<p>That’s worrisome Flossy!
Another audition report - We were on campus at Rutgers Mason Gross yesterday. We had an 11 am audition time and we were told there was an information session at 1 if we would like to stay.
We arrived around 10:30 and checked in. Everyone was waiting in the theatre for their turn. D was called to go in about ten minutes. They took about four at a time; there were current Mason Gross students there to walk them to the audition room.
D said there were two audition rooms. She went in and the auditors didn’t introduce themselves which she found a little strange. She did the two monos and they both said “good, very good” or something like that. They asked her one question - “Why are you interested in Rutgers?” She rambled on for a bit because she knows quite a bit about their faculty and admires them. And that was it. Seemed a shorter audition for everyone than others we’ve been to - maybe because they have the callback weekend.
We checked the website after for faculty pictures and she’s pretty sure she had William Cardon and Greg Seel as auditors.
We left and came back for information session. I was hoping it would be one of the acting faculty but it was the same lady who did the info session when we went to visit; I forget her name I’m afraid; she works with the design and production students but does know quite a bit about the whole program.
The main bit of info I wanted was how you are notified about callbacks. She said mid-February, after LA Unifieds are done, they select the callback candidates. You are then notified by e-mail. The callback weekend is March 8 and 9.
One thing I noticed at Rutgers - the girls seemed to be less dressed up. There were a couple of unfortunate skirt choices, and then I saw a lot of jeans and even yoga pants. My D in her nice blouse and dress pants was actually the dressiest. The guys seemed about the same though.
Now on to Unifieds! More than half way there now. :-)</p>
<p>That IS creepy, Flossy! </p>
<p>On call backs for Mason Gross, if I remember correctly, my daughter was notified by email of her callback and she found out in late February. It was one week before Juilliard’s callback in the beginning of March. Acting auditions do tend to be less formal in terms of dress. They want you to be able to move freely. </p>
<p>Did eight auditions in four days this past weekend in New York and at Unifieds. I had CalArts, Juilliard, Rutgers, Minnesota/Guthrie, Southern Methodist University, Royal Welsh College, Otterbein, and Carnegie Mellon. I’ve been working to finish making up all the school work I missed while in NYC these past few nights, so I’m running on very little sleep. Once things calm down and I get all caught up I’ll post some detailed reports on my auditions. But overall, it was a wonderful eye opening weekend and because of how some of the auditions went and the discoveries I made, I’m considering cutting down some of the rest of my list and not going to Chicago Unifieds. </p>
<p>I’d love to hear your experiences and discoveries, Josh, when you have a chance. Good luck with adjusting back to school!</p>
<p>Sorry if it is the wrong place to ask a question. My D was told it’s good to write a “thank you” note to the auditioner. However, not every auditioner gave her his/her card with email address. She was advised that in these cases she should only use regular mail, not email. Is that really so? My D would like to write a note to a lady who had worked with her for quite some time, she knows the name of the professor and wanted to email her to the University. However, that lady did not give her the business card after the audition. Any advise?</p>
<p>Perhaps she can go to the school’s website and it will hopefuly have pictures for the faculty.</p>
<p>It’d be almost unheard of for a college or university NOT to have faculty e-mail addresses on the website. It might be listed by department or, since she knows the professor’s name, your daughter can use the school website’s search engine. An e-mail is perfectly fine regardless of whether or not she was given a business card! </p>
<p>Josh, I am glad you had such a positive experience and look forward to hearing about your discoveries!</p>
<p>GSOMTMom, Tomes3-- thank you for the advise! Yes, she found email addresses on the University site, her concern was if she could send an email or should use only a thank-you card by regular mail. I will tell her that CC thinks she can send thank-you letter by email regardless of whether she was given a card!</p>
<p>Here’s something… D auditioned at a school recently that held a Q and A for parents while the kids were auditioning. A parent asked the Director of Theater Admissions for the names of the faculty that were doing the auditions that day. He replied that he would tell us the names (which he did) but specifically asked that we (or our kids) NOT contact them directly. My D sent a thank you note directly to him (they actually had a nice interaction about a mistake on her application- OOPS!!) and she asked in the note that he please thank both the student volunteers and her auditors. Thoughts??</p>
