What, you mean TODAY is the 12th?

December 12, 2006 9:54 AM

LastMinuteAuditionFilter: I have less than three hours to prepare for an audition I totally forgot about until this morning.

Am I royally screwed? I have a song sort of picked out and sort of practiced... but I'm also just getting over a long bout of bronchitis, and am still coughing. This is high school theatre, for the record, not professional theatre, and the directors are familiar with my range, voice, and capabilities- what can I do in the next couple of hours to soothe my throat, my voice, and my stage fright?

For what it's worth, I'm auditioning for "Into The Woods". The two-act version, not the junior version.

posted by Glitter Ninja to media & arts (7 comments total)

Right now, drink tea. An hour before, start warming up your voice. Sing scales for half an hour. Then breathe. In and out. Into your diaphragm. Hold it in. Let it out.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:03 AM on December 12, 2006 [2 favorites]

Tea with honey and lemon is the traditional last-minute voice soother for actors and singers. If I've got a throat full of phlegm, I like to "scrape it down" with pretzels, crackers or something else similarly dry and crunchy (cue a bunch of smarter people telling me why this is a bad idea).

That's the physical advice you wanted to hear. Now for the mental advice, which you may not like so much: It's a high school production. If you look up insular nepotism in a dictionary, you'll find a photo of a high school musical next to it. Chances are that most, if not all, of the parts are already cast, at least inside the director's head. If he or she wants you for a part, then that decision has already been made, and it won't be altered by you being a little out-of-sorts during the quote-unquote "audition."

In short, don't worry about it.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:17 AM on December 12, 2006

For your throat/voice: vocal rest (shh...), hot tea (if you have access at school), and steam (run a sinkful of hot water in the bathroom, lean over the sink, and put a jacket or towel over your head. breathe deeply. stay there.) Steam for as long as you can before you go on, then pat your face dry, blow your nose/cough up gunk, reapply makeup (if needed) and go.

When I sang I had a friend who could do some sort of magical throat massage thing to me that would get me through the 5 minutes I needed to perform one song, but he's the only one I've ever met who could do it.

For the stage fright: remember that this is the best of all possible sick-audition worlds: auditioning for people who have seen (and casted?) you a million times before. If it's anything like my high school, they've probably already got a general idea of who they want in which part. Go and do the best you can.

And definitely don't apologize for your illness -- they'll be able to tell without you telling them, and you'll get bonus points for professionalism if you just get up there and do your best, with no excuses.

Break a leg.
posted by somanyamys at 10:18 AM on December 12, 2006

Chill! You got a stage to take ownership of. Confidence is at least as important as skill. You don't have to be terribly musical for this kind of music. Performance is way more important that your voice.

I don't know the show in question. But I understand shows in general. It isn't technical singing. It's about pulling in your audience so they feel what the story calls for.

The bronchitis is really rough for having to sing. Chicken soup and/or hot honey and lemon are in order. Think positive thoughts about the audition, and think about the character you're auditioning for (if its possible to go for a character, rather than a general audition and they place you where you'll go).

Of course it helps they already know what you can do, singing wise. So focus on presentation. The fact that they already know your voice means you are known to be a singer. So worry less about your voice.
posted by Goofyy at 10:20 AM on December 12, 2006

If you've got phlegm in your throat, get some acetylcystein. For a congested nose you'll want pseudoephedrine. Those two are available over the country all over the planet.

Eat fresh citrus – grapefruits are perfect, oranges good. Wear a scarf.

Avoid breathing in dry air, for example from a hairdrier. While it does help with congested noses, it will make your throat sore. In fact, increasing air humidity will probably do your throat more good. Boil some water or take a shower.

On preview: FoB's tea suggestion is good, I find that the dust from crunchy bread stuff tends to irritate my throat and make me cough. YMMV.
posted by stereo at 11:05 AM on December 12, 2006

Massage is good- I rely on facial massage too. It really loosens things up. Massage under your chin, your neck muscles, all of it (not TOO roughly of course). I do mine in the shower while breathing in lots of moist steamy air.

Let us know how you did!
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 2:18 PM on December 12, 2006

Singers Saving Grace!!!
posted by thebrokenmuse at 11:26 PM on April 12, 2007