Audition/Tryout Q's - Who to shoot for?

wonderjoe · Audition/Tryout Q's - Who to shoot for?

Y helo thar guys. This would be my first post on this here musical site, so this is my intro of sorts.

My school, a middle-sized Catholic school with a fairly strong theatre program, is doing Cats, obviously. I was wondering anyone would be willing to tell me about a character for me to shoot for, or at least pray and pray and pray that I get. If it's at all possible, if anyone could give me an audition piece to go with, that'd be lovely as well.

I'll be 17 by the time the production starts. I used to be a tenor, but now I've matured into a baritone voice with a range to about F sharp on the G scale, and a strong falsetto that stretches to the High A on the soprano range (no clue how to describe it other than that it's the A on top of the soprano line). I'm told that I am the best male dancer of the cast, based on the four shows that I've done so far, but I have no dancing experience other than the four shows. I was Jeffrey(acting only, no solo vocals) for Godspell, a sex dancer in Pippin, a Greaser for Grease, and a coachman/waltzer for Cinderella, if that's any indication of my dancing abilities.

Since our senior class is so small and our(my) junior class is really leading the shows now, I was kinda hoping that this would be my first show with a named role/solo song, because that's what I've really been wanting for quite a while now. If I have a strong performance in Cats, I'm considering entering college as a theatre arts major and perhaps shooting for performing at the big time. Big aspirations, I know. But in any event, who could I hope to get or shoot for on my auditions?

Nemi

Height comes into play with the CATS characters a little more than other shows. If you're short, you might shoot for Quaxo/Mistoffelees (who is one of the more prominant males in the show when it comes to dancing)... Otherwise, Munkustrap is an excellent role, as is the Rum Tum Tugger. However, those three are very large roles indeed. Smaller roles are Alonzo, Tumblebrutus (lots of acrobatics), and Plato (who doubles as the wonderful Macavity). Also, if you have the twins, Coricopat is a rather good character (my favourite male one)... if you were to play Coricopat, you'd get to do some super-awesome bonding with the girl that played Tantomile...

But yea, not knowing how well you sing and how tall you are, it leaves it a little vague ^^. Perhaps someone else can help more than I.

wonderjoe

yeah, i figured my first post was a little too vague. I'm an okay vocalist, I mainly do the baritone-tenor harmony when in the company of a small group of people. I've never had a solo in my school's chorus, but I have been a member of our all-district chorus for two years. Keep in mind, i was the last tenor 2 chosen, so I guess that means I just barely make the cut as a vocalist.

I'm about 5'9", 115 pounds - A smallish guy, if you will. But people have told me (sorry if I sound too self-absorbed) that I'm really dynamic, like I draw a lot of attention to myself just because I go all-out. So, what I guess I'm saying is that I make up for my smaller physical characteristics with a big stage presence and personality.

From what you're telling me though, it seems like I'm already at a disadvantage because I'm shorter and weigh less than the requirements for a lead, which is cool because Some constructive criticism is always needed.
[/list][/list]

Nemi

Not necessarily too short for the leads... it just depends, really on the height in comparison, I guess.

Being an okay vocalist, and of average height, a baritone, and one of the better dancers, I'd say a good part to shoot for perhaps Quaxo/Mistoffelees... I've got a really odd perception of height, really, and I'd concider 5'7" a good Quaxo/Mistoffelees height, but then... I really don't know. It's possible that Quaxo/Mistoffelees can sing some solo parts, is very dynamic (his Quaxo counterpart seems to be very outgoing), and gets to dance a lot.

Belle

You sound more like a Mungojerrie to me! He does sing a duet with Rumpel, but it's a real character song so beautiful vocals aren't really required. He's a very cheeky character, lively, bouncy, and if you can do any gymnastics it'd be an advantage. Mungo's not a LEAD role, as such, but he's a very strong character.

Misto is less singing, but a LOT of dancing - his Conjuring Turn is a pretty long solo show-off dance. Mistos usually have a lot of ballet training behind them.

What are your competition for the male roles like?

JemiBoe1981

Agreed with the Mungojerrie vote. You are too tall for the more kitteny males (unless you are short in comparison), such as Quaxo or Mistoffelees. The half grown cats will do, like Miungo but also Pouncival or Tumblebrutus. And you may be tall enough for a full grown male, as well, but you gotta be able to sing. Mungo has to carry a tune, but he has a a comical voice. And he has to be really adorable.

wonderjoe

Well, at 5'9" i'm pretty much in the middle when it comes to height. Our tallest guy is 6'3", but most of the guys range in the 5'11" - even 6' height.

