arah Isola, 12, is singing a passage from “Big Blue World” in a soprano voice that seems older than she is. In just a few hours, her listener and coach, Broadway actress Jennifer Allen, will don tentacles to play Ursula, the sea witch in Disney’s The Little Mermaid ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ has a little advice for Sarah: How about getting a chair and trying the song sitting down? Pretend you’re just talking to your dad at a restaurant. Don’t be afraid of eye contact. Make the delivery more intimate. Sarah tries her song from Finding Nemo – The Musical again, and this time it’s more earnest, more conversational. “Did you feel something different?” Allen asks, getting nods and smiles in return. The mock audition, with Allen seated behind a table, is a master-class encounter courtesy of the arts center’s education department, which arranges for seasoned professionals in town for performances to help students sharpen their skills while passing along wisdom about surviving in show business. This 90-minute class, held in a Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts studio one March afternoon during Disney’s The Little Mermaid’s run — it was part of the 2016–17 FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando ™ series — is helping a dozen kids, ages 12 and up, get more comfortable with typically anxiety-ridden vocal auditions. 22 artsLife | SUMMER 2017 “I have to make a confession: I can’t stand auditioning,” says Allen, whose recent Broadway credits include Memphis, Sister Act and The Bridges of Madison County. Allen recalls doing what she thought was “a terrible audition” for Bridges — but then getting a call-back. “You never know,” she says. Succeeding, Allen adds, means “you have to be available constantly, but have a thick skin. It takes a day and a tub of ice cream after rejection. You get used to it.” During an audition, she adds, it helps to remember that the people behind the table ���������� �������� ������ ������ ������������ ������ ���������� ������������ ������ ������������ out what to do with your hands, which get in the way a lot. She cautions students to S
20042FC
To see the actual publication please follow the link above