Studying the Song - Audition Prep and Musicianship for Musical Theatre studyingthesong

Have you ever wondered how much movement is too much movement in an audition?  
Have you struggled to find movement that feels authentic to you?  
In this episode, Roger Ellis (@rogerellis), head of movement in the MFA Acting Program at Northwestern University, shares how he develops character, creates choreography, and develops a directorial vision through the lens of movement. 
He pulls back the curtain on his creative process and reveals the specific tactics he uses to devise choreography, dig deeper into a show’s themes, and how to bring out each actor’s truest self.
Roger Ellis (they/he) is a movement director and filmmaker investigating the mixed reality of Black-queer-aspec experience. Roger is the original director of Nikki Lynette’s Get Out Alive (Steppenwolf, film adaptation, National Alliance for Musical Theatre). Current projects include the documusical series Unhappy Songs About Unhappy Things, sound installation Interstitial and the short film Emergency Contact. Ellis is an assistant professor and head of the movement area for the MFA Acting Program at Northwestern University.
In this interview, we discuss:
What does storytelling mean to you?
What's your approach to storytelling through choreography?
When you're starting to choreograph a new show, how do you begin?
How do you approach the score?  What's your process?
What's your take on movement in auditions? 
How can actors utilize movement in auditions without it feeling fully choreographed?
How can they best represent themselves in the movement?
What are you looking for in callbacks that is different from auditions?
I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation!
Xo,
Korrie
Find more about Roger Ellis at www.movementdesignchicago.com
Check out www.korrieyamaoka.com to find info about FREE RESOURCES and AUDITION COACHING, and to sign up for my email list.
 
Korrie’s Email List - Sign up for weekly resources about auditioning, information on new offerings, and the latest news from Studying the Song.
Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe today!
Contact Korrie at hello@korrieyamaoka.com.

Ever wonder what it’s really like to WORK a National Tour of a Broadway musical?  I mean, like being in BUSINESS as an actor and dealing with contracts, agents, and managers?
In this episode, April Josephine shares her journey as an actor in New York and how she booked the First National Tour of Mean Girls.  She admits that she had to learn the ropes of the business side of things by asking other actors while on tour.  She also had to get active on the Equity website and find things out for herself.  
In this interview, she tells you all the things she wish someone had told her, including:
The benefits of self tapes for actors with learning disabilities
What to look for in an agent
The difference between an agent and a manager
How and when do you pay your agent and manager
The audition and callback process for the First National Tour of Mean Girls
How do contracts work for tours
The rehearsal and maintenance process for long running tours
How to be a life-long learner and discover new strengths in yourself
April is based in Manhattan, and loves the art of storytelling in any and all forms. She grew up in sunny California, and had the opportunity to grow and work in many regional productions based there. To Name a few: La Jolla PlayHouse, Moonlight Stage Productions, Lambs Players Theater, La Mirada/McCoy Rigby Entertainment, 3-D Theatricals, Welk Resort Theater. 
Other passions include teaching/ collaborating with budding artists (tiny tot to young adult)  in any way that furthers growth, safety and positivity in dance and the performing arts. 
She has been on the road with the Broadway First National Tour, Mean Girls The Musical, since October 2021, playing Mrs. George, Mrs. Heron, and her favorite adult woman, Ms Norbury. She looks forward to working in and alongside the arts in the future as a beacon for hope, a catalyst for change, and rehabilitation in our world.
If you’re looking for VERY PRACTICAL advice about managing the business side of your acting while also pursuing work that connects to your heart, then this is the episode for you!
Xo,
Korrie
Find more about April at www.apriljosephinemedia.com
Check out www.korrieyamaoka.com to find info about FREE RESOURCES and AUDITION COACHING, and to sign up for my email list.
Korrie’s Email List - Sign up for weekly resources about auditioning, information on new offerings, and the latest news from Studying the Song.
Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe today!
Contact Korrie at hello@korrieyamaoka.com.

A disarmingly honest conversation about career, loving yourself (ie your voice), and taking on the identity of "artist."
In this episode, you’ll hear Sasha talk about finding success in unexpected opportunities like workshops, readings, and cabaret shows.  She also shares her honest realizations about fighting her “type” and coming to terms with her voice (which she now loves, btw).
Sasha received her MFA in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University and her BFA in Musical Theatre with emphasis in Acting and Vocal Repertoire from The Boston Conservatory. 
Some of her favorite NY credits include: Jerry Springer the Opera (Carnegie Hall); Colette Collage (The York Theatre) I and Albert (York), The Grand Tour (York); and readings/workshops such as Carrie: the Musical (with Sutton Foster & Marin Mazzie, dir. Stafford Arima), Mister Hollands Opus: the Musical (with BD Wong), Dig Lenny Bruce (with Mario Cantone & Mary Testa, dir. Jerry Dixon), TV: ABC's What Would You Do? (“Ugly Americans in Paris”), Food Fighters (judge), and one-time game show winner on $100,000 Pyramid. Commercials: Jenny Craig nat'l (w/Mariah Carey). 
Sasha wrote her thesis on “The Art and the Venue of Cabaret” and has written, produced, and performed her own cabarets in NYC, San Diego, and LA. Sasha has been a faculty member in the Musical Theatre programs at Pace University, Marymount Manhattan College, San Diego State University, and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA)..  
If you’ve ever questioned your own success or wondered if this was what you were “supposed” to be doing, then you’ll want to hear this conversation.
Find more about Sasha at www.sashaweiss.com
Xo,
Korrie
Check out www.korrieyamaoka.com to find info about FREE RESOURCES and AUDITION COACHING, and to sign up for my email list.
Korrie’s Email List - Sign up for weekly resources about auditioning, information on new offerings, and the latest news from Studying the Song.
Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe today!
Contact Korrie at hello@korrieyamaoka.com.