<p>I think that was the correct way to handle the thank you. You followed the director’s request, which is always a smart thing to do!!!</p>
<p>To be honest, these auditors see hundreds of kids. They don’t want hundreds of emails thanking them or otherwise. :)</p>
<p>I agree with Glassharmonica. I can’t imagine they could read them all and remember who is who. </p>
<p>Just got D’s acceptances this week from Rollins College and SCAD to add to Hofstra and DeSales. </p>
<p>D is still waiting on Emerson, UCF (Univ of Central Florida), and Fordham. </p>
<p>Auditioned at SCAD two weekends ago. VERY surprised and impressed with their program. They had their stuff together for SCAD Day and we were spoiled. Shuttled around the gorgeous city of Savannah to different buildings (their campus IS the city) and spoke with several well-spoken and exceptional students. The administration and all of the faculty were so helpful and answered the most detailed questions. Small class sizes but really hands-on approach to performing arts. Also, they encourage working with other departments, like Sound Editing and Film and TV to get a full-spectrum of what it’s like to work in the industry. DD says SCAD is now in the Top 3. But it is very expensive. Let’s see if she wins a scholarship from the audition.</p>
<p>Had her audition at Fordham last Sunday. Said she was in and out, without much feedback except a chuckle from the female auditor during her contemporary monologue. Not really that impressed with the school because she’s an outdoor and sunshine gal. Tour guides said they may not leave that building for 3 DAYS! Very drama-focused, rarely do musicals. Stages are also small. Right in the heart of Manhattan but may not be right fit for the student that likes a normal college campus.</p>
<p>What a roller coaster of a weekend! NY Unifieds was a blast but I had no idea how exhausting it would be. It’s the waiting and the travel that really took the toll. The auditions were the fun part!</p>
<p>CalArts: This was a very fun audition. They were running a tad late when I got there, so we started at 3 rather than 2. First off, Mirjana Jokovic and Nataki Garrett came and introduced the program and man oh man did they know how to inspire and pump up the auditoners. They really sold me on all the possibilities there was in the program. Creating original work and new methods while still giving you the classical foundation of acting, the collaborations with different schools and different countries, the TV and film training, the opportunity to take additional voice and dance classes, the internationality of the students and faculty, and most of all the focus on developing your creative voice. This was another program like Guildhall where they really focused on the fact they were looking for a certain type of person for their program and it’s not about if they think you are good, it’s if they think you would benefit from the type of training offered.<br>
For the audition portion, I was fifth to go and I did my two monologues and talked with them for a bit. After that we worked on my Shakespeare doing a yoga/breathing exercise and then talked about how the exercise felt. Nataki gave me her business card and suggested I come visit to see the campus, the community, and the classes for myself.
Overall, it was a really positive audition experience and I feel like I really connected with the faculty and the student representatives. After the audition CalArts climbed up way high on my list but I know it’s a long shot so I’m trying not to get my hopes up.</p>
<p>Juilliard: This was a LONG day. I was not expecting so many people to be auditioning there. 157. Anyways, the audition was run pretty smoothly for the amount of people there. The group warm up and orientation was really nice, it was a very positive talk and they were great at easing the nerves of a lot of people. While in the waiting room, I talked to some of the current Juilliard students and while they were all very grounded and nice, I really felt like I was not the same kind of person they were. They all seemed to have been working professionally for years before school or have gone to a performing arts high school or middle school and/or just had significant life experience before beginning the training. And I was like, thats not me. So it was a weird click and I noticed some the same things at my Guildhall audition the week before and began to wonder if these London schools would be what I want in my college foundation after all.
I went in around 11:30 for the audition, which was pretty positive experience, the auditors were nice and really gave me the time of day. I performed my monologues, then was called back into the room to sing. I sang and was dismissed and told to come back around 1 for the callback list to be posted.
