth is that not everyone who auditions will be cast. We truly hate that! If you find yourself in this situation, take a few days to nurse your wounds. After that, if you still want to be part of the production, consider volunteering for one of our production crew positions. You’ll probably learn a whole lot about musical theater in the process, all while contributing positively to the production!
Some auditioning tips…
- As cliché as it sounds, relax. When you’re on edge, everyone in the room is on edge. Your vocal chords become inflexible, your muscles tighten up—and your audition won’t be what you want it to be. When you get up to perform, say something funny to lighten the mood. It will make us all feel better!
- Don’t get your heart set on a part. Chances are you won’t get it, anyway. When you feel yourself daydreaming about getting that part you want most, immediately stop yourself and imagine a friend getting it instead. Do this every time that daydream appears and it won’t be nearly as big a disappointment when your friend actually does get it.
- Practice to perform, not to perfection. Memorization is, of course, an important part of acting, but if you spend all your time perfecting what you say and little time on how you say it, your audition may be underwhelming. You have more body parts than just a mouth and tongue. Use them.
- Singing for an audience can be quite intimidating. We get that. We also get that there’s no such thing as a perfect singer. Everyone—even the best—messes up at some point. So here’s some advice: sing loudly! If you aren’t singing for an audience on a regular basis, your natural tendency will be to sing “within yourself.” In other words, you’ll be singing much more softly than you think. And as beautiful a voice as you might have, if the auditions staff can’t hear you very well, we won’t be able to cast you for a strong musical role. To put it simply: we’ve worked hard on the numbers for this musical and we want the audience to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Call us selfish, but it is our prerogative. So. Sing. Loudly.
Arkansas Christian Theater 