'Rock the Audition' Book Receives May 24th Release

Broadway is being dominated by Rock Musicals. Both singers trained in legit musical theatre styles and Pop & Rock singers who are venturing into musical theatre now have a definitive guide on how to approach auditioning musicals that specifically ask for Pop, Rock, Motown, Disco, R&B, Folk and Gospel styles.

Rock The Audition (Hal Leonard Books), a new book by Sheri Sanders, teaches performers how to take the responsibility of researching, cutting, arranging and interpreting a rock song as a perfect opportunity to bring their own unique point of view to their audition pieces. Sheri is the first person to write a book on how to audition for these musicals, which are the most in-demand genre of musical theatre.

Sheri teaches ROCK THE AUDITION, a master class in auditioning for rock musicals, and ADVANCED ROCK THE AUDITION, offering guerrilla training of 4 totally different styles in 4 weeks. Because of the success with her classes, she wanted to extend the reach with her book.

Sheri's students have been found in the Broadway, touring companies, and regional productions of Rock Of Ages, Wonderland, Priscilla, Queen of The Dessert, Spiderman: Turn off the Dark, Sister Act, Mamma Mia, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Spring Awakening, Wicked, Rent, The Wedding Singer, Hairspray, Legally Blonde, All Shook Up and Shout.

In Rock The Audition, Sheri defines what is required of the actor/singer to succeed, and along with interviews from the top Casting Directors, Directors, Music Directors, and Composers in the rock musical community, gives the aspiring performer the proper tools to successfully audition for every genre of rock musical on Broadway.

"The goal of this book is to teach performers to treat auditioning for rock musicals with the same respect and care that we do with legit musical theater," said Sheri Sanders. "In studying pop culture and society through the different eras, we learn why and how people expressed themselves, and actors can now come to an audition informed, prepared, and inspired. This book will teach readers to use their performance to transport the creative team into the world in which the show they are auditioning for takes place."

Rock The Audition is also unique in that it teaches actors to tap into their emotions and "feel" a song, so that the creative team can be affected by the storytelling. The concept and style is very different from what they are trained to do in legit musical theatre, which is to 'act" a song.

Rock The Audition comes with a DVD that includes techniques on vocal styles, physicalization, interpretation, and their synthesis.

About Sheri Sanders

Sheri Sanders is an actor, singer, and rock musical audition coach. She teaches ROCK THE AUDITION at Pace University, with Syracuse University (The Tepper Semester), and the Conservatory at Papermill Playhouse. She has taught at Millikin University, Rider College,
Jersey City University, with Making It On Broadway, Actors Connection, The Network, Capes Coaching, TVI Actors Studio, Paul Greens School of Rock, and at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp.

Sheri was asked to create the pilot episode of MY TIME, a new reality TV show for the Oprah Winfrey Network, which airs in late April, early May.

As a performer, some of Sanders' rock musical credits include the roles of the "Black Boys soloist" and the Mother in Hair (with Encores! at City Center), covered all three band members of Betty in
BETTY RULES (The Zipper); Georgie Bukatinsky in three different productions of The Full Monty, and the Senator in Caligula (New World Stages). At the prestigious Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Sheri has spent three summers under the direction of Michael Bush, originating the roles of Amy in Paul Scott Goodmans' Easterhouse, Eve in Michael Amans' Secrets of Songwriting (music by Randi Michaels) and had the honor of being in Stone Soul Picnic: A Tribute To Laura Nyro. She also played Serena Katz in the National Tour of Fame, and The Hippie in Lowdermilk-Kerrigans' The Woman Upstairs at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Sanders' legit musical theatre credits include the role of Kitty in The Screams of Kitty Genovese (New York Musical Theatre Festival), her comic turn as Little Becky in the national tour of Urinetown, Mme. Squirrel in Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas at The Goodspeed Opera House, the Kolokolo Bird in Just So at The Goodspeed Opera House, and Susan in Tom Jones at The North Shore Musical Theatre.

She resides in Brooklyn, New York.