I went out to lunch and came back around 12:30. I really got to know some of the kids throughout all waiting and I made some really cool friends. Many of whom I ran into at later auditions. The call-back list went up around three and expectedly I didn’t make the cut. I wasn’t too disappointed but was super glad for two others who were in the little group I was talking to. The funny part was after the list was posted, we all started to leave and because the elevators were full, a group of about twenty people took the stairs and after descending down three or four flights of stairs, there was only an emergency exit. One of the people in the front of the group just sighed and said “f- it, I didn’t get a callback anyway” and left the building through the emergency exit. </p>
<p>Rutgers: I had Rutgers after Juilliard, I had applied to the school but not scheduled an audition yet, so after leaving Juilliard, I headed to Ripely Grier and walked-in for Rutgers. I waited for a little under three hours and finally went at the end of the day at 5:45. My pieces went pretty well, the auditors were kind of stone faced, but as soon as they were over they were really engaged in the interview. We talked about the school, Meisner training, and the year abroad and I really liked the auditors. They seemed really cool and the program sounds amazing. This was probably one of my shortest audition though I feel like it went very well. I guess I’ll hear sometime in February if I am called back, rejected, or wait listed. </p>
<p>UofM/Guthrie: This was my second time auditioning for Ken and Joe as I had done a preliminary audition in Nebraska last June. I got there an hour early and someone came out of the audition room and whomever was supposed to go next was not there yet, so they called me in early. I started with an interview with Ken Washington for about five minutes, and then I did my pieces (which I felt sort of fell flat), did a song, and closed with another interview for another five minutes. I was a little thrown because I was expecting to keep doing monologues and do something from my resume and all the crazy stuff I keep hearing about this audition. But I did all that stuff in Nebraska last year so I’m wondering if they just wanted to see if I had improved at all this time. I left the room kicking myself because I feel like I didn’t articulate myself that well in the interviews and because I didn’t get to warm up as much as I thought I would before the audition. </p>
<p>Southern Methodist University: This was immediately after Guthrie, I had originally scheduled an appointment for 1:20, but I came to the room and asked if there were any earlier slot and just went in then and there. It was my second time auditioning for Jim Crawford and it was a blast. I started out with a short interview, then did two of my pieces and a song. We talked for a bit about my summer at Guildhall, as he teaches Patsy Rodenburg’s method as a unit in the school and I worked with her there. I did two of my Shakespeare pieces and then we talked for about 15 minutes about the program, my life, and how the program could benefit me. This was another school with loads of opportunities. In the Theatre Studies BFA, I could get the acting foundation while studying directing with the previous head of Yale Drama School, get a minor in Musical Theatre, create original work, and study abroad at LAMDA or the Moscow Art Theatre. I really felt like I connected with Jim and I was really sold on the program. He said I should hear within a month. </p>
<p>Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama: This was a walk-in and a very interesting experience. I went into the room had a quick chat about my program at Guildhall and dove into my pieces. Afterwards, we worked on my Shakespeare and oddly enough I was given the same ajustment there as I did in my Guildhall audition, and I’ve been wondering why I couldn’t seem to fix that part in my monologue. We talked a little more and ended the audition rather awkwardly when they asked “Have you had your Guildhall audition yet?” and I said “Yes, last week” “How did it go” “It was a really good experience but I didn’t get a recall” “hmmmm, well we have some thinking to do” and then dismissed me. They said I would hear after Chicago Unifieds if I made the shortlist but I would be very surprised if that was the case. </p>
<p>Otterbein: This is one of those you’ll never know who you are walking next to stories. I had a in person prescreen audition scheduled for 10:15 and while walking into Pearl Studios I opened the door for the man behind me, he went in and dropped his suitcase, I picked it up for him and we made some small talk in the elevator. We get to the audition floor and I notice we’re going in the same direction and sure enough, he was the one running the auditions at Otterbein. </p>
<p>The student representatives from the program were really really nice and I learned a whole lot about the program. I have three friends in the program now who absolutely love it and so I knew a little bit about it before hand but not in this great detail. My prescreen went not so well, I was nervous and doing a cut of a monologue I don’t usually do the cut of. But I heard back within 15 minutes that I was called back and to head back before my CMU audition. I honestly think I was called back because I held the door for him and had the small talk in the elevator. But I came back and i was a lot more focused and confident the second time around. I did my monologues and worked with Dr. John for about 20-30 minutes which was absolutely wonderful. I felt I learned so much just in that half hour and I really made a breakthrough with one of my monologues. I just felt like I could really be myself in the room and I left feeling really at home. Another schools that flew way up higher on my list!
