A tip or two on what to do

Fact: I love Jason Robert Brown.

Not in a Joni-Loves-Chachi kinda way or anything like that....but on that auspicious day when Jase (as I like to refer to him) calls me to suggest I MD the Australian Premeire of 13, or Honeymoon, or whatever, (and it's merely a matter of time), I'll graciously accept with a wee wimper of hysteria.

Anyway...

On his blog recently, he posted some advice from Choreographer Carol Schuberg on what not to wear / do at an audition. Given that Wild Party auditions are just around the corner, I thought I'd post those here.

So...In the words of Carol Scheuberg-come-Jason Robert Brown....

Nevah! wear character shoes to sing in, especially the kind with the beginner heel.
Nevah! wear shoes you can't stand up in or walk in.
Nevah! sing in flip-flops.
Nevah! wear shoes with heels that are not proportionate to your body.
Nevah! wear boots that turn up at the tip unless you're auditioning for the role of an elf.
Nevah! wear a shoe that goes clip-clop-clip-clop when you walk unless you need your own personal underscoring.
Nevah! wear suede boots with a leather skirt.
Nevah! wear fringe, unless you're auditioning for "Hair." (And even then, be very careful.)
Nevah! wear jeans unless they make your butt look great.
Nevah! wear shirts that creep up your midriff unless you really want us to see your belly.
Nevah! walk in the room with the hem on your skirt falling down.
Nevah! wear skirts so tight that they cause wrinkles across the front and make you walk funny.
Nevah! wear a long skirt if you're a short woman.
Nevah! show us your belly hanging over your pants. Have some dignity.
Nevah! accentuate your bulges by wearing clothes that cling to your bulges.
Nevah! wear your prom dress.
Nevah! wear your prom hair.
Nevah! come in looking completely different from your picture.
Nevah! wear jeans under a dress.
Nevah! try to be black if you're not black. Please.
Nevah! spend the whole song closing your eyes on the "money notes."
Nevah! sing parodies.
Nevah! sing medleys.

and finally, a pearl of wisdom so deep and so rich it should be embroidered on every actor's résumé:

If you're beige, don't wear beige.

Ultimately, I boiled all of Carol's encomia to these three simple dicta:

Dress appropriately based on what you're auditioning for and what you're singing.
Your clothes and shoes should enable you to move, walk and stand with a certain amount of fluidity and grace.
And most importantly: Don't look like a clown unless you're auditioning for the circus.