Episode 29. Auditioning & Storytelling with Folk Music w/Madison Mae Williams

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How do we perform folk music in the world of musical theatre?  That’s the question I’m covering today with special guest, Madison Mae Williams.

With folk musicals like Hadestown, Come from Away, and Bright Star being so popular right now, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from singers on where to find a folk song and how to perform it for their audition. 

This category of musical can seem difficult to audition for because the music doesn’t center on vocal virtuosity.  How do we show the auditors our vocal skill when the songs aren’t especially rangey?

Well, my guest today, Madison Mae Williams, is here to speak on exactly that. 

Madison Mae Williams is a multidisciplinary artist and scholar based in San Diego.  She’s a PhD candidate at UC San Diego and her dissertation project focuses on alienation in countercultural performances of the Long Sixties.  She received her BA concentrating in musical theatre, poetry, and Africana studies from Hampshire College.

Her other research areas include American musical theatre, the Black Power/Arts movements, horror and the uncanny, performance for children, and the films of Stanley Kubrick and John Cassavetes.

Maddie is passionate about theatre work that is accessible, radical, and increases visibility and representation for people of marginalized identities. She is a member of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas and the Black Theatre Network.

In this episode, we’ll be diving into the following questions:

  • What is folk music?  

  • Where does it come from?  

  • What kind of stories do folk songs tell?  

  • And how do we perform it as authentically as possible in the world of musical theatre?

If you’re looking to deepen your interpretation of folk songs and step into the audition room with more confidence in this area, then this episode is for you!

 Xo,

Korrie

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs, by Steve Roud and Julia Bishop

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