How to Break Into Musical Theater

“Schmigadoon!” Courtesy Apple TV+

• Broadway: When most people think of musical theater, they imagine the Broadway stage, and it’s no surprise: Making your way to Broadway—or even Off-Broadway or Off-Off-Broadway—is considered by many to be the pinnacle of a musical theater performer’s career. 
• Regional theaters: If your goal is to be paid to perform, regional theaters are an excellent gig. Regional theater contracts tend to be on the shorter side, which means less long-term stability. But shorter contracts also give you flexibility—you can play many different roles rather than get locked into a long run of a single show. Booking regional roles is an excellent way to build your résumé, especially if you land work at esteemed venues like Goodspeed, the La Jolla Playhouse, the Goodman Theatre, or the Milwaukee Rep.
• Touring shows: Popular classic shows and hit musicals often have national and international touring productions. These can be union or nonunion. Touring shows are an excellent way to gain experience and build community with other performers. Touring shows typically develop a family atmosphere as the performers and production team travel together from city to city.
• Cruise ships: Cruise ships have become a fertile breeding ground for successful musical theater actors. High-caliber cruise lines often mount full-scale musical productions, and cruise performers get the benefit of a captive audience to pack the house.
• Cabarets and open mics: One-off performances in small venues provide opportunities for performers to flex their onstage muscles. For example, in New York City, the supper club 54 Below frequently produces cult musicals or reunion concerts of shuttered productions; and in Los Angeles, the Gardenia Restaurant & Lounge is known for its cabaret-style musical productions. 
• Musical films: The first film with sound, 1927’s “The Jazz Singer,” was a musical. Hollywood has been making music ever since. More recently, hits like “La La Land,” “In The Heights,” “West Side Story,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Color Purple,” and “Mean Girls” have kept the tradition alive. Musical theater actors can also flex their singing skills in animated films. 
• Musical television shows: Popular shows like “Glee,” “Smash,” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” brought the stage to the small screen, and the trend continued with “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” “Schmigadoon!” and “Daisy Jones & The Six.” Adding to the musical-on-camera momentum is the trend of telecasts of live or prerecorded musicals, such as “The Sound of Music,” “The Wiz,” “Grease,” “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” and the “Dirty Dancing” remake.

Musical theater performers typically have some voice, dance, and acting training. Does that mean you need a degree in musical theater to book a gig in musical theater? Not necessarily. There are several ways to get the musical theater training you need. 

• College BFA and MFA programs: If higher education is in the cards for you, choosing an institution where you can study your craft will help you pursue a professional musical theater career. Carnegie Mellon University, regarded as a musical theater holy grail, has spawned talents like Christian Borle, Josh Gad, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Billy Porter, and countless others. Many MT actors also attend University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and the University of Michigan, all of which have renowned programs. Even state schools and smaller universities that are not known for their musical theater department can teach you foundational acting, music, and dance skills. 
• Private vocal lessons: The most accomplished musical theater stars continue their vocal training throughout their career. In addition to refining your musical theater sound, vocal training helps you develop the vocal stamina you’ll need to make it through an eight-show-per-week run.
• Dance classes: Dance guru Erika Shannon advises performers to begin with a ballet class, as ballet technique lays a strong dance foundation. She also advises that you join the class in which you feel comfortable, even if it’s you along with a bunch of 5-year-olds.
• Acting classes: Acting classes are also essential for musical theater actors of any level. Not only will you be performing in front of an audience with each session, but you will also meet other performers, all of whom could be valuable industry contacts. For tips on finding the right option for you, check out our in-depth guide to choosing an acting class.

Musical theater performers must have the three essential skills that create the “triple threat” trifecta. As explained by triple threat Maggie Bera, to break into musical theater, you need to be able to:

• Act: The foundation of any performer’s skill set, good acting involves embodying characters, conveying emotions authentically, and telling narratives convincingly through dialogue and actions.
• Sing: Singing prowess enhances an artist’s range and appeal, whether belting out show tunes on Broadway or singing a few notes in a regional production.
• Dance: From classical ballet to contemporary hip-hop, dancing skills allow a musical theater performer to captivate audiences with their physicality and grace.

Do you have to be a prodigy in acting, singing, and dancing to book gigs? Absolutely not. Most working musical theater performers are stronger in two of the three elements. Regardless of your skill mix, there are roles in the musical theater realm you can fill. For example, performers cast in leading roles on Broadway are typically sensational actors and singers—but they are frequently less impressive dancers. There’s even an industry term for this: “movers.” On their résumés, in fact, it will say “moves well,” as the term “dancer” implies a higher skill level. 

On the flip side, performers who fill out the ensemble of a musical need to be excellent dancers with the ability to carry a tune, but their acting skills are less critical. That being said, producers and directors expect musical theater performers to have some ability in all three areas. The more versatile and developed your skill set is, the more jobs you will audition for and book.

Related

Musical Theater and Dance: How Good Do You Need to Be to Make It on Broadway?

