All cast need to be flexible singing actors (rather than acting singers), so pieces should be things you already know well that show off your vocal range and comic timing, especially in dialogue.
At least one sung (two if you wish to show off a contrast), one spoken. Bring the music – your pianist is very accomplished, but only operates well with the dots in front of him!
Sung: anything suitable of your choice from lighter 1940s/50s musicals, Noël Coward, Music Hall. Girls especially, maybe bring a second contrasting number - something bluesy, a torch song, a Sondheim ballad?
Spoken: something from farce, drawing-room comedy (Wilde, Coward), more modern comedy. Items performed straight to the audience are also appropriate. Look at good monologue writers: Alan Bennett, Joyce Grenfell, Victoria Wood.
The main requirements are that we see your ability for comedy and communication; so if you are choosing between something that's new to you and something familiar, go for the latter so it shows you off to your best advantage. The items above are simply meant as a guide.
Tap: this is very much optional! If you have tap-dancing ability, we’d love to see it; a short item is all that is needed (or even part of an item – 32 bars max would be fine, we don’t need the whole of 42nd Street). Either bring the music for the pianist (see above), or bring a CD.
Group Movement: We will do a very basic set of movements, which will be taught at the audition, simply to see how well you move on stage and how easily you pick up choreography. Don’t worry, this won’t be 42nd Street either [not least because Cassie will probably have arranged the moves].
Group Spoken: We will give you some spoken work at the audition, with the usual short time to have a look at it in advance; it will be from one of several items in the show that involve group dialogue, and will enable us to see how you interact with each other and what your comic timing is like.
