Casting Director LYNNE RUTHVEN says that depending on the nature of the musical she would call perhaps 250 – 300 performers to the first round auditions for the ensemble, in both Sydney and Melbourne.  Perhaps another 100 would be seen in Brisbane.

The first thing that would be assessed is dancing skill and style. 

Some dancers can offer a variety of styles others may have specialized in one. 

The choreographer will be looking for specific skills again depending on the nature of the show. 

Taking into account the size of the group and how many are selected from the one-hour dance call, auditioning performers might also be then required to sing or the singing call might be in the afternoon of the first day.

The Casting Director’s aim would be to reduce the numbers by at least half for the second round.

AKINA recorded her thoughts about the auditioning process in Melbourne at the end of August 2013 while she was waiting to head to Sydney to commence rehearsals for ‘The Lion King’.