I am a sophomore who loves musical theatre more than anything in the world and would love to pursue it professionally. However, I have not gotten roles since I did children's theatre in middle school. Since starting high school I have been cast solely as ensemble, although I did get a callback this year. I attend a large high school with a lot of favoritism that tends to cast upperclassmen, but a few very talented sohpomores have gotten cast. I am a soprano/mezzo-soprano who is developing a little bit of a belt, and my voice teacher believes that I would have a shot at getting into a BFA program (she agrees my school has favoritism), but I am unsure. Many of the people on CC seem to have gotten a lot of roles - some professional - and still only get admitted to a few colleges. Would it be stupid of me to pursue this as a career if I only had 2-3 roles (as well as several ensembles), or maybe even less than that on my resume by senior year? I love performing more than anything in the world and would be 100% willing to devote myself completely to long, hard rehearsals and the uncertainty of the profession, but am unsure if I would make the cut. I know that no one could give me an absolute answer but if anyone with more knowledge of the process could give me some advice or honest feedback as to what my chances are, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
The details of performance credits on your resume generally matter very little to college audition panels. As long as you can list, say, 5-6 shows that you have performed in, whether in a role or in the ensemble, you will be fine.
Sure, its great to be able list leading roles, but, outside of a relatively small number of high schools, most college faculty have no idea how to judge the significance of a role in any particular high school production. There are more than 35,000 secondary schools in the USA and things can vary significantly from year to year in any high school. Heck, in our area, there are so many new high schools named things like “Lake Forest” and “Forest Creek” that no one can keep them all straight, much less remember the one that does great musicals vs. the one that focuses on football and band.
Colleges know very well the foibles and follies of high school theatre programs. College faculty are much more interested in what you bring to the audition room and how you are able to present your talent and training in singing, acting, and dancing than what roles you had in high school.
By the way, it is fairly common for students interested in pursing theatre in college to perform in community theatre or independent youth theatre programs instead of their high school productions.
I agree with EmsDad. I also recommend that you look at opportunities outside your school. In my area local theaters have summer programs for students to do Shakespeare and one has musical auditions several times a year. Though you may not be cast in leading roles they will still increase your acting resume and give you connections in your local theater community. The theaters in my area also offer internships and volunteer positions for set building, stage hands, etc. I know that you’re interested in musical theatre, but having these skills can be beneficial in terms of finding employment between roles. Plus more connections!
Best of luck to you 
High School theatre roles in NO way are a reflection of your talent. Do NOT let the fact you have not been cast in substantial roles sway you. I agree you need to look outside your school and find some community theatre work and continue to train. You are so young and there are tons of schools out there that can train you if that is your dream. And also know that a BFA is not the only way to be successful in the business. There are many programs out there that will give you wonderful training.
@MThopeful99 there is an epic post on this topic by @VoiceTeacher … his story is incredibly inspiring. Let me see if I can find it and I will try to post a link…
Ok, here’s one of his posts on the topic:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18341774#Comment_18341774
Oh my gosh, I UNDERSTAND THE STRUGGLE. I am going through the same thing right now! But I think that you should definitely pursue this. I would listen to your voice teacher more than cast lists, because they know you and your voice. And I don’t think roles in high school necessarily define how successful you’ll be in the future. At my old school, a girl who screamed instead of belted got every single lead simply because she was friends with the director. On the other hand, people who got cast as ensemble in every show can go one to have successful careers in theatre. I think you should just worry about getting as much experience as you can right now! And good luck, I hope you get into the schools you want to go to!
I feel your pain! My school sounds exactly the same as your old one does. Best of luck to you as well @jessieburnett
I agree that MT programs don’t give much thought to high school shows on your resume. Of course, they want to see that theater is important to you so performance credits do matter but I think they understand that prospective students come from all types of high school experiences. What you bring to the audition room is what matters above all. Are you comfortable in your skin? Does your material let YOU shine through? Do you give them a strong idea of what type of role to cast you in? Are you prepared and committed? Will they find you easy to work with? Are you the talent they need to round out their class?Some of this is within your control, like knowing yourself and thoughtful preparation. Other things, like what they are looking for in terms of talent, are completely outside of your control. So, you won’t know where you stand until you do it. Sure, coaches, mentors, and teachers can help assess your talent but, ultimately, giving it 100% and letting the chips fall is the only way you will really know if you have what it takes to get into a BFA program. Good luck!
My D went to a very big HS, and between the shows at school and local summer stock she never was cast as a lead in one musical; she was cast as a lead in a play her senior year of HS. She was accepted to 3 of 10 BFA programs for which she auditioned, and finishes next year having made her professional debut last summer. And she still hasn’t been a lead in a musical, although she was just the lead in The Normal Heart. And she will be a featured performer in Swing this coming semester. And her professors tell her she’ll be the type that consistently will find work in the profession.
So do you have to have that on your resume to have a shot? No. Not at all. But I agree you should get some honest feedback, so I would encourage you to seek out someone locally who is either in the profession, or that has a track record placing individuals in BFA programs, and get their input. Or you could go to a summer program for aspiring performers and get feedback that way. Ask them to be brutally honest with you, then focus on those areas where you can improve.
Assuming you do apply, make sure you apply to a range of different programs. Every year on the board it seems there are students who don’t get into a BFA program but they only applied to the very top, most competitive schools. Make sure you keep your grades and test scores up for scholarship money. And take dance lessons, especially ballet, if you have not done so already (the one thing my D says she would have done differently is kept taking ballet).
