5 Questions That Lead to Better Rep
Whether you’re auditioning for a school, a Broadway show, or a community theater, you will need a strong rep book. A rep book is a collection of songs an actor has prepared to bring to auditions. While all actors need a rep book to be successful auditioners, many need clarification on what to include.
Ask yourself these five questions if you’ve ever wondered how to pick strong material for your rep book.
1.) Does This Song Bring Out My Essence
Auditions aren’t talent contests. Your job is to show the people you are auditioning for who you are. This task is the number one criterion for material in your repertoire. Find out what essence you bring into an audition room and find material that brings that out.
2.) Do I Believe the Words Coming Out of My Mouth
This point seems simple enough, but many people pick songs for the wrong reasons – such as money notes and emotional extremes. Get down to it.
Is this song believable when you inhabit it? Does it deal with life experiences that you can realistically have undergone? Is this song appropriate for your age?
No one wants to hear an 11-year-old sing Lily’s Eyes or a 40-year-old sing The Girl I Mean To Be.
3.) Do I Love This Song
Casting directors can tell when you don’t like a song. It’s less engaging for you and the creative team you are auditioning for. There are too many songs out there not to sing one you love. You’ll be glad you did, and so will casting!
4.) Do I Connect to this Song
This question may be more important than number three. Casting teams want to see you have an experience and live truthfully in your song. Actors need to be able to sing repertoire in their book dozens to hundreds of times. Picking a piece you connect to on a deep level will help you put your best foot forward each time you audition.
5.) Can I Afford the Pricetag?
Every song had a price tag. The price of a song goes up when it is overdone, featured in the show you are auditioning for, and when there is an iconic performance of it. For the first example, consider tweens singing any song from 13 (please no more). For the second, think of singing Tomorrow for an Annie audition. For the latter, think of singing Don’t Rain on My Parade.
Fret not! You can still afford to sing a song if you answer yes to any or god-forbid, all three price tag questions. The key to paying a high price tag is to answer yes to this article’s first four questions and then crush that song.
Picking great material is more of an art than a science. There are no perfect answers, but there are certainly stronger ones. I hope these questions are directions to better rep for you. Happy hunting!
Break a leg. Remember: you are enough.
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The Danny Greenberg Studio is a professional performing arts studio for children in New York (Brooklyn and Manhattan!) and online, focusing on vocal and acting training.
Our students star annually in numerous Broadway shows, national tours, and feature films. Our studio welcomes students of all levels between 6 and 18 to foster their love of performing. Once they’re ready, we also help connect students to top agents and casting directors.
Since our debut, we have focused on three values: children, crafts, and community. Our students develop professional techniques and valuable skills they use inside and outside the studio. We help prepare our students for professional success and make personal impacts through charity cabarets and fundraisers.
We provide private lessons in-person and online in singing, acting, audition coaching, industry professional workshops, showcases, musical theater classes, and admissions prep with curriculums tailored to each child’s needs so they can build their self-confidence. Each year, we coach students for DOE High School auditions, and they consistently get into Laguirdia, Frank Sinatra, and PPAS. We teach acting, singing, and dancing lessons in midtown Manhattan, Greenpoint, and Park Slope Brooklyn. Zoom lessons are also available. Contact us for more information on the admissions process.
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