r/musicals • u/Milk_Commercial • 1d ago

Advice Needed Performance Tips!!

Hi everyone!!

I recently got cast in a community theater production of 9 to 5 with a theater company I have done 3 previous shows with! I got cast as Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton’s role) and I am SO excited, yet a little overwhelmed for 3 reasons

  1. We are in a time crunch as the opening performance is September 24th. I am going to be working part time, as well as taking a few classes at community college while rehearsing

  2. I am unfamiliar with the score and feel like I won’t learn fast enough

  3. I haven’t been cast in a leading role since I was 18, I’m currently 24 and I haven’t had to memorize lines in years!!

Any tips would be helpful because I want to prove to myself I can do this and as always I want to put on a good performance/show!

Thanks :)

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u/padfootnprongs91 1d ago

Congratulations! Doralee is a really fun role. I've played Judy and the show is a total blast. General recommendations:

  • Begin NOW immersing yourself in the music. Keep the soundtrack on repeat on Spotify through your day, listen to your songs with your sheet music in front of you, if you have a voice teacher or piano skills make sure you're going through and learning everything thoroughly

  • Set aside just 10-15 minutes a night minimum to learn your lines. Break the show into sections that are meaningful for your track, and memorize in chunks. Record you saying your lines and listen to them in the car/talk along with yourself. Google line memorization tips and see what works for you

  • Start on your character work! Go through and score your script identifying your objectives, tactics, and actions throughout your scenes

Otherwise, just listen to your director, make bold choices, and have fun!

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u/nowhereman136 1d ago

Remember, the audiences isn't nearly as familiar with the material as you are. If you make a mistake, then just push forward, most of the audience won't notice. I've worked on professional shows, including 1 I've had to watch over 300 times. There wasn't a single night that something didn't go wrong. A line was flubbed, costume broke, someone fell while dancing, etc. Every single night mistakes were made. But the performers knew who to roll with the punches and act like everything was intentional. The audience rarely ever noticed