Again, this was another program where you have many options. BFA Actors still can audition for the musicals as well as plays and dance concerts, you are required to take directing classes, there is a summer stock company affiliated with the school, one half of your senior year you spend in NYC or LA interning for casting agencies to get connections and see how the business works, and you get film training.</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon: This was a very short audition, the introduction was very nice and the students were great at easing the tension in the room. I was the first to go and I was with the auditor who was not Barbra. I introduced myself, performed my pieces, was asked a question about Guildhall, and the auditor sort of alluded that I was not the right type for CMU. I was in and out within 3 and a half minutes. </p>
<p>Overall, it was a great weekend, however I was not expecting the emotional roller coaster it would be. After a great audition I would feel amazing and have so much energy and positivity and after a not so great one I would be 100% deflated. But I better get used to it, because thats the business I’m heading into. Talking with my coach I realize how much of a crapshoot this process is and it’s impossible to tell based off the audition your chances of getting in. For instance, the one school I’ve been accepted to already, I thought the audition went pretty badly but I ended up getting in. And some of these schools that I have had a really great audition for I probably won’t get in to. It’s such a crazy stressful crapshoot but I’ve got to stay positive and remind myself that I’ll end up where I am meant to go. </p>
<p>I’m in the home stretch now, I’ve got UNCSA and BU on Monday in Chicago and LAMDA on March 1st. And then comes the waiting~</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing. BAL on the rest of your audition journey!</p>
<p>Josh, thanks for taking the time to post all of that. Glad to hear you got a good vibe from CalArts. That always was (and I think still is) my S’s top choice, but he has not auditioned for them yet. He did visit the campus and LOVED it.</p>
<p>I’ll post my S’s recap of our NYC audition experiences here…I finally had him give me his thoughts on each experience last night.</p>
<p>Missed NYU because flight was cancelled. They told him to send the digital copy of his Pace prescreen and he did…they told him they would schedule a phone interview for later.</p>
<p>Juilliard: This was a tough one to have first. Even though my S had no expectations of getting in here, they make it sound amazing…and it is a long time to spend at an audition that is a longshot. I could tell he was upset when he did not get a callback, and he was pretty quiet all evening.</p>
<p>Boston U: next afternoon we headed to RG studio for his BU audition. The info session for parents and students took about an hour and Paolo was hilarious and informative. My son’s audition time was last…so we spent time talking with parents, students, another faculty member and an alumnus. All very nice people and made us feel comfortable and welcome. S finally auditioned with Mark and it was an amazing experience for him. He worked with him for quite awhile on his Shakespeare monologue…then talked with him about “himself” and my S felt a real bond. This moved BU waaaay up on his list. And after we left, I could tell he was high as a kite. Finally, at dinner, he said, “You know…I was really bummed yesterday after Juilliard, but I’m feeling great now”. Ahhhh…I think I finally exhaled and began to look forward to the week.</p>
<p>SUNY Purchase: morning appt., arrived early and good thing…because my S forgot the copy of his essay that they had requested, so I had time to run back to hotel for it. Lucky it was close. Met director of admissions and chatted for awhile. This seemed like a quick audition. S said he did his two monos and they asked if he had another Shakespeare…which he did. No adjustments. They asked him a few questions about Shakespeare and his resume and it was over.</p>
