My First Broadway Audition

My husband, Steve, has performed on stage in high school and in community theater, but is not a professional actor. When he saw they were holding open auditions for a workshop of the musical Shrek, he thought it would be fun to go try out. I told him I thought it would be a great idea, especially if he wrote about what it was like to audition for a Broadway musical. By the way, I took his headshot in our living room with a digital camera. I suggest getting professional headshots, but it works in a pinch. - Maria Knapp, Theater Guide

Have you ever had a once in a lifetime opportunity? A chance to do something you have never done before, let alone know someone else that had? That’s really how I envisioned auditioning for Shrek the Musical. Sure I have been in plays and musical in high school and community theater but never had I ever dreamed of Broadway.

I mean, I know I do not have your typical leading man good looks. I have been told many times by many directors that I have a really good voice and have acted well. I didn't necessarily disbelieve them; I just didn't have the self confidence to pursue that line of work. At this point in my life, I am confident in my ability as a vocalist and have much more confidence than I’ve ever had. So when Maria told me about the open audition was coming up again I said, “What have I got to loose?”

The auditions were held at the Chelsea Studios on 26th St. I got to the address and signed up on the unofficial sign-in list. We all eventually transferred our names to the "official" list. I handed in my resume and head shot and waited along with about 25 more people. They were casting for Shrek and Donkey, so the room had people fitting the descriptions for each part. And a few who didn't. The info sheet said that Shrek should be 20's-30's male with a Rock or R&B voice. Donkey should be same age group, also male, with an ability to do poetry-slam and Rap. Still there were a few women there as well.

One of the women I got a chance to talk to said she was a little unsure of why she was there, but her acting coach told her since it was an open audition she had nothing to loose by auditioning and seeing what the experience was like. A kindred spirit to me in a way. It also turns out that this was not the second open casting call like I had thought. (I knew of the call in October of 2006, but I only found out a day and a half before the date. I didn't have enough time to prepare for that one to audition.) But I found out from one of the guys perusing the roll of Donkey that this was actually his third time trying for the role.

The director (Jason Moore, who directed Avenue Q) and the casting director were running a little late so most of us took the opportunity to listen to our audition pieces on our various MP3 players and look over the sheet music we would be handing over to the piano players. I also took the time to think over the audition tips from the About.com’s theater site. There are a lot of good tips for someone like me; you know, someone who could use all the help he can get.

When the directors showed up, they said that they would be calling out groups of five from the list to sit in the hall and those people would be asked in one at a time. I figured that this would be a good time to go to the bathroom before I auditioned. On my way down the hall, I was stopped by a woman who worked for Google. They were interviewing some of the auditioners for Google Video. So not only did I audition for the show, but I’m now up on the web as well. (See video here.)

Eventually, my group of five was called out to the hallway to wait for the actual audition phase. I was asked my name and was announced on the way into the room. The room itself was a brightly light, windowless 25x25 foot room. As I came into the room, I introduced myself and handed the piano player my sheet music. We discussed how much of the song I would sing and an appropriate tempo. The director asked what song I was going to perform and I told them I had chosen to do "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Picket. As I started to sing, I knew, I had nailed that song to the wall. Figuratively.

They seemed to really like my performance from their facial expressions and they even made a joke about expecting me to sing some Rimsky-Korsakov. (I sang with Princeton Pro Musica, a classical choir out of Princeton, NJ for a couple of years, as well as getting to perform at Carnegie Hall.) They thanked me and I collected my stuff and hit the street feeling a major sense of accomplishment and, of course, the thrill of auditioning for a Broadway musical! I have no idea if I will get a call back or not, but that really doesn't matter to me. Sure it would be great and I would love to do it. Regardless of whether I get it or not, I can say, “Did you know I auditioned for a Broadway musical?” I don't know anyone else who can.