[sunrae]

Ok my wonderful audition friends...I would LOVE it if I could get some help with putting together my rep book. I know that's a lot to ask, so I won't be offended if this post goes unanswered....but, I know that you are all awesome and have great ideas and suggestions!

So, I'll describe myself, post a pic, list some previous roles and songs I know well. Fell free to tell me which of those songs I should never use (!) or give suggestions of songs that I should add. If you'd like to help me, read on! (Warning, this is a long post!)

I would say my age range is 16-22. What do you think? (Can you guess my age from my pic below?) I am 5'4", thin, fair-skinned. I have reddish-bronze hair and eyes that match. (Seriously, they're not brown. My eyes match my hair!)

Here's my old headshot and below that a pic I just took today. Sorry they are so big, I could not figure out how to resize them!!! (Stupid technology computers hate me they suck....)




Please ignore my awful hair....it's growing out from my super-short Peter Pan cut!

I am a mezzo-soprano. My entire range is from G below mid-C to D just above high-C. My belt goes up to D octave above mid-C and my strong mix goes up to the F above that. My "sweet" range (where I sound the best and am the most comfortable) is B below mid-C to the D an octave higher. (I hope that all makes sense!)

Previous roles include Peter Pan, Adelaide, Hodel, Winnifred, Sally, Maggie (ACL), among others. I usually end up getting cast as the funny, cute, quirky, innocent girl.

And here's the list of songs that I currently use or have used in the past at auditions, as well as other songs I just sing very well:
Far From the Home I Love -Fiddler
If I Had a Fine White Horse -Secret Garden
Hold On -SG
Maybe This Time -Cabaret
A Cockeyed Optimist -S.P.
A Quiet Thing -Flora...
If I Were a Bell -G&D
How Did We Come to This? - Wild Party (Lippa)
Someone Else's Story -Chess
Tell Me on a Sunday -Song & Dance
Once Upon a Dream -J&H
Someone Like You -J&H
What I Did for Love -ACL
Waiting for Life -OotI
Swamps of Home -OUaM
Shy -OUaM
Times Like This -Lucky Stiff

So, which songs should I take out and what are some songs I should add??

Thanks so much in advance for anyone who takes the time to read this and respond!!

[itsaboutonemoment]

Hey! I would love to give you suggestions, so don't think your post will go unanswered, but right now it's 12:40 and I have to go to bed. I usually do nothing at work, so I will try to write to you tomorrow!

[sunrae]

[jazzygirlsings]

You need some earlier classic songs by Cole Porter, Gershwin and perhaps Kern. That was the first thing I thought of...(Now where's that post I had about what to have in your book?)

And the second I saw your pic, I thought of Sweet Charity...so I would look at that and maybe get rid of "Maybe This Time", which can be a bit on the overdone side...

I would also do "Someone Else's Story" and take out "Someone Like You", as I see a lot of similarities in these songs..."Someone Like You" tends to be overdone as well...

Be careful with Lippa, as it's kind of hard to sight read-piano-wise...

I feel like you need something that showcases your effervescent personality...

Look at "On the Other Side of the Tracks" from Little Me...Actually...look at that whole score...(But don't sing "Dimples" as I think that's one of the most obnoxious songs ever written!)

Take a look at the score to "Irene"..."The World Must Be Bigger Than an Avenue" might be a great song for you...

Also, "Love is a Chance" from Bajour...

And you need a song that's kind of Disney-ish...

[broadway_baby416]

From the pictures, I would guess that you're maybe 17...

You should probably add some songs that show a little more variety. It's good that most of your songs showcase your strongest point--the cute, funny, quirky, innocent girl--but if you want to be able to get more roles other than those, I would recommend having some songs in there for different kinds of characters.

[jazzygirlsings]

[itsaboutonemoment]

I think Nellie songs in South Pacific are a wonderful choice, I bet you would make a great Nellie.

Take out the two Jekyll and Hyde songs. Jazzy is right, Someone Else's Story is much better for that type of song. Someone Like You is overdone in auditions.

A Quiet Thing- wonderful legit song, good choice

Hold On - Personally, I think it's one of those songs that if you do it well, you can blow them away, so keep it in there and blow them away with it!

Shy tends to be a little overdone, but I feel like it's one of those... "overdone, but we don't mind" type songs. But also look at Happily Ever After. I think that's got a good cutting at the end.

Times Like This - good contemporary ballad

You need to find a Sondheim song, maybe an uptempo and a ballad to have in your book.

You also need to create a pop/rock section, and not necessarily songs from pop/rock musicals. The best way to create a pop/rock section is to figure out what pop/rock stars you sound like, what best fits your voice, and then find their music. Like, I feel I sound like Bonnie Raitt and Amy Grant, so I look at a lot of their stuff and put that in my book.

I collect sheet music, so I will give a look-through of some of it to see if there's some other stuff I can think of for you. And I'll write more later, but I think I actually have to do some work done. (Ugh, work is actually making me.... WORK!!!!)

[broadway_baby416]

I wasn't saying she didn't have ANY, I was saying she didn't have MANY. Most of her songs support the parts she usually plays, but if it was me I'd like to have some more that aren't for parts she usually plays.

[jazzygirlsings]

[sunrae]

[broadway_baby416]

[jazzygirlsings]

[sunrae]

[jazzygirlsings]

Aw, shucks!

And you can listen to little snippets of each song on amazon.com...I find that's the cheapest way to research songs/scores...then, if I like enough of the snippets, I will order the CD...

[sunrae]

Yep, Amazon and/or iTunes is what I usually do too!

Ok, so Peter Pan songs...I know them all like the back of my hand, so if I only had to pick two which should they be?

"I Gotta Crow" and "Neverland"
or
"I Gotta Crow" and "Distant Melody"
or
just put them all in?!

[jazzygirlsings]

Honestly, put your favorites in. I have BOTH keys of the song SOM! And a song or two from each (known) show that I've done...it couldn't hurt!

[itsaboutonemoment]

Neverland is great, very inspiring.

I've Gotta Crow, I forgot about that one! That could really show a fun side of you.

You know I've never actually heard Distant Melody? I need to listen to that.

I'm also a bit of a fun of I'm Flying, so start bringing a harness with you to all of your auditions, and then say, "Don't worry, I've done this before, it'll just take me a few minutes to set up." heeheeheehee...

[sunrae]

^Hahaha! One of these days I might actually try that!

"Distant Melody" is beautiful. I think I'll just stick them all in. I like them all anyway, so why not?!

[shadowdancer]

Classic Up-tempo -
A Cockeyed Optimist*
If I Were a Bell*

Classic Ballad -
A Quiet Thing*

Contemporary Up-tempo –
If I Had a Fine White Horse*
Waiting for Life*
Swamps of Home*

Contemporary Ballad –
Far From the Home I Love*
Hold On*
Times Like This*
Someone Else's Story*
Tell Me on a Sunday*
What I Did for Love*
How Did We Come to This*

A Comedy Song -
Happily Ever After* -I would recomend looking at something not from OUAM

[Bianca.]

[Jenem]

Sunrae, I am soo glad you posted this, becuase you and I have a lot in common; particularily with respct to vocal ability and and a little bit appearance/personality-wise. I'm going to take some notes for myself if you don't mind!

And by your pic I can see why you got cast as Peter Pan; you have a great "pixie-ish" quality to your look (that's a compliment!).

[flyinghome]

I think your list is good.

I'd honestly be wary of 'Times Like This'. Any open call I go to for a musical, I'm bound to hear this song. As good as it might be for you, it's way overdone.

I like that you'd take on something like Lippa though.

[sunrae]

[itsaboutonemoment]