<p>Fordham: S had not visited Fordham before. It was something we found when looking for safeties and other options. We arrived quite early since Purchase was so short. They had many students available to mingle and answer questions. They all seemed extremely happy about the program and were thrilled to spend lots of time talking about it. My S had time to take a quick tour and came back saying that the dorms were A.MAZING! All apartments w/ kitchen and large living space. He did his monologues for two auditors and they sent him to a second panel of three auditors. Each of them gave him a different adjustment for the same contemporary monologue and he said they were very complimentary after each adjustment. He knows someone who goes there and she told his theatre director that she spoke with the auditors later and they LOVED him. Now, we know to take this with a grain of salt, but again…it did wonders for my son’s confidence and I loved seeing him get happier and happier as the week progressed. I don’t think there is any merit money at Fordham. It will be interesting to see what happens, but again…the process moved it way up on his list.</p>
<p>NYU: We skipped the info session at Fordham to see if we could squeeze in the afternoon session at NYU. They were happy to add him to the list. He said they split into groups of about 7 kids and one person led a warmup session. Then he performed both of his contemporary monologues. He said they asked “conceptual” questions…why NYU…what excites you…what makes you think? BTW…he said that every school that had any kind of an interview process asked “Why us?”</p>
<p>Pace: Sunday we spent all day at Pace because he had the Acting BFA audition in the morning and the other BFA…and forgive me…I can’t remember the exact name of it…something like…Acting for Film, Television, Commercials and Voiceover. Anyway…we did this at the Dyson Campus downtown. First there was an info session for parents and kids, then they were split into two groups. They assigned partners to do a “cold read” scene. After each couple did their scene, they did their monologues. About half of the kids (20) were eventually called back for a movement session. He said this was “sharing energy” exercises…and also getting in touch with yourself and your character through movement. I think he enjoyed the process. And again, the callback was welcome confirmation.</p>
<p>The afternoon was spent in the audition for the other BFA…and they did one monologue and then a screen test with sides. He didn’t get the warm fuzzies from this…and actually came away from it feeling like it wasn’t his cup of tea. He said they stopped him shortly into his screen test and told him he was being too serious…to lighten up. And then said it was “better”. This is the second year of this program…and the gentleman in charge of it was all about how “fun” it was going to be. But I don’t think my S had fun. LOL!</p>
<p>Rutgers: Monday morning was Rutgers in Times Square Hilton. This had to be rescheduled and they changed the hotel, but S didn’t realize that…so went to wrong hotel first. We arrived in a rush about 2 minutes late, but they were very gracious…said they were running a bit behind anyway…and asked son if he still wanted his spot or if he would prefer a bit more time to ready himself. He said he was ready. Ended up waiting about 10 minutes. He did his two monos and there were no adjustments. Then they asked him to sing. He said they asked him lots of questions about his high school, and asked if he was CERTAIN he wanted a BFA (he also applied to- and has been admitted to their BA). He said, YES…BFA…definitely. As he was putting on his coat to leave, an assistant came out and asked if we understood that there would be callbacks on March 8&9 to make final decisions. We said yes, and she said, “Good…just wanted to make sure”.</p>
<p>LAMDA: Tues. morning was last audition, but they made a point of telling S that this was their first day of auditions in the US. They had him sit down first and tell them about the monologues he would be performing. He performed his monologues and sang…no adjustments, then they asked him a few more questions…made sure he knew that it is expensive and asked how he planned to pay for it. Then told him that they had to see everyone before they made decisions, but they would be back to him by mid-March.</p>
<p>One thing that surprised him…he said that at almost every school, the auditors stood to greet him as he entered the room and extended hands for handshakes.</p>
<p>Wed. morning at 5 am we got stuck in our elevator as we were heading to lobby to check out and get to airport. After 45 minutes, the fire dept. (I kid you not) arrived to release us. This was a strange travel trip…but lots of fun and next week we head to LA for CalArts, CMU, Chapman and USC. Please send us good juju for uneventful travel. BTW…S was admitted to USC BA Theatre and invited to interview for full tuition scholarship. We are beside ourselves giddy about that. Of course, he still has to audition for BFA. </p>
<p>I would be happy to answer any specific questions or ask my son for you. Hope you are all loving this busy, crazy time!</p>