Picking audition materials.

Every show and play is different, which means every audition is going to be different. Some directors will provide you with monologues to learn in advanced, some want you to prepare your own, some will have you prepare your own and then have you do cold reads. And that's just for plays and the acting part of musicals.

For musicals, you then have to think about what song you will prepare. Some directors prefer you to prepare something from the show you're auditioning for, while others prefer you not, and then there are some who just want to hear your voice and don't really have a preference. It is a stressful situation.

The wait

After auditions, comes the wait for the callback list. "Did I get a callback?" If you didn't, then you start to think, which isn't always the best idea. "Did I not get cast?" "Was I just that good that they didn't need to call me back?" "Did I do well enough that they cast me in some role?" "Am I just ensemble?"

These are all real thoughts! The cast list will be posted, however, the wait for a cast list is always a struggle! You wait and wait to see if you were cast in the role you wanted. Many of the previous thoughts for the callback list, will run through your head while waiting for the cast list to come out.

The cast album

Most theatre kids love listening to Broadway recordings of whatever musical they are in. After the announcement of the show, you can bet that I am listening to nothing but the show music for the next six months. Six months is to encompass before and after the show.

Rehearsals

Rehearsals can be intense. But no matter how much we hate going sometimes, there's no place like being with your friends late at night.

Tech Week, AKA Hell Week

Tech week, crash week; whatever you call it, the week before a show is nicknamed Hell week for a reason. You're exhausted, everyone's exhausted, everyone's frustrated, and things just aren't going right. It ends up being three to five days of long rehearsals. But in the end, it's all worth it.

Show-High

That moment when you're so in the moment that you actually believe that your reality is in the show and people just break into spontaneous song and dance. You're so exhausted leading up the start of the show. The downbeat of the overture hits, and you just seem to wake up and you're excited and ready!

Strike = DEATH

This is a double statement… Strike is exhausting. You have to take the entire set down and apart. You have to gather and put away all props and costumes. Make sure that all technical equipment is put away correctly. Etc. etc. etc. This, also, usually happens after the final show. Some places do it a day or two after, others do it directly after the final show.

When it's directly after the final show, you are so exhausted from the show, that you're already dead, and now you have all sorts of other work to do. Strike is also the literal death of the show. You won't be doing that exact show with that cast, pit, crew, directors, etc. ever again, or it is highly unlikely. So, strike is actually death.

Post-Show Depression (it's a real thing!)

PSD is when your show is finished and you don't know what to do with your life. You no longer have rehearsals every day. You are truly upset that the show is over. You miss your musical/show friends. You miss the show. You miss the puns and inside jokes made at rehearsals. You listen to the cast soundtrack nonstop for weeks after the show ends, just to get your fill.

Awaiting the next audition

We theatre kids are always awaiting the next show and audition. Many of us follow the community theatres from home to see what shows they will be putting on when. If you can't do any of these due to scheduling or whatever, you're stuck waiting till the next year when you can audition for the next school show.