I think Mungojerrie's out of the picture - my best friend, i've been told, is already pre-slotted to be him. And I think it was a good pick for him because he's very acrobatic and just plain nuts. I'm a stronger dancer than an acrobatic, but that being said I still don't have any other-than-play dancing experience. hell, most of the guys don't anyway.

If Mistofellees has a lot of dancing like you guys said, I think I'm liking the idea of being him. Despite what I said, we do have some strong guy dancers and so I guess that's a moot point. I was also just looking up some stuff on the Rum Tum Tugger and he sounds like a nuts character to be. Not to mention he's got his own awesome song, which is what I've always wanted.

Spylfyr

Munkustrap might be a good character for you as well, he has a main role and is quite dynamic.

wonderjoe

well, tonight's the singing auditions. Word around the school is that it's very high in range, possibly as far up as a high A, so i'm screwed. Dancing tryouts aren't until next monday though, and that's what I'm looking forward to.

wonderjoe

well, i just finished my Cats audition. Kinda did bad on the vocals (couldn't hit the F sharp that i normally could), but completely owned the dance. Tried out for RTT, Mistofellees, Munkustrap and Mungojerrie. We'll find out either later today or tomorrow about a cast list...

Cassandra

Crossin' my fingers for ya! Smile

Spylfyr

Good luck! Paws crossed! Wink

wonderjoe

oh my god. partial cast lists came out, and the two main parts i wanted (RTT and Mistofellees) weren't casted OMFG!!! However, Munkustrap and Mungojerrie were. The tension is so high for these two parts, as is Old Deuteronomy. But, having no shot at getting that part, i much don't care. -_-

Still, this means I'll have to wait like another week or two for them to decide who RTT and Mistofellees are...

Nemi

How many others are up for it? Is it just you and two others, or a few people?

Best of luck! Both Mistoffelees and Rum Tum Tugger are excellent roles! (RTT would be a whole load of fun...)

wonderjoe

well, there are two strong candidates other than myself for both parts, both of which who are my friends. One of them is a dancer, baritone and strong in tap dancing, while the other is a bass and has tons of musical experience. It's the latter who i'm worried about, since he's taken years and years of dance and is really well-known around my neighborhood as a good singer/dancer/actor.

then obviously there's some longshot guys. One of them is a lead singer of this emo/punk band who can move pretty well. And another is a pretty athletic football player who's just started. It would be a shame to lose to them, but if they're chosen I'll at least know why.

In any case, we've already started practicing. I'm in Group 1, which is basically the group that is out throughout the show. Just as peachy is the fact that I am smack dab front-center of the group. I'm kind of praying that the fact that they trust me enough to be the center male of the group leads them to believe I'm capable of being RTT or Mistofellees.

Roxanne

Aw...waiting's definitely the hardest bit. >.< I wish you loads of luck for their final casting decision. =) It would be really very cool if you make it.

I'm excited to hear what happens next, our waiting's been set back a week, too. Wink

Cheers.

wonderjoe

it's been the weekend and there's still no news. *insert mad piano bashing noise here*

I did have a hilarious experience over the weekend though. On Sunday we had our 2nd dance practice. So far we've learned our dance for the Jellicle Cats, from the "felines, fearless, faithful and true to others who do; WHAT?!" to the very end of the dance. It's amazing - it's heavily inspired by the video and a recent performance done by a traveling group that stopped by these parts.

But anyway, I digress. Me and my friend Chris (who is Mungojerrie) arrive at our choreographer's dance studio for practice, and our director pulls us and Tim (who is Munkustrap) over to another room. Inside this room he gives us spandex to try on. We're literally fumbling around, trying to get the spandex on, and Chris ends up on the floor trying to put it on.

Me: Chris...
Chris: OMG JOE, I'M TRYING TO PUT ON THE SPANDEX AND IT'S NOT WORKING!!!
Me: It's backwards.

We must have spent at least five minutes laughing over the absurdity of the situation, three guys jumping around trying to put on spandex. And those things feel weird - it's like having a second layer of skin. And it was cold in the studio, so it was freezing in the room. It got even more ridiculous when our choreographer and director came in, and we feebly tried to hide our foreign countries.

The tights weren't so bad once you got used to the futility of it all. It was kind of weird jumping around and...well, you get the idea. But we also got our jazz shoes, which are really cool and spiffy. I've never worn tights or special dance shoes, so putting two and two together was really cool. Unfortunately, I had to take both off before practice started, so it wasn't all peaches and cream.

