MACT

By Patrick Burns from Stage Agent (StageAgent.com)

An audition book is a collection of sheet music or monologues that actors, singers, or performers compile and bring with them to auditions. I’ve played a lot of auditions, so I’ve seen a lot of audition books and let me tell you, they come in all shapes, sizes, and creeds. I’ve seen some audition books that live somewhere between a paper cut and a broken dream. I’ve encountered books that deposited loose pages and muffin crumbs all over the piano. However, every so often one encounters a rare unicorn: a clean, organized binder filled with easily readable and fabulous songs. Remember, for a musical theatre actor, the audition book can be your biggest asset or your Achilles’ heel.

As a musical theatre actor, the chances are good that your audition will involve singing. Usually this process begins with a piece you’ve selected for yourself. These pieces are kept in a binder known as your audition book. This “book” should be between one and three inches. Bigger binders are physically cumbersome, and having more than 10-15 pieces in your book can become more of a burden than it’s worth. Selection #27 could be a song you loved to sing in college, but when asked for it by name on the spot, it might not work to your advantage.

Click here to go over some basic rules to keep in mind about the book as a whole: