<p>Since people interested in MT are considered for BFA acting programs, how important is it that a person only interested in BFA acting/performance be able to demonstrate that they have singing ability?</p>
<p>For example, when presenting two pieces would it be better to perform two monologues or one song and one monologue when no specific guidelines are given.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your help - your postings I've read these past few years have been so valuable! I'd appreciate any help guding my senior daughter through this process!</p>
<p>BFA auditions generally require the actor to perform two contrasting pieces, one usually in verse. Your daughter should check the requirements of each program she is applying to. Unless specifically asked to prepare a song, I would refrain from doing so and have her go with two monologues.</p>
<p>Each school will have very specific requirements for what they expect auditioning students to prepare. It is important that your D present in the audition exactly what each school is asking her to present. If she sings it could be a good idea to have a 16 to 32 bar selection that she feels she could sing without accompaniment in case they ask, but only as a back-up.</p>
<p>It is also generally good to have additional monologues ready in case asked.</p>
<p>Just a heads up: some acting programs will ask kids to sing something at the audition. This is in ADDITION to the two contrasting monologues and not INSTEAD of one of them! Minnesota/Guthrie, for instance, asks kids to sing.</p>
<p>Thanks KatMT and NotMamaRose -you gave us a good direction for what to focus on with D’s voice teacher. I appreciate your helping me understand that aspect of the process better.</p>
<p>alwaysinmycar (can relate to that screen name, btw), just be aware that even programs that ask kids to sing are not looking necessarily for stage-ready singers; I am told that hearing a kid sing just helps the auditors judge the quality/timbre of the candidate’s voice and so on. Of course, practically speaking, even straight acting BFA programs sometimes stage plays with singing in them and even, from time to time, a musical, so having at least a decent singing voice can help. That said, I know a number of kids who can’t hold a tune in a bucket who got into top acting programs despite their inability as vocal musicians, so don’t spend a lot of time on this (singing lessons) unless your student really wants go pursue musical theater.</p>
<p>My D was asked to sing at two of her straight acting auditions. She sang her 16 bars at UNCSA, which was required, and she sang at CMU, which was not required (at which point she was asked why she wasn’t going for MT.) You should be prepared to sing. But you absolutely must do precisely what the audition calls for. If the audition calls for two monologues, do two monologues. Don’t change it up and do one monologue and one song. If they want to hear your voice, they will ask.</p>
<p>Here is an important thing to note for audition pieces: they don’t have to be throttlingly dramatic. So many people show up to auditions with these gut-wrenching pieces; oh my brother died! Oh my mother died! My father abused me! The world is ending! Etc etc… No. </p>
<p>Remember that the people on the other side of the table want to get to know you. Not only must you be talented, you must have a good personality. Pick monologues that show off you! Pick ones that are close to home, characters who you can easily relate to, characters that show off your whimsical side as well as your more serious side. You may come across a powerful monologue that is great, for entertainment purposes. But you’re job in a college audition is not necessarily to entertain. </p>
<p>When I auditioned for schools I had 4 monologues prepared; 2 shakespeares (dramatic and comedic) and two contemporaries (dramatic and comedic). That is a pretty solid and standard lineup. Now, note that I don’t consider myself a comedian whatsoever and I connect well with my dramatic roles, but as far as college auditions were concerned, the comedic monologues showed me off better because they were so undeniably me!</p>
<p>My dramatic shakespeare was Prince Hal from Henry IV Part One when he argues with his father over having the crown taken away from him. I was able to relate to the father-son relationship, but still this monologue was pretty far off from where I was at. My dramatic contemporary piece was flawed, too. It was a very powerful and thick monologue from Adam Rapp’s play Red Light Winter. The character Matt in it was professing his love for this prostitute with whom he has been obsessed with for a year. Unfortunately my interpretation, while provided me with a lot of dramatic emotion, was still so far off from who I really am. I’ve never dated a prostitute, nor have I done many of the other things that character has done. I can relate to them and put on a truthful performance with the proper prep, but the people sitting in that room with me know that I have never done any of these things.</p>
<p>In the end my stronger pieces were much simpler. My comedic Shakespeare was Jaques from As You Like It when he is inspired by the fool and wants to give up his life as a nobleman and become a fool. My contemporary comedic piece was Cornelius from The Matchmaker, where he naively professes his love for a woman he has just met. Both of these characters were so innately within my realm of understanding that I could just put them on with ease. It didnt feel as if I was putting on a dramatic show, but really just showing them myself. Consequently, I will tell you that I was accepted into all the schools that I performed the Cornelius monologue and NONE of the schools which I did not perform the Cornelius monologue. At the time, I thought that because it was not a powerful dramatic piece that it would not show off my abilities as an actor to draw on emotion. Little did I realize that no where in the audition guidelines does it say you need to do a piece where you fall apart at the seams. Don’t make the same mistake that I did.</p>