I think i'll turn this into my Cats log, just so you guys can keep up with a junior high schooler performing at the first high school to hold the show.

wonderjoe	Audition/Tryout Q's - Who to shoot for? Y helo thar guys. This would be my first post on this here musical site, so this is my intro of sorts. My school, a middle-sized Catholic school with a fairly strong theatre program, is doing Cats, obviously. I was wondering anyone would be willing to tell me about a character for me to shoot for, or at least pray and pray and pray that I get. If it's at all possible, if anyone could give me an audition piece to go with, that'd be lovely as well. I'll be 17 by the time the production starts. I used to be a tenor, but now I've matured into a baritone voice with a range to about F sharp on the G scale, and a strong falsetto that stretches to the High A on the soprano range (no clue how to describe it other than that it's the A on top of the soprano line). I'm told that I am the best male dancer of the cast, based on the four shows that I've done so far, but I have no dancing experience other than the four shows. I was Jeffrey(acting only, no solo vocals) for Godspell, a sex dancer in Pippin, a Greaser for Grease, and a coachman/waltzer for Cinderella, if that's any indication of my dancing abilities. Since our senior class is so small and our(my) junior class is really leading the shows now, I was kinda hoping that this would be my first show with a named role/solo song, because that's what I've really been wanting for quite a while now. If I have a strong performance in Cats, I'm considering entering college as a theatre arts major and perhaps shooting for performing at the big time. Big aspirations, I know. But in any event, who could I hope to get or shoot for on my auditions?
Nemi	Height comes into play with the CATS characters a little more than other shows. If you're short, you might shoot for Quaxo/Mistoffelees (who is one of the more prominant males in the show when it comes to dancing)... Otherwise, Munkustrap is an excellent role, as is the Rum Tum Tugger. However, those three are very large roles indeed. Smaller roles are Alonzo, Tumblebrutus (lots of acrobatics), and Plato (who doubles as the wonderful Macavity). Also, if you have the twins, Coricopat is a rather good character (my favourite male one)... if you were to play Coricopat, you'd get to do some super-awesome bonding with the girl that played Tantomile... But yea, not knowing how well you sing and how tall you are, it leaves it a little vague ^^. Perhaps someone else can help more than I.
wonderjoe	yeah, i figured my first post was a little too vague. I'm an okay vocalist, I mainly do the baritone-tenor harmony when in the company of a small group of people. I've never had a solo in my school's chorus, but I have been a member of our all-district chorus for two years. Keep in mind, i was the last tenor 2 chosen, so I guess that means I just barely make the cut as a vocalist. I'm about 5'9", 115 pounds - A smallish guy, if you will. But people have told me (sorry if I sound too self-absorbed) that I'm really dynamic, like I draw a lot of attention to myself just because I go all-out. So, what I guess I'm saying is that I make up for my smaller physical characteristics with a big stage presence and personality. From what you're telling me though, it seems like I'm already at a disadvantage because I'm shorter and weigh less than the requirements for a lead, which is cool because Some constructive criticism is always needed. [/list][/list]
Nemi	Not necessarily too short for the leads... it just depends, really on the height in comparison, I guess. Being an okay vocalist, and of average height, a baritone, and one of the better dancers, I'd say a good part to shoot for perhaps Quaxo/Mistoffelees... I've got a really odd perception of height, really, and I'd concider 5'7" a good Quaxo/Mistoffelees height, but then... I really don't know. It's possible that Quaxo/Mistoffelees can sing some solo parts, is very dynamic (his Quaxo counterpart seems to be very outgoing), and gets to dance a lot.
Belle	You sound more like a Mungojerrie to me! He does sing a duet with Rumpel, but it's a real character song so beautiful vocals aren't really required. He's a very cheeky character, lively, bouncy, and if you can do any gymnastics it'd be an advantage. Mungo's not a LEAD role, as such, but he's a very strong character. Misto is less singing, but a LOT of dancing - his Conjuring Turn is a pretty long solo show-off dance. Mistos usually have a lot of ballet training behind them. What are your competition for the male roles like?
JemiBoe1981	Agreed with the Mungojerrie vote. You are too tall for the more kitteny males (unless you are short in comparison), such as Quaxo or Mistoffelees. The half grown cats will do, like Miungo but also Pouncival or Tumblebrutus. And you may be tall enough for a full grown male, as well, but you gotta be able to sing. Mungo has to carry a tune, but he has a a comical voice. And he has to be really adorable.
