Can a Bass-Baritone Be Marketable in Pop Music and Musical Theatre?

The short answer is YES! The long answer is YES! ABSOLUTELY! MOST DEFINITELY!

Throughout my vocal education in college, I was always told that I’d never be marketable in these genres because of my low voice. Teachers often told me I’d be more successful in classical and country music, but I couldn’t help but feel like that wasn’t true. Country music was never part of my identity, and though I could sing classical music, it wasn’t something I wanted to pursue full time.

I was always connected to pop music, and musical theatre found its way into my heart at the start of 2018. That fall, I decided to just audition for the mainstage musical (Shrek at the time) to see what would happen. And I made it! I was cast as the Crossdressing Wolf, the Pied Piper, and the Bishop! It was an amazing time, and I’m glad I got to make those roles my own. That same school year, I also had the privilege of being cast as Judge Turpin in the spring 2019 production of Sweeney Todd. It was truly the thrill of a lifetime (double entendre intended).

In the time between the fall and spring production, I noticed a lot of my classmates in the musical theatre program signing up for all these regional auditions and national tours, so I figured I’d follow suit. I did the Illinois Theatre Auditions in Chicago, which got me a callback from Dunes Summer Theatre in Michigan City, IN. After that, they offered me a contract to play Luther Billis in South Pacific and Lester/Billy Bob Blood in Hansel and Gretel Meet the Swamp Witch for their summer 2019 season! I learned a lot, considering this was my first summer stock. It was a lot of fun and I’m beyond thankful for my experience there. I felt more confident than ever to pursue musical theatre because of them.

Despite this success, people still looked down on me. I remember one of my teachers said they didn't want me to think I could do this just because I “got lucky with a couple of shows in college”. They even told me I need to “get my ass into a gym” if I truly wanted to pursue musical theatre. Because of those remarks, I was on a mission to prove people wrong and show that I work hard and I don’t need to be super skinny to be successful.

2019-2020, I was cast as Henry Ford in the mainstage production of Ragtime, and I attended Ohio Theatre Auditions and Midwest Theatre Auditions. With OTA and MWTA combined, I received 5 callbacks from various companies, and I ended up securing a contract with Trumpet in the Land in Ohio for their summer stock season! Even though COVID shut that season down, those auditions made me feel like this was what I was meant to do. As a bass-baritone, I never thought I’d even make it to that point.

Fall of 2020, I moved to Chicago to start my career professionally. I studied with Dr. David Hoffman from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and he introduced me to Chicago Cabaret Professionals, Opera Inter Alia, and even gave me a list of theaters to audition for. He even suggested I market myself as a baritone with all the progress we made, vocally. So I did just that! I marketed myself as a baritone and I started going to open mic nights and cabaret workshops. As a result of these, I got a call to debut in an official Chicago Cabaret Professionals show and I was finally selected to audition for the A1 Conference after 4 years of rejection! Through those auditions, I got a callback from (and secured a contract with) the Woodstock Playhouse in Woodstock, NY for their entire 2022 summer season. I played Reverend Shaw in Footloose, Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast, Selsdon in Noises Off, Herr Schultz in Cabaret, and I even originated George Wilson in an early production of Gatsby: An American Musical. All of which were huge honors for me.

After this, I returned to Chicago to audition for The Christmas Schooner at the Beverly Arts Center, in which I was cast as Steve/Peter Understudy. Then in 2023, I continued my work with the Cabaret Professionals and received the Denise Tomasello Scholarship at the CCP Emerging Artists Showcase. In 2024, I debuted my show, Acceptance, I made it to the finals of the Open Mic Competition at Uncommon Ground, and I was asked to perform in the musical theatre nights of the Spoon River House Festival. In all honesty, being approached for musical theatre before classical was very healing for me. To be wanted for the genre that nobody saw me fit for felt really good.

The biggest takeaway from this post is that, if you are a bass or baritone trying to get into pop music and musical theatre, KEEP FIGHTING no matter what anyone else tells you. With hard work and perseverance, you CAN succeed in those genres. Even using the resources I mentioned will take you even further.

Cabaret works because they allow you to craft shows and sing songs from your favorite musicals in YOUR key. Storytelling is the most important aspect in cabaret, which will also help you improve your acting because you’re relating the songs you pick to YOUR life. That’s where the most genuine connections come from. And with Broadway and Opera moving more towards acting as opposed to beautiful voices, cabaret will give you that push.

Open Mic Nights are another useful tool to get your foot in the door. Whether you like covering your favorite songs or you want to try showcasing any original music, open mic is the safest place to try whatever you want. There are no rules, and you can also sing in your key here.

Researching and Auditioning for Musicals is just as important, because you need to know which shows and roles are a good fit for your voice type. There are plenty out there for young basses and baritones. Hamilton, Cabaret, Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, Ragtime, the list goes on! You can even search which musical audition songs are perfect for baritones! This is most essential because most auditions don’t allow artists to transpose the key.

It’s important as well to find the right teacher or coach for you. They’ll always be there to give you the proper guidance so you don’t have to navigate alone. If you’re reading this and are looking for a coach, please reach out to me at jacemccloymusic@gmail.com. I specialize primarily in singing, songwriting, and acting.

Thanks for reading, and I can’t wait to see you at the next post! :)