A practical handbook for performers
WHAT
SHOULD
I SING?
A clear, performer-focused guide to choosing material, shaping interpretation, and bringing musical theatre songs to life.
50+
Years of theatre experience
Practical
Tools for musical theatre voices
SONG
CHOICE
CHOICE
VOICE
& STORY
& STORY
Musical TheatreVoice • Story • Choice
PracticalBuilt for working performers
The book
Find the song that fits you.
“What Should I Sing?” is designed for musical theatre performers who want a more thoughtful way to select, understand, and perform repertoire.
Rather than chasing a “perfect” song in the abstract, the book encourages performers to connect vocal strengths, text, character, context, and personal point of view.
01
Choose with purpose
Build a repertoire that supports your voice, identity, and goals.
02
Interpret the lyric
Move from notes on a page to clear dramatic intention.
03
Serve the story
Use musical choices to deepen character and emotional truth.
Inside the handbook
Built for the rehearsal room,
audition room, and stage.
Clear ideas you can return to whenever you are choosing, learning, or performing material.
01
Know Your Instrument
Understand the relationship between vocal character, range, comfort, and expressive possibility.
♪
02
Choose the Right Song
Make repertoire decisions with stronger criteria than “I like this song.”
“
03
Read the Lyric
Treat text as dramatic material so every phrase has a reason to exist.
◐
04
Build the Character
Connect musical choices to point of view, stakes, relationships, and action.
“
The goal is not simply to sing the song. It is to discover what the song allows you to communicate.
— A guiding idea behind What Should I Sing?
RH
RICHARD HURST
About the author
Richard Hurst
Actor, director, dramaturge, adjudicator, educator, and a lifelong voice in Canadian musical theatre.
Across five decades, Richard Hurst has worked onstage, in rehearsal rooms, classrooms, and professional theatre communities. His approach brings together technique, textual insight, character work, and a distinctly performer-centered understanding of musical storytelling.
His work as an educator and director informs this handbook: practical, direct, and rooted in the realities of making theatre.
Your next song starts here
Ready to answer the question:
What should I sing?
Keep the handbook beside you for auditions, coaching sessions, repertoire planning, and rehearsal.
Contact
Questions, events,
or book enquiries?
Use the form to send an enquiry. Connect the form to your preferred email service or backend before publishing.