Choosing your song portfolio

At the RSAMD I clarified what I consider to be the necessary contents of the song portfolio:
8-9 songs that you can do immediately, in the right key (or keys) for you, that fit your casting, or that you have an excellent reason to sing.

They should contain the following:
1 A classic book song, or Gershwin/Porter/Kern standard for lyrical singing
2 A contemporary drama song (Les Miserables, Jeckyl and Hyde, Wild Party etc)
3 A pop song (pop, rock, R&B, gospel, anything going back as far as 50s pop, in whatever style suits you best)
4 A standard with a simple accompaniment (for when you hear the pianist can't play!)
5-9 Own choice songs, chosen to show your strengths. If you sing contemporary drama well, add another one to the list. If you sing Dusty Springfield well, add that. If you sing heart-on-sleeve songs, add one of those. If you do power ballads, add another one of those. Anything that you do easily and well.

Even within those first four categories, there are a number of options. If you really aren't a ballad singer (and f0r some character actors a straight ballad really doesn't fit their casting), then find a story song or a patter song of that period (theatre songs from the 20s-60s). The feel is more classic even if the song is for a character. Cole Porter's 'Tale of the Oyster' or 'The Physician', even Gilbert and Sullivan patter songs come under this category. But beware of updates - 'The Sun Who's Rays' from The Mikado (G&S) would fit, but 'The Sun Who's Rays' from The Hot Mikado wouldn't (even though it's essentially the same show), because the feel has been changed to R&B/gospel/pop.

For more information on auditioning and finding repertoire, check out the Successful Singing Auditions book.

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