wonderjoe	Well, at 5'9" i'm pretty much in the middle when it comes to height. Our tallest guy is 6'3", but most of the guys range in the 5'11" - even 6' height. I think Mungojerrie's out of the picture - my best friend, i've been told, is already pre-slotted to be him. And I think it was a good pick for him because he's very acrobatic and just plain nuts. I'm a stronger dancer than an acrobatic, but that being said I still don't have any other-than-play dancing experience. hell, most of the guys don't anyway. If Mistofellees has a lot of dancing like you guys said, I think I'm liking the idea of being him. Despite what I said, we do have some strong guy dancers and so I guess that's a moot point. I was also just looking up some stuff on the Rum Tum Tugger and he sounds like a nuts character to be. Not to mention he's got his own awesome song, which is what I've always wanted.
Spylfyr	Munkustrap might be a good character for you as well, he has a main role and is quite dynamic.
wonderjoe	well, tonight's the singing auditions. Word around the school is that it's very high in range, possibly as far up as a high A, so i'm screwed. Dancing tryouts aren't until next monday though, and that's what I'm looking forward to.
wonderjoe	well, i just finished my Cats audition. Kinda did bad on the vocals (couldn't hit the F sharp that i normally could), but completely owned the dance. Tried out for RTT, Mistofellees, Munkustrap and Mungojerrie. We'll find out either later today or tomorrow about a cast list...
Cassandra	Crossin' my fingers for ya!
Spylfyr	Good luck! Paws crossed!
wonderjoe	oh my god. partial cast lists came out, and the two main parts i wanted (RTT and Mistofellees) weren't casted OMFG!!! However, Munkustrap and Mungojerrie were. The tension is so high for these two parts, as is Old Deuteronomy. But, having no shot at getting that part, i much don't care. -_- Still, this means I'll have to wait like another week or two for them to decide who RTT and Mistofellees are...
Nemi	How many others are up for it? Is it just you and two others, or a few people? Best of luck! Both Mistoffelees and Rum Tum Tugger are excellent roles! (RTT would be a whole load of fun...)
wonderjoe	well, there are two strong candidates other than myself for both parts, both of which who are my friends. One of them is a dancer, baritone and strong in tap dancing, while the other is a bass and has tons of musical experience. It's the latter who i'm worried about, since he's taken years and years of dance and is really well-known around my neighborhood as a good singer/dancer/actor. then obviously there's some longshot guys. One of them is a lead singer of this emo/punk band who can move pretty well. And another is a pretty athletic football player who's just started. It would be a shame to lose to them, but if they're chosen I'll at least know why. In any case, we've already started practicing. I'm in Group 1, which is basically the group that is out throughout the show. Just as peachy is the fact that I am smack dab front-center of the group. I'm kind of praying that the fact that they trust me enough to be the center male of the group leads them to believe I'm capable of being RTT or Mistofellees.
Roxanne	Aw...waiting's definitely the hardest bit. >.< I wish you loads of luck for their final casting decision. =) It would be really very cool if you make it. I'm excited to hear what happens next, our waiting's been set back a week, too. Cheers.
wonderjoe	it's been the weekend and there's still no news. insert mad piano bashing noise here I did have a hilarious experience over the weekend though. On Sunday we had our 2nd dance practice. So far we've learned our dance for the Jellicle Cats, from the "felines, fearless, faithful and true to others who do; WHAT?!" to the very end of the dance. It's amazing - it's heavily inspired by the video and a recent performance done by a traveling group that stopped by these parts. But anyway, I digress. Me and my friend Chris (who is Mungojerrie) arrive at our choreographer's dance studio for practice, and our director pulls us and Tim (who is Munkustrap) over to another room. Inside this room he gives us spandex to try on. We're literally fumbling around, trying to get the spandex on, and Chris ends up on the floor trying to put it on. Me: Chris... Chris: OMG JOE, I'M TRYING TO PUT ON THE SPANDEX AND IT'S NOT WORKING!!! Me: It's backwards. We must have spent at least five minutes laughing over the absurdity of the situation, three guys jumping around trying to put on spandex. And those things feel weird - it's like having a second layer of skin. And it was cold in the studio, so it was freezing in the room. It got even more ridiculous when our choreographer and director came in, and we feebly tried to hide our foreign countries. The tights weren't so bad once you got used to the futility of it all. It was kind of weird jumping around and...well, you get the idea. But we also got our jazz shoes, which are really cool and spiffy. I've never worn tights or special dance shoes, so putting two and two together was really cool. Unfortunately, I had to take both off before practice started, so it wasn't all peaches and cream. I think i'll turn this into my Cats log, just so you guys can keep up with a junior high schooler performing at the first high school to hold the show.

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Audition/Tryout Q's - Who to shoot for?