Throughout the class, Ria shared some of the insights and wisdom she\u2019s gained over the years from working in the West End and collaborating with renowned composers like Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd-Webber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome people think it\u2019s easy, but it\u2019s actually twice as hard to perform in musical theatre,\u201d explained Ria to her class of 21 participants. \u201cYou\u2019re not just acting – you\u2019re acting a song. You\u2019re fighting a melody while telling a story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, she urged her class, \u201cThink of the lyrics. Forget about the tune once you know it. If your voice breaks, it doesn’t matter, as long as you tell the story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For close to five eye-opening hours, Ria worked with every single member of the class on a song of their choosing. She paid close attention to numbers as varied as Benjamin Kheng\u2019s guitar-led It All Fades Away<\/em>, Sugie Phua\u2019s rousing rendition of What A Wonderful World<\/em> and Frances Lee\u2019s stirring performance of Angel Eyes<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For each and every participant, from professional actors like Pam Oei and Caleb Goh to drama students from SOTA, Ria offered advice that helped them open up their voices and find their characters\u2019 stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most importantly, she urged everyone to get to know their strengths and limits. \u201cI can\u2019t ever play Christine Daae in Phantom Of The Opera<\/em>,\u201d she explained to the class. \u201cThat\u2019s not who I am as a performer. Get to know yourself, and the parts that are right for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along the way, Ria made quite a few happy discoveries. 13-year-old Aoife Haakenson, for instance, astounded everyone in the room with, well, a truly astonishing take on Astonishing<\/em> from the musical version of Little Women<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ria also gave participants a few tips on how to approach auditions, including choosing a song that plays to one\u2019s strengths. \u201cPick the song you want to sing, not necessarily what you think the panel wants to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be nerve-wracking to walk into an audition room, even for someone with as much experience as Ria. \u201cSometimes, it helps to think of someone you love who loves to hear you sing. Sing your song to them!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participants even received some good auditioning advice from Elaine Chan, who served as the accompanist for the day and is one of Singapore\u2019s foremost musical directors and composers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you have a pitch problem,\u201d stressed Elaine, \u201cNever pick a song with a key change. And avoid songs with a mixed meter – not all pianists can handle that on the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drawing from personal experience, Ria advised the class not to think of failing an audition as the end of the world. Many years ago, she had first auditioned for the smaller role of the Mistress in Evita. She didn\u2019t get the part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, two years later, she received a letter asking her to audition for the lead role of Eva Peron. She won the part and, at the age of nineteen, became the youngest actress ever to headline Evita<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the class, Ria returned the favour that her students had done her all afternoon – performing her audition song just as they had performed theirs. She sang a heartrending rendition of As If We Never Said Goodbye<\/em> from Sunset Boulevard<\/em>, and followed it with a powerful performance of I Dreamed A Dream<\/em> from Les Miserables<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cDon\u2019t think about the sound – focus on the story.\u201d That might seem a little counter-intuitive to a roomful of great singers, but you can bet that acclaimed West End star Ria Jones knows exactly what she\u2019s talking about! In early October, Ria conducted an intensive master class for the cast of Monkey Goes West, professional …<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/newsletter\/NL19\/05B.jpg\")
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