PLAYING “THE GAME”
If you’re here, it means you’re prepping to play “The Game” in class to find some new rep for your book. How exciting!
“The Game” is when you you’re “playing around” with 5-7 songs, and asking your Master Teachers what they think of them — with the intention of finding out which songs are most worth your time and which might be a waste of time. You might game with a specific genre, or just a general group of songs that interest you. If you’re going to play the game:
• You don’t need to memorize them...in fact we think you should NOT. Be super familiar with the notes and rhythms, but feel free to read the lyrics off the page (or from a device.)
• You don’t need to perform these songs, or prepare them dramatically— just know the song well enough to prepare a solid vocal performance. We are listening to you singing them and helping you decide what kind of fit they are. It’s like when Caesar would decide the fates of Gladiators at the Colosseum — thumbs up or thumbs down.
• For the sake of our accompanists, you need only prepare a 16-32 bar cut of each song; we recommend looking for the “meatiest” chunk of the song, aka. a section that goes somewhere both vocally and storytelling-wise. For more info on finding an “Ideal Cut”, see the Actor Therapy Handbook.
If you are planning to play “The Game”, you should be in touch with your Master Teachers throughout that week to narrow down your list, and ensure that you don’t waste time on songs or cuts that may have proven unsuccessful for audition purposes in the past.