How To Nail a Broadway Audition and Get the Part

Bring a professional headshot that looks like you in daily life, as opposed to a glammed-up version. Directors and producers don’t like it when actors look nothing like their photo.

Wear clothes that suggest you have an understanding of the show so the director can envision you in the part. But don’t show up in full costume.

If you’re auditioning for a musical, pick audition songs that reflect the period or genre of the show – not the show itself. You can prepare a few from the actual show, but only sing them if you’re asked to. Sing just 32 bars of a song unless otherwise specified.

If you’re auditioning for a drama, rehearse the “sides” – a few pages from the script that you are provided with in advance of the audition. Bring the pages to the auditioning venue; it’s common to hold them while you perform.

At the audition, greet the people judging you and then begin your performance; don’t ask them for direction. If you make a mistake, keep going, or ask if you may start again. No one is looking for or expecting perfection.

If the director asks you to try something different, do it without argument, no matter how terrified or ill-equipped you feel. They are checking to see how well you take direction and how easily you go with the flow.

Exude confidence, or at least fake it. After all, you’re an actor!