Musical Theatre Singer

A musical theatre singer vocalizes and performs music from the musical theatre repertoire. From Broadway to big band concerts, the musical theatre canon is performed across the USA and around the world. A singer performing musical theatre repertoire must not only sing the music, but embody the character and portray their story.

Job Duties

• Research roles, musicals, and performers to gain an understanding of the material you like and want to perform
• Study and memorize musical theatre repertoire
• Work with a singing teacher and repertoire coach to work on your instrument and vocal production
• Convey the emotions or story of the song
• Sing lyrics and melodies with the goal of entertaining an audience
• Sing with different styles or technique to achieve the specific sound a song requires (ie, knowing when to use a “belt” sound vs a “legit” sound)
• Use knowledge of melody, harmony, rhythm, and vocal production to be musically precise
• Keep your voice, mind, and body in a healthy, working condition
• Prepare an audition book with repertoire from the musical theatre canon
• Work with fellow singers in an ensemble and music directors
• Performing in theatre productions, concerts, festivals, and other venues

Your voice is a muscle that requires constant work. Just like a professional athlete, you must work out your vocal muscles daily to keep them in peak condition. In addition to your vocal cords, your breath and stamina is a huge part of singing. Working on your breath control in addition to range exercises and sound placement is imperative to having a well-rounded singing practice.

Auditions

A musical theatre singer’s job is to find and audition for roles. To begin, you must develop an audition book. This is a collection of songs from a variety of eras in musical theatre that you can use in an audition for a show. These songs should have a range of characters, vocal styles, and tempos. You’ll need to prepare audition cuts (usually between 8, 16, or 32 bars) as well as the full song. You never know what the casting panel might ask you to sing in the room, so be sure all of the songs in your audition book are ones you feel confident in performing!

If you are successful in an audition, this may lead to a callback. In musical theatre, most performers do not only sing on stage. Usually, there will be some acting and/or dance component to a callback audition. In a callback, the show’s director, musical director, and other casting team members may ask you to perform material that you prepared from your first audition, or they may have you sing something from the show they are looking to cast. In addition to singing, you may have to act a scene or participate in a dance call.

Congratulations! You’ve been cast! Now what?

You’ve worked hard on developing your skills. You’ve been to countless auditions, hoping to land a role. Now that you’ve landed a role, what do you do?

As a singer, you must study your role carefully and identify the material you feel vocally comfortable with, and the material you need to work on. Every role will have vocally demanding moments, and it is up to the singer to find the best way to approach the material that will be sustainable for the entire run of the show. This can be done on your own practice time, with a vocal coach, and with the show’s musical director.

The voice is a delicate instrument and for many singers, it will require a lot of special attention outside of the show. To be sure the voice is performance ready, some singers may choose to have hours of vocal rest before a show or keep to a strict sleep schedule to make sure their voice is well rested.

Show Day Routines

Each performer is different and will create a pre-show routine to ensure they are ready to perform at their best. Through trial and error, you’ll discover what is the best routine for yourself. A typical pre-show routine for a musical theatre singer may look like this:

• Arrive at the theatre and sign in with stage management.
• Prepare for the show in your dressing room with vocal and physical warm ups.
• Steaming - keeping your voice hydrated with water is very important. Using a steamer can help give your cords a little extra hydration before a big show.
• Drinking LOTS of water.
• Eating foods that help provide you with energy and don’t create excess phlegm or acid reflux. While a big slice of cheesy pizza is yummy, the dairy will create extra phlegm and the oil and tomato sauce can cause extra acid, leading to reflux. You want to choose foods that keep you energized for your performance without creating problems for your voice.
• Communicating with the music director if there are any musical issues from the previous show.
• Reviewing any particularly difficult melody or harmony lines from the show.
• Doing a microphone check and making sure the placement of your mic is correct.
• Completing any hair, makeup, and costuming, then getting into places for the show.