6 Musical Theater CDs Share What They Look for in Actors’ Voices

When you step into an audition, it’s time for your training to shine—and in musical theater auditions and others that require singing, that means showing your pipes off for all they’re worth. Over the years, we’ve spoken with casting vets of the medium to get their best tips for the room. Read on for the best bits from Bernie Telsey, Katie Proctor, and Franklyn Warfield—and head to backstage.com/magazine for the full roundup!

Screen or stage, you have to show your voice’s strength.
“They’ve got to be able to sing, but it’s [about] understanding how to be intimate, as well. Sometimes stage auditions are larger than life to fill a big room, and even though we still need that because it’s a musical, it’s [about] remembering you’ll be filmed and you need to be emotionally connected. The camera is going to be right on your eyes, and your eyes don’t lie. I also think listening is big when auditioning for the camera, because so many times, the camera is on you when you’re not singing or speaking but just listening.
I tell young actors to remember to act and be present even in between your stuff, because the camera is on you.” —Bernie Telsey, Telsey + Company

You must connect to the material for a successful performance.
“No matter what you’re auditioning for, you need to have a connection to the material. In that sense, it’s the same as the kind of things that maybe they’re being trained for; asking, “Who are you singing to? What is it that you want? What is your emotional connection?” No matter what you’re singing, if you don’t have a connection to it and you don’t ultimately have a reason for why you’re singing it, nothing’s going to come across and you’re not going to relate to the audience because you’re not relating to what you’re singing. I need to see you having fun. I need to see your connection to it, because once you break down the fourth wall, it is just you. How are you getting us engaged? Are you even looking at the people behind the table? Are you engaging the audition panel as opposed to making it clear you’re living in a different world?” —Katie Proctor, RWS Entertainment

Singing louder isn’t necessarily better.
“My ears are a little worn down by the yelling of singers lately. Everyone wants to go in and impress, right? I think a major pitfall of that is people sing louder. A lot of times, you’re in a gigantic room with not much soft material to absorb any sound, and I think you sound really good in your head, but it becomes off-putting to the panel. It’s so refreshing when somebody comes in and gives you a really nuanced 16-bar song that has a build to it, that has moments in which you can bring us into you. You don’t have to constantly be forcing material on us. That is the mark of a seasoned performer. We really can get a sense of you and what you can do. You want to pack as much as you can into those 16 bars, and if it’s all one level, you didn’t really make a big impact on us. It’s so much easier to see and hear you when it has a build.” —Franklyn Warfield, RWS Entertainment

Voice is more than just singing, especially onstage.
“Vocal skills generally are top of my list. At some theaters, we don’t mic people, and if you’re used to doing TV work, that’s going to take you by surprise. Vocally, it’s more of a challenge for people. You follow the old rules: You want to reach the people at the back of the gallery; you want to fill a space with your performance and bring the character’s emotional responses to a much larger audience and a much larger space.” —Andrew Lynford, Center Theatre Group

Know how to support your voice.
“We are always alert to an actor’s speaking voice—an actor who has been trained can support their voice, and their voice is a full function of their instrument as an actor. It should be handled the same way you would use your body: full, supported, and controllable. I listen to actors’ voices even when we’re not casting a musical. I also think there is a certain size to acting we like and celebrate in theater that’s not necessarily required in television and film. We look for people who can convey and enliven the truth onstage to the person at the back of the house.” —Tara Rubin, Tara Rubin Casting

The best performers sing and dance or sing and act.
“We usually say that, if you consider singing, dancing, and acting, you need to do two out of three really well, and one of them has to be singing, because there are musicals where you don’t have to dance a lot and there are musicals where you can get by with basic acting, but there are no musicals where you don’t sing. We’re looking for really strong singer-actors or really strong singer-dancers, and we believe we can fix the third component.” —Aubrey Berg, former CCM Musical Theater chair

This story originally appeared in the July 23 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.