Spring Cleaning for Your Audition Book

What needs to be in your audition book?

Well, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to that question.

But here is a simple and quick exercise to give you some insight as to where you can get rid of material and where you need to add.

I’ve put together a hypothetical actor’s book so you can see what I’m talking about. Your book may have a lot more material in it, and your list of prospective auditions is likely much longer. That’s fine.

STEP 1: Make two columns. In column one, list every song that is currently in your book.

STEP 2: In column two, list every show that you expect you will be auditioning for in the next 6-12 months.

STEP 3: Connect related items in columns 1 and 2. Which song will you sing for each project?

STEP 4: Cross out anything from Column 1 that is not connected to something in Column 2.

Those songs are not going to be useful for you right now. Get rid of them.

Before we go any further, there are going to be songs you simply do not want to cut even though you cannot imagine what you would sing them for. For those songs you must answer one question:

Does this song have magic in it when *I* sing it?

If the answer is yes, keep it for those moments when someone says “What else do you have?” That is a great time to say, “I have [title of song]. It is my favorite piece to sing.”

STEP 5: Circle anything from Column 2 that is not connected to something in Column 1.

You have just identified the holes in your book.

You have just moved from this mess…

…to this.

STEP 6: Repeat every six months.

Ahhhhhh, spring cleaning!