Whether you are new to theatre and auditioning or have been auditioning for years, it’s normal to feel nervous for a new opportunity. To help ease your nerves, here’s what to expect when auditioning for Connecticut Theatre Company:
All of our auditions are open call, this means that we hold auditions on a specific date and time and anyone who wants to come audition is welcome! This is the easy part, you just show up!
When you arrive at the theatre you’ll be greeted by one of our volunteers who will give you an audition form to fill out and an information sheet. Here’s a sample of our audition form and the guideline sheet provided. If you would prefer an audition form in large print, one will be available for you.
If you have a headshot (photo of yourself) or resume (listing of previous theatre experience), you are welcome to attach it to the form. Note: These are not required and you are welcome to audition even if you have never been in a show before.
Once you have completed the form you’ll give it back to our volunteer to be checked in for your audition.
You’ll be waiting in the lobby with other auditioners. It’s a great time to make new friends as you wait for your audition.
Each auditioner is called into the theatre to audition for the director one at a time. The audition is private, so it will just be you and the creative team which could consist of a director or directors, music director, choreographer, and stage manager.
If you have brought sheet music with you, you’ll be asked to go over what you’ll be singing with the music director/accompanist. They will confirm your start and stop point, the tempo, and any questions you may have. Then you’ll go up on stage and perform your song for us. Usually you’ll just be asked to sing a short section 16 – 32 bars or around 1 minute of a song. While it’s great to pick a song that’s in style of the show or fits the character you’re auditioning for, the main thing is to pick a song that you know and are comfortable singing. When you’re at ease, you’ll really be able to shine.
Once you finish your song the director will go over any questions they have or give you any additional information about what’s needed.
If there’s no dance call, that’s all that will be needed for the initial audition! It’s that simple! If there is a dance call, you may be asked to go back to the lobby and wait until a small group can be included to learn the dance.
When a dance call is done, typically you will be brought back in after singing to learn a short (around 30 seconds) dance combination. We usually do these in groups of five auditioners. You’ll want to let the choreographer know if there are any modifications you need while learning the dance. We’ll see a wide range of skill level with a dance and we’re not looking for trained dancers, we’re just seeing how you learn new movements. This is a great time to relax and have fun! When you’re having a good time, it’ll show in your movement!
You’ll be shown the dance broken down into small steps, run it a few times as you’re learning it without music and then run it with music a couple of times with the choreographer. Finally, the choreographer will have you perform the number while they watch.
After the dance call you’ll be done for the evening!
Next the creative team will meet and discuss everyone who came out to audition and where they fit within the show. In the event the director needs to see more from an individual auditioner, they will reach out for a callback audition. A callback audition will be for a specific part or parts and you’ll be provided with an idea of what will be needed prior to the audition.
Callbacks are by invitation only. When you are asked to come to a callback you’ll likely be given a song to familiarize yourself with that’s sung by the character you are auditioning for. Additionally, the night of the callback you will likely be asked to do a cold read from the script. Cold reads are where you are given a small scene from the show to act out either with a reader or with another auditioner. You will be able to hold the script, so you don’t need to memorize anything.
After callbacks, the creative team meets and makes their final decisions for casting. Whether or not you are cast in that show, you will receive an email notification. Additionally, the final cast list will be posted on the website after parts are confirmed.
If you will require any specific accommodations for this audition, rehearsals or performances, please reach out to dcampbell@connecticuttheatrecompany.org for assistance. We are eager to help you be able to get to us and to show us your best work!