Book Review: Get the Callback: The Art of Auditioning for Musical Theatre by Jonathan Flom (Scarecrow Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0-8108-6918-9)
OK. I have a confession. I had a solo recital to perform this month, so I picked up the book with the least number of pages to review for this month’s column. My main impetus was finding something that would be a quick read. What a delightful surprise when I immediately found myself immersed in the book and could not put it down. I read it in two nights and have underlined or dog-eared almost every page in the book.
Jonathan Flom has written from his heart and vast experience an easy-to-read, user-friendly book entitled Get the Callback: The Art of Auditioning for Musical Theatre. The book offers practical and immediately usable advice on all facets of auditioning. Flom accomplishes what he sets out to rectify in the book’s preface: “Many books have been published over the years that offer instruction and insight into the unique and terrifying world of auditioning for the theatre. A handful of these publications pertain to the musical theatre stage—an area with extremely specific demands that merits the dedication of an entire book. Of those available publications, I have found that very few are current, concise, and complete.”
I began reading the book with the question in mind, “How can a ‘musical theatre how-to-audition’ book be useful to a classical singer?” I quickly discovered that the audition tips Flom gives in the book are actually universal to all artists. The basic principles apply to anyone auditioning for any facet of the arts. Flom walks the reader step by step through what to do before the audition and how to build an appropriate repertoire book, as well as giving detailed advice about the audition itself, including professional demeanor during the audition. He also details what to do when you get that all-important callback. He even covers auditioning for colleges, how to handle job offers, and practical advice on headshots, résumés, and cover letters.
Especially useful is the chapter on “Walking through the Audition.” Flom writes from a “been there, done that” perspective, following years of experience on both sides of the table as an auditioning artist and an auditor. He understands the nerves of an artist—before the audition, during, and after—and offers many useful tips on how to handle the entire process.
Flom also gives insight into the other side of the coin, explaining what casting directors and producers are looking for and why. Advice and tips are offered in great detail as he takes the reader through every aspect of an audition—preparation, focus, waiting outside the room for the audition, how to be a real person in the audition, owning your audition, where the audition begins, and how to handle the accompanist with grace and tact. Flom offers practical advice on a good introduction, acting, transitions, the use of props, body movement, thank-you’s, and walking out of the door. You are sure to learn a few new tricks from this detailed explanation of the audition process.
Another useful chapter from a pedagogical point of view is “Auditioning for Colleges.” Flom writes, “The first trick to solving college auditions is to understand their purpose. Unlike casting, where you are expected to already possess the ‘tools’ and to fulfill the description of a particular character, institutions do not generally require you to fit a specific mold. It is the raison d’être of a program to help shape you and hone your talents, to endow you with the proverbial craft to accompany your artistry.” Not only does he explain the process behind being accepted into an educational institution, but also how to interview, how to decide what institution is best suited to your goals, and how to prepare for a college audition.
The book ends with a useful “Repertoire Genre Lists,” which categorizes songs into operetta, pre-Golden Age musical theatre, Golden Age musical theatre, musical theatre pop, rock, country/folk, and more. Also included is the appendix “Sample Repertoire by Actor Type” which gives song recommendations for the young ingénue-soprano, the young character actress, the young juvenile-tenor, etc.
There’s a lot of information in these scant 151 pages, teaching me the very important lesson to never judge a book by its number of pages. Happy reading—and even happier auditioning.
