In the course of my life, I have encountered many people who use all three of the terms musicals, plays and operas interchangeably. They often do not understand the difference or maybe mistakenly said the wrong thing, but whatever the reason, here is a comprehensive explanation of what each one is.

Musicals:

(n) - a play or movie in which singing and dancing play an essential part. Musicals developed from light opera in the early 20th century.

Examples: Les Misérables, Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, Something Rotten, Sweeney Todd, Hamilton

Musicals set what would be dialogue to song, they tell the story through singing and dancing.

Usually you have to be able to sing and dance in order to be in a musical, this means that there are three auditions--singing, dancing and acting. And chances are, if you biff one of them, you won't be in the musical.

Plays:

(n) - a dramatic work for the stage or to be broadcast.

Examples: Jane Eyre, Mary Stuart, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear

Plays stick to spoken dialogue in order to tell the story, they focus on the spoken word.

When you audition for a play, you usually only need to prepare a monologue and be ready to read lines at your audition. You do not have to sing, nor do you have to dance. You do, however, need to be good at acting. Expressing your emotions is one key element plays.

Operas:

(n) - a dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers and instrumentalists

Examples: Carmen, La bohème, Rigoletto, La gravitas, The Barber of Seville, The Magic Flute

Operas only sometimes include dancing and in operas, the singing never stops.

I do not know much about auditioning for operas, but I do know that you have to be prepared to sing and show your range because singing is the primary technical component of operas. You will be singing the whole time, so you have to have the pipes and lungs for it.

Whether you fit into the category of knowing the difference between these three styles of performance art or not, it is nice to have a comprehensive list that details what each one is.