The Cascade Chapter
Music Theater Student Auditions
October 26, 2024
University of Portland
5000 N Willamette Blvd.
Portland, OR

      Questions? Please ask your Auditions Co-chairs:
              Amy Hansen amyvox@yahoo.com
541/609-0057
              Beverly Park beverly.park@comcast.net
541/231-5141

Important Dates
10/26/24 8:30 AM Student Check-In Open: Mago Hunt Lobby
8:45 AM Mandatory Teacher Meeting: Franz 120
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM Student Auditions
12:00 - 1:30 PM Chapter Lunch and Meeting: Franz 120
5:00 PM Teacher Social
Guest Presenter Dan Murphy of Broadway Rose Theater
*TBA, end of the day Tie-breaker sing-off round(s)
10/27/24 3:00 PM Honors Recital: Mago Hunt Recital Hall

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • You do not need to show original copies of music to the check-in table.

  • Students are required to bring 3 copies of their adjudication forms to the check-in table.

  • Teachers go to “My Registration.” There you will find “print judging forms”.

  • Pianists may play from iPads or other electronic devices; they are no longer required to play from printed books.

  • Guests are encouraged to attend auditions; singers are encouraged to listen to other auditions!

  • High school categories are allotted 10 minutes at the chapter level for auditions.

  • For questions about categories, repertoire and age limits, please refer to MT specifics on the national website, https://www.nats.org/_Library/2023_24_NSA_Docs/Musical_Theatre_Resources_9-21-2023.pdf

  • Teachers can pick up adjudicator comments at the Honors Recital, Sunday 3 p.m.

  • The Honors Recital is free, all guests are welcome to come witness the hard work, clever performing and excellent singing! 

  • Our new NATS Board member, Vice President for Auditions, is Alisa Belflower if you wish to share thoughts, criticisms or kudos. Mark McQuade is still the national auditions coordinator https://www.nats.org/staff.html#mcquade

REGISTRATION

  • To register, login at www.NATS.org which will land you on Member Home.  Scroll to the bottom and click on the green AuditionWare button.  In AuditionWare, find “Cascade Fall 2024 Musical Theatre Auditions”.

  • Registration Fees:  Teacher:  $25 Student:  $25 per student

  • Members serve as adjudicators. Adjudicators must review NATS Adjudicator training materials and be familiar with adjudication rubrics. (https://www.nats.org/nsaresources.html#adjudication 

RESOURCES
https://www.nats.org/national_student_auditions.html

https://www.nats.org/_Library/NSA_Files/2024-25_NSA_Full_Regulations.pdf

https://www.nats.org/nsaresources.html#adjudication

 

RESULTS, TIES, HONORS PRIZES

  • RESULTS: First, second, and third place winners in each room will be posted by the check-in table as results become available throughout the course of auditions, but often as late as 5 p.m.

  • TIES: In the event of a tie for first place, both singers must be available to sing in the tie breaker round or forfeit their first place standing.

  • HONORS: Top three singers in each room will be invited to perform at the Sunday afternoon Honors Recital. Only students receiving a score of 90 or above are eligible to perform.

  • PRIZES: Those 1st place students who perform in the Honors Recital will receive a monetary gift ($100) from the Cascade Chapter in recognition of their achievement. 1st place singers who do not perform in the Honors Recital will be awarded $60. Singers performing in the Honors Recital are eligible to be selected to receive The Brian Vester Swingle Music Theatre Scholarship and the Cascade NATS Musical Theater Performance Award. 

 

WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD EXPECT

ARRIVAL & CHECK IN: Each student brings three copies of his/her completed adjudication forms. Please check-in at least one hour in advance of your time. The check-in table will provide information for practice rooms and the specific locations of your audition category. Please be ready to perform with your collaborative pianist, at the designated room, at least 10 minutes prior to your assigned time. Students who miss their time should not expect any accommodation.

The AUDITION: 

After checking in, students take their stamped forms to their assigned audition room. The room monitor will hand them to the judges when it is time.

On stage, the singer will announce their name and opening selection (song title, work, composer or creative team).
For example: “I am Jane Doe, and, together with my collaborative pianist, Tom Smith, we will begin with ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ from My Fair Lady by Lerner and Loewe.” 

The monitor will start the stopwatch when the singer begins singing. Adjudicators request the next selections. If the singer’s selections are longer than the allotted time, the monitor will call “Time”. The singer should stop singing, say “thank you”, and exit the room. The cut-off does not count against the singer and should not affect the judges’ comments or scoring in any way.  

BREAKING TIES: In the event of a tie for first place, all singers who tie will sing in a Tie-breaking Round. The Tie-Breaking Round will be scheduled as soon as possible after a category finishes and tabulations result in a tie on Saturday. Exact time and location will be posted on the Results Poster.

GUESTS: All auditions are open. Students are welcome to bring guests and are encouraged to spend the day listening to other singers as a means of showing support and learning by watching other performers. Please be courteous and follow room monitors’ instructions for the best time to enter a room.

HONORS RECITAL: The singers with the three highest scores in each category or “room” are invited to perform at the Honors Recital at 3 pm on Sunday, October 27th. Regardless of the number of singers in the category, a singer must receive an average score of 90 or above to perform in the Honors Recital.

Singers are encouraged to use their own collaborative pianist, but may use the collaborative pianist provided by NATS for the Honors Recital. A sign-up sheet will be available at the check-in table for rehearsal times with the NATS staff Honors Recital collaborative pianist.

First place students will receive students who perform in the Honors Recital will receive the full monetary gift ($100) from the Cascade Chapter in recognition of their outstanding achievement. Honors singers who cannot perform will be awarded $60. All students, guests, and all Cascade Chapter teachers are encouraged to attend the honors recital.

BRIAN VESTER SWINGLE MUSIC THEATRE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD: The singer who displays the most outstanding example of musical theatre style and performance practice during the Honors Recital will be awarded the $250 Brian Vester Swingle Music Theatre Scholarship Award. This singer will be chosen by a panel of chapter board members in attendance who do not have a singer performing on the recital.

CASCADE NATS MUSICAL THEATER PERFORMANCE AWARD: $300 Presented annually to a music theater singer who communicates the story exceptionally well during the honors recital. This singer will be chosen by a panel of chapter board members in attendance who do not have a singer performing on the recital.