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So You Want to Be in Musicals?
An insider's guide to achieving that dream career – by one of the brightest stars in musical theatre.
Being in a West End or Broadway musical is the dream of thousands of talented performers. But competition is intense and reaching the spotlight can often require a leap into the dark. So You Want To Be In Musicals? by Ruthie Henshall is your comprehensive guide to building – and sustaining – a successful career in musical theatre, and introduces you to everything you need to know
Training – how to select a drama school, what to do to get in, and what to do once you're thereAuditioning – how to choose and prepare your pieces, and foster a positive attitude towards auditionsRehearsing – how to construct your character, work with the director, and develop your own creative processPerforming – how to deal with nerves, what to do as an understudy, and how to sustain that eight-show-a-week routineWorking – how to get an agent, how to market yourself effectively, and how to maintain a healthy body and mindAlong with a wealth of honest, straightforward advice, the book is packed with instructive anecdotes from Ruthie's own glittering career.
Being in a West End or Broadway musical is the dream of thousands of talented performers. But competition is intense and reaching the spotlight can often require a leap into the dark. So You Want To Be In Musicals? by Ruthie Henshall is your comprehensive guide to building – and sustaining – a successful career in musical theatre, and introduces you to everything you need to know
Training – how to select a drama school, what to do to get in, and what to do once you're thereAuditioning – how to choose and prepare your pieces, and foster a positive attitude towards auditionsRehearsing – how to construct your character, work with the director, and develop your own creative processPerforming – how to deal with nerves, what to do as an understudy, and how to sustain that eight-show-a-week routineWorking – how to get an agent, how to market yourself effectively, and how to maintain a healthy body and mindAlong with a wealth of honest, straightforward advice, the book is packed with instructive anecdotes from Ruthie's own glittering career.
- GenresNonfiction
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 11, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 22, 2014
From a performer's point-of-view I found this book wildly informative, despite being targeted towards a British audience. I now have a new sense of direction and a boosted confidence that will help propel me into this business.
From a reader's point-of-view, it was extremely repetitive and could have been condensed to about 100pages rather than 200pages.
From a reader's point-of-view, it was extremely repetitive and could have been condensed to about 100pages rather than 200pages.
July 18, 2018
This book was on my reading list for drama school, and I think it was an excellent choice of book to start with.
It is simply laid out into five sections revolving around the Musical Theatre industry: Training, Auditioning, Rehearsing, Performing, and Working. This made the whole book easy to read, although I feel that the 'Working' section is not as useful to me at this stage, as it will be later on, so I didn't take as much from that section as I did the others.
By far the two most useful sections for me currently were the 'Training' and 'Auditioning' sections, as of course they are the most relevant to me at this stage. That said, all the sections offer useful advice, and lots of helpful tips of things that seem obvious but may possibly be over-looked.
I thought that the style of writing was enjoyable. It's informative without coming across as condescending. As well as that, Ruthie Henshall came across authentically in the book; it felt as though I was taking valuable advice from a friend and mentor, as opposed to some pretentious, distant narrator. Parts are a tad repetitious, but I take this to mean that the author is stressing the importance of the point by repeating it, although I can see how that would be frustrating for some readers. However, the genuinely good advice includes personal anecdotes and helpful resources, which are a welcome addition.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and it is a valuable addition to the reading list of any aspiring performers.
It is simply laid out into five sections revolving around the Musical Theatre industry: Training, Auditioning, Rehearsing, Performing, and Working. This made the whole book easy to read, although I feel that the 'Working' section is not as useful to me at this stage, as it will be later on, so I didn't take as much from that section as I did the others.
By far the two most useful sections for me currently were the 'Training' and 'Auditioning' sections, as of course they are the most relevant to me at this stage. That said, all the sections offer useful advice, and lots of helpful tips of things that seem obvious but may possibly be over-looked.
I thought that the style of writing was enjoyable. It's informative without coming across as condescending. As well as that, Ruthie Henshall came across authentically in the book; it felt as though I was taking valuable advice from a friend and mentor, as opposed to some pretentious, distant narrator. Parts are a tad repetitious, but I take this to mean that the author is stressing the importance of the point by repeating it, although I can see how that would be frustrating for some readers. However, the genuinely good advice includes personal anecdotes and helpful resources, which are a welcome addition.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and it is a valuable addition to the reading list of any aspiring performers.
February 16, 2023
Great advice , definitely going to reread this a lot
December 15, 2023
Very helpful!
February 3, 2024
It’s good if you are just getting started and explains the basics to musical theatre
February 10, 2020
This book was so incredibly informative and I loved it and got through it so quickly. Ruthie Henshall is an excellent writer and really shows in great detail important information and parts of the life of a theatre performer while also sharing some nice anecdotes along with personal tips. As someone young and wanted to pursue theatre I found this book incredible helpful but also realistic in dealing with the fact that its a very very hard industry to get into and sustain.
I would definitely recommend this book!
I would definitely recommend this book!
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October 29, 2013khfsj;'j amazing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews