What Women Should Wear To An Audition

All too often at professional auditions, I will see a woman with feathers in her hair or glitter all over her face or even a bright yellow pants suit with a feather boa. Now, unless you're trying to get on the joke portion of the American Idol auditions, these are all BAD ideas!! If you are going for a serious musical audition with a church, opera company, theater group or musical group, you need to let them know that you can be professional in your appearance and your behavior.

"I want to stand out!" you say. Well, sure you do, but do you really want to stand out for being the person with the most ridiculous outfit?? At the end of the day, the judges will be laughing when they remember you, not posting your name on the call-back sheet. Trust me on this. You will have to perform above and beyond the normal auditioner in order to overcome a poor outfit choice. After all, you've heard the expression, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Remember that and try to put yourself in the shoes of the judges. If you were a judge for the New York Opera Company what would your ideal soprano look like when she walked through the audition doors? Picture that person and then become her.

1. Wear a dress or a skirt. Unless you are auditioning for a role as a man or a tomboy, discard your pants in favor of a more feminine frock.
2. Never go too short! A dress is fabulous, but wear one too short and you could end up showing more than you intended, especially if you're tall and on a stage. Knee length or longer is a better choice.
3. Wear comfortable shoes. Heels always look nice, but be sure to wear shoes that you can walk and stand in comfortably. The discomfort might show on your face! You also never know when you'll have to walk across a slick floor, so be sure to scuff the bottoms of your new shoes so you don't slip and slide. (No sandals or flip flops EVER!)
4. Avoid bold patterns. Let your voice or your talent be your "wow" factor, not a bold patterned dress that will have the judges mesmerized instead of listening to your audition. Solid colors almost always look best, but be sure to pick a color that will not wash you out under the lights. (Black is always a good choice!)
5. Wear simple makeup. You may not know what type of lighting you'll be in for the audition, but you want to be sure to have some color on your cheeks and lips. It's a good idea to put some extra makeup in your bag in case you get to the audition venue and find out that you'll be performing under full stage lights. And don't forget to smile and make eye contact with the judges when you first come out! (Just don't overdo it during the song.)

In the end, you should use your best judgment when it comes to selecting the perfect oufit for your audition. If you're auditioning for a local production of "Annie Get Your Gun" it might be cute to add a cowboy hat to your outfit when you start your song. Adding props to an opera company audition would not go over quite as well in most cases. When in doubt, just remember that it's your voice they want to hear most, so put more time into perfecting your actual audition and leave the feather boas at home!