University of Michigan on campus BFA Acting audition:
The audition was on a Friday and took most of the day.
8:00 am check in - lobby of the theatre building. People were arriving before 8 and waiting in the lobby until they opened check-in at the main desk (they called for people to check in at around 7:55 am.) There was a table with coffee, tea, fruit, snacks and water and also theatre department booklets, etc. At check in each person was given a folder with a specific audition schedule, some books of information, etc.
8:15 am They led kids and parents to a classroom where we sat at desks, were welcomed and watched a video about the program- mostly candid interviews with acting students about their experience in the program.
8:30 am Some current students took the auditioning kids on a tour of the theatre school building and answered questions while the director of the acting program spoke with parents. He was super helpful, took lots of questions and made sure everyone got the information they needed.
9:30 am The students returned and basically swapped with parents. They told us that we could feel free to go if we’d like but that we could also go on a tour of the building. I took the tour. It’s a really nice building with plenty of rehearsal space, a huge workshop for set building and a very cool costume shop. Students answered questions along the way and shared openly about their experiences. Everyone seemed to feel supported, challenged and happy.
During this same time period the students were meeting with the director of the acting program.
10:30 am Parents and Kids reconnected briefly- the kids had a 15 minute break to change and get ready for a movement/acting/improv workshop with two professors who teach those classes.
10:45 am - 12 pm Movement/Acting/Improv class
Parents were invited to stay around the theatre building (there were lots of places to sit and the hospitality table) or we were free to leave. The building next to the theatre is a student union with a cafeteria, cafe, bookstore, etc. and lots of couches, seating and lounge areas. I spent some time in the theatre building and then wandered next door, got some coffee and hung out while I waited for my kid to be finished with the movement class.
12 pm Break before their individual audition and interview time slot.
My kid’s group was scheduled for 1:30 pm, the second group. People could either go next door for lunch, hang around the building or use the rehearsal rooms in the basement that the school made available for auditioning kids to rehearse their monologues. At this point there was a lot of energy- kids were changing from movement clothes into audition clothes, singing, chatting with each other, showing each other their headshots, etc.
The audition time groups were posted on the inside of the door to the room where auditions were taking place. Once they started calling groups you couldn’t see the lists anymore, since the door was closed, but before each group’s time the director would come out and call each kid’s name in that group, tell them the order they’d be called, remind them to remember the name of the person right before them, then call the next person.
My kid was in the 1:30 pm audition group. At 1:30 the director came out, called each name in the group and made sure that person was in the hallway outside the audition room, told them all the order and then took the first person in. The auditions were quick- the director greeted each kid and walked them in. There was a full panel of auditors- my kid couldn’t remember how many, but at least 5 or 6. They came in, did their two monologues, had a brief ‘interview’ conversation and then they were done. Once this was finished they were free to go.
Interesting things I learned:
You can double major here as a BFA Acting student, but not in two theatre school majors.
Second semester junior year they don’t schedule required theatre school classes nor are you required to perform in order to enable study abroad or double majoring or whatever else you need some flexibility to accomplish.
Frosh live on campus in two dorms very close to the theatre building (on the North Campus) with their own dining halls. Upperclass theatre students can live on campus, but many move off campus and live in houses together in nearby Kerrytown. There is a free bus that takes students all around and between campuses (and stops near Kerrytown)- the bus is reliable and comes every 5 minutes.
First semester frosh do not perform- to allow them to settle in- but after that they are required to audition every semester and accept the parts they’re given (except for second semester junior year). They can petition to take a semester off from the performance requirement but it will only be granted if there is something they’d not be able to do otherwise.
There are 4/5 main stage university productions directed by faculty or visiting faculty, and an unbelievable number of student productions spread over several studios and student organizations. They are guaranteed to be cast in at least 2 university productions a year but can perform in as many student productions as they can handle. Students collaborate on those productions and can take on roles outside of their field of study- ex: an acting BFA could direct a show, there’s definitely Acting/MT crossover.
They offer merit scholarships based on talent and those can be 4 year/renewable. There are also opportunities for earning additional scholarships year by year based on your work and achievement that can be added to the original award. There are no cuts, but they evaluate after sophomore year to assess progress/ascertain commitment.
All in all, it was a really great day. Well organized, people were super friendly, lots of good information. I took a lot of notes in the talk with the director and on the tour, so if anyone has any specific questions I can try to answer them.