Discover how training your brain and neurological system can instantly yield more freedom, control, and flexibility in your voice.
You guys, I’ve seen Kimberly Moller’s work first hand, and I have to say - it’s like magic!  
In this episode, I ask Kim all my questions about how neurology (all things nerves and nervous system) affects our voice.  How can we improve tone, resonance, and control so that we feel more freedom and ease as we sing.  
We also talk about how we can calm our nervous system and anxiety before auditioning and performing with simple physical exercises.  Whether you’re backstage before a gig or in the waiting room for an audition, you CAN improve your singing within just minutes of doing these drills.
SPOILER: I’ve added these drills to my routine before I perform and before I record and am so happy with the results.
Kimberly Moller is on the Board of The National Association of Teachers of Singing in San Diego and a member of The Musical Theatre Educators Alliance. Her mentors include: Singing Athlete creator Andrew Byrne, Laurinda Nikkel (SDSU), Mary Saunders Barton (Penn State/Bel Canto can Belto method) and master Z-Health trainer Missy Bunch. Kimberly is Z-Health Essentials, R-Phase and I-Phase certified to assist with drills and mobility that impacts vocal production at the speed of the nervous system.
If you’re looking for a new way to access freedom in your voice (something beyond breathing exercises and vocalises), then listen to this episode.   Then go check out Kim at www.vocalkinesthetics.com
Let’s get into it!
Xo,
Korrie
Check out www.korrieyamaoka.com to find info about FREE RESOURCES and AUDITION COACHING, and to sign up for my email list.
Korrie’s Email List - Sign up for weekly resources about auditioning, information on new offerings, and the latest news from Studying the Song.
Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe today!
Contact me at hello@korrieyamaoka.com.

In this 2-part series, I’m going to tell you exactly how to mark your sheet music so that the accompanist has all the information they need to play well and in sync with YOUR version of the song.
Today’s episode covers
how to mark the cuts inside your song,
whether to use highlighters,
what to do if you’re changing lyrics,
how to clearly mark your ending,
and even a short tangent on Bruce Willis.  (So there’s that.)
Be sure to  listen to last week’s episode (Episode 41) so that you get the full picture of how to prepare your sheet music so that you have successful experiences with every accompanist:
EPISODE 41 Preparing Your Sheet Music PART 1: First Page of Your Cut & Binder Best Practices. 
If you need a refresh on the industry standards for preparing your audition sheet music OR if you are completely new to this, then pull up a chair and press play!  Let’s get into it!
Xo,
Korrie
Be sure to grab the FREE PDF - 7 Ways to Create an Intro for your Audition Cut 
Check out www.korrieyamaoka.com to find info about FREE RESOURCES and AUDITION COACHING, and to sign up for my email list.
Korrie’s Email List - Sign up for weekly resources about auditioning, information on new offerings, and the latest news from Studying the Song.
Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe today!

Learn the 6 pieces of information that MUST be on the first page of your audition cut.
Do you worry the accompanist won’t play your song the right way?
Well, worry no longer, friend.
In this 2-part series, I’m going to tell you exactly how to mark your sheet music so that the accompanist has all the information they need to play well and in sync with YOUR version of the song.
Today’s episode is a detailed run-down of what needs to go on the first page of your audition cut.  
For most of us, we’re starting our song somewhere in the middle of the song, right?  Well, there’s a ton of information that the accompanist needs to know that is ONLY ON THE FIRST PAGE of the music.  
So, you need to transfer this information to the page you’re starting on.  
I’ll also cover best practices surrounding binder choice and the age-old question: to use sheet protectors or not?
If you need a refresh on the industry standards for preparing your audition sheet music OR if you are completely new to this, then pull up a chair and press play!  Let’s get into it!
Xo,
Korrie
Be sure to grab the FREE PDF - 7 Ways to Create an Intro for Your Audition Cut 
Check out www.korrieyamaoka.com to find info about FREE RESOURCES and AUDITION COACHING, and to sign up for my email list.
Korrie’s Email List - Sign up for weekly resources about auditioning, information on new offerings, and the latest news from Studying the Song.
Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe today!