If you get feedback from those in the business, they’ll tell you if you have the raw talent. But assuming you do, what then makes the difference down the road is ability to audition, work ethic, and how well you get along with directors, cast members, and such. Good luck!
I agree that you can’t judge your talent by high school casting, even if you DID get the lead in every show. A lot goes into who gets what that has nothing to do with talent. My advice is to consult with a professional coach like Ellen from MTCA or Mary Anna Dennard one of the others mentioned on CC who have experience in the real world of getting kids into these competitive programs. Maybe consult with a couple of them. Ask for honest feedback. It will put you back a couple of hundred $ but may well be worth the objective opinion. There is also an organization called Stagelighter that for a fee gives you feedback on audition material. I don’t know anyone who has used them so I am NOT endorsing them, but it is just another avenue to maybe get the answers you seek. Good luck!
I have D same age who loves MT and everything about this. You’ll always have the politics and favoritism. That is just part of life. The key is to be flexible. We totally support MT and all that goes along with that. Dance, Voice, Acting lessons and auditions and rehearsals and all the time spent. However we preach flexibility in that the expectation is that she keeps up her GPA and takes challenge classes etc… The expectation is that she will apply both MT and Acting as well as Academically to challenging programs. If she gets into one of the programs she is looking at then great. If not, she will be positioned to continue into an academic program at a great school. Are we wasting time with this strategy? No… She loves MT and all that goes with it and she is happiest when she is involved. She does better at school when she is involved in theater. Forces her to balance her time and she has great grades and is positioned well to enter into college in either manner.
I’d say training is just as important as getting leads. Youre a sophomore you have plenty of time to get leads in high school. Audition outside of high school too. Take classes in acting, dance and voice. If you are committed to the process you’ll find a program you love. I’d say choose a variety of programs. Not all top tier. Because no school is safe!
I have worked with an acting coach and member of a nearby community theatre who spent several years living in New York working as a professional actress. I know that it is not quite the same thing as college auditions, and they stopped working professionally about ten years ago, but they believe I have talent and could succeed. Would this count as feedback from someone in the business (seeing as they are not currently a part of it)? Thanks
This might sound wrong, but, there is reason that high school directors stopped advancing and are still directing in high school. many have no clue what to do with talent, and prefer their favorites. my son had a high school director who never cast him in a decent role. so he worked with adult community theatre groups, got leads, and really amazing reviews in the Washington DC area. His high school director saw them, still wouldn’t cast him - because she liked her male players to be 6 feet tall or taller, and she would not deviate for a short guy, no matter the talent. he won an interstate choir competition as best soloist, and never sang a song solo in a musical. he did very well at auditions for college, had offers from several places for talent scholarships and earned an A in all of his acting, dance, voice classes this year. So, do not put mush credence in your HS idiot. Do some community theater, with as many companies and as many shows as you can, for the experience. if you are good, colleges will want you.
I will echo the advice of others and recommend you audition for community theater. Do you know how to this–how to find out about opportunities in your area? Let us know if you need help. In my kids’ experiences, the music and theater teachers at their high school did not know anything about community theater and never suggested it to anyone!
@Thespiandad - As someone who has been directing school and youth theater in several places- I would avoid blanket statements like “high school directors stopped advancing”. The theater experiences at different schools can be VASTLY (almost unrecognizably) different. And as for favoritism- it certainly exists- in all levels of theater- but in my experience. But HS is one of the ONLY places where directors may actively try to cast based on “heart” (they’ve worked so hard and it’s their senior year) rather than “talent”. Just food for thought
I completely agree with pursuing community theater, especially where you can work with other adults (rather than youth theater). Our D learned boatloads from her phenomenal community theater experiences.
My take seems consistent with most of the other respondents.
Your stage experience will matter mainly in terms of how comfortable you become In performance/audition situations. Getting the community theatre experience might be good mainly because it gets you used to hearing direction from a range of people, performing with lots of talented colleagues and having to step up and put on a show even when you might not feel up to it-- these are all the things that will get you through the arduous audition process these BFA admissions require.
That said, my D had a range of roles in musical theatre and featured roles in dance-- but wasn’t “always the lead” (her high school was filled with very talented kids) and sometimes just didn’t get cast. D was always participating in dance and theatre and voice wherever she could, so she has always been somewhat familiar with what is required at auditions. She had a strong artistic resume, with some good roles, lots of training, lots of different shows (mainly in ensemble roles)…and yet it seems like they didn’t really ask her much about it during the process. I’m not sure if her leads mattered, or her number of shows. Her professionalism, though, absolutely mattered-- and that came from participating in a range of productions and training with a range of people over the years.
So…worry less about those high school leads, and more about great training (you didn’t mention dance…I would get at least some dance training to make it through the auditions process) and material selection. And demonstrating legitimate curiosity, interest and enthusiasm for BFA programs that you would love to attend (and that are affordable and welcoming). It is TOTALLY possible for you.
I will echo what others have said. I am a strong proponent of doing shows outside of your HS. It gives you the opportunity to work with different casts (often of varying ages) and different production teams. It could also give you the opportunity for some honest feedback. I’m not sure you get.a true sense of your strengths and weaknesses unless you spread your wings a bit. HS casting is not the best indicator!