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• Casting databases: Casting platforms like Backstage are great places to find musical theater auditions in your area. Actors of any union status—and any region—can find ample audition notices in our musical theater casting calls. You can also search on Playbill and Broadway World, as well as organization databases such as Disney Careers. 
• Actors’ Equity Association: Joining Equity is another excellent way to learn about paying musical theater jobs. If Broadway is your ultimate goal, you’ll need to join sometime. (All Broadway theaters are Equity.) There’s more than one route to Equity membership, though—you can explore your options in our guide to acting unions. Theaters throughout the country operate under Equity contracts, and any Equity-contracted theater must hold open auditions at least once per season. If you are nonunion, you can still land an audition at a union theater by signing up as an alternate. 
• Internships and seasonal roles: Americans for the Arts, Broadway Dreams, other musical theater internships, and summer stock productions post auditions for interns seasonally. 
• Networking: Fellow actors (perhaps those you met in acting or dance classes) are also a great way to hear about upcoming auditions. Stay on good terms with as many of your peers as possible, because you never know—they may suggest you for a gig if they learn of a role that’s right for you. And in turn, if you get wind of a job and know someone who could be suitable, pass along the information.
• Social media: Use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to interact with established performers, directors, and casting agents. Post clips of your best performances and participate in challenges like #MusicalTheaterChallenge, #BroadwayTikTok, and #ShakeMyHandInCharacter. Follow hashtags like #TheaterAuditions and #MusicalTheaterAuditions, and use hashtags like #MusicalTheater and #TheaterEnthusiast to keep up to date with audition opportunities and connect with the musical theater community.

Want to know how to prepare for a musical theater audition? Voice, dance, and acting training is the best preparation, but beyond this training, you’ll also need specific materials to submit to musical theater casting calls and auditions. These include a headshot, résumé, musical theater reel, and your audition “book.”

• Headshots: A good headshot reflects your type and accurately represents how you look right now (not, say, two years ago). Musical theater headshots aren’t that different from other acting headshots. Any headshot should be taken by a professional photographer, not your cellphone. 
• Résumé: Similar to headshots, your musical theater résumé won’t greatly vary from a standard acting résumé. You’ll just want to add information about your vocal type and movement experience. Specifically note your vocal type (soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, etc.) and your range (“high F”). Dance training falls under the “Education” section of your résumé. 
• Demo reel: Once considered a nice addition to an MT actor’s package, demo reels are now essential. Professional reel-maker Tim Grady says that a good musical theater reel shouldn’t “show every single thing you can do.” Instead, your reel should “highlight your talents and be brought back into the room later when you’re in New York or there’s a callback.”
• Your “book”: Every MT performer needs a binder containing sheet music for their prepared audition songs. In MT terminology, this binder is your “book.” As voice teacher Andrew Byrne explains, “the preparation of your audition book is a clear way to show a casting panel that you are a pro. Having your sheet music well-organized and polished shows us that you understand the role of the pianist in making your performance successful.” Most MT auditions request an uptempo song or a ballad, and sometimes one of each.

You should expect to showcase your singing, dancing, and acting skills at any musical theater audition. Depending on the production, one skill may be more important than another, which usually determines the audition order. If you’re auditioning for “A Chorus Line,” for example, you’ll likely dance first; an audition for “Sweeney Todd” usually starts with singing. In general, at a MT audition you should expect to: 

• Sing: Any musical theater audition will require you to sing. Usually, the creative team requests a 16-bar or 32-bar section of a prepared song. Sometimes at callbacks, you’ll be asked to perform a song from the show itself. 
• Work with an accompanist: In musical theater auditions, there will usually be an accompanist in the room for the singing portion. Casting director Benton Whitley says “the most important thing to remember is to be kind, courteous, and clear in communicating what you need before going into your song.” How you handle yourself under pressure shows the creative team what you might be like to work with during rehearsals and performances.
• Dance: Dance-heavy shows will have a separate dance call. Here, a member of the creative will teach you a dance combination. You’ll need to learn the combination quickly, then perform it for the creative team. If that sounds like your worst nightmare, you are not alone. Just remember: What matters most is appearing confident. Whitley advises less-experienced movers to focus on the storytelling of the dance more than one flawless technique. He says that the casting team will be more focused on your face than your footwork. 
• Read sides or recite a monologue: If you are auditioning for a specific production or a theatrical season, the casting team will give you a short scene to perform. If you are auditioning at an open call, the casting team may instead ask to see a short monologue that shows your range.

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Landing representation is always a good idea. Is it possible to book musical theater work without an agent? Of course. Are you going to book a heck of a lot more auditions and subsequent jobs with one? Also a firm yes. “Agents serve many purposes. Just the act of having one validates you to the rest of the industry,” explains a Los Angeles–based talent agent and our resident tell-all columnist known as Secret Agent Man. “People will take you much more seriously when you have representation.”

As we mentioned, most professional musical theater houses in the United States operate under an Equity contract, which requires them to regularly host auditions. You can absolutely secure an audition slot without an agent, especially if you are an Equity member or an Equity member candidate. However, if you have an agent, they can communicate with the theater’s creative team to get you a scheduled slot or set a general meeting for you. 

Musical theater agents tend to be most helpful after you have some performance credits on your résumé. Once you have some theatrical experience, an agent can negotiate with theaters to pay you a higher rate than the union standard. If you have made a name for yourself or have a specialized skill set, your agent may negotiate with a theater to cast you without an audition. The industry lingo for this is a “straight offer.”

If a non-theater person heard two musical theater professionals chatting about the biz, it would sound like a different language. Don’t be intimidated! We’ve rounded up several key terms that anyone working in musical theater will hear—and say—constantly. From “EPAs” to “the pit” to “16-bar cuts,” here are nearly 100 expressions you should know:

• 60+ Theater Terms Every Actor Should Know 
• 23 Must-Know Musical Theater Audition Terms