Audition preparation advice for Juniors

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

<p>I'm not sure if this is really the right heading for this thread, but here goes:</p>

<p>I'm interested in seeing if there is any common thread in those who were successful in getting into a college which requires an audition.
Examples in no particular order would be CCM, BU, NYU, Juilliard, Chapman, UCLA, USC, Purchase, RSAMD, RADA, LAMDA, CalArts, Otterbein, etc. etc.</p>

<p>So some of the questions for either the parent or successful applicant would be:</p>

<ul>
<li>Which colleges were you (or your D/S) aacepted to?</li>
<li>Were any acceptances a surprise or did you leave the audition with a good feeling?</li>
<li>Were there any auditions that you felt better about than others or were they all more or less the same?</li>
<li>Did you enter straight out of high school?</li>
<li>Did you attend an arts based high school with a theater stream?</li>
<li>Did you get any special coaching for your auditions?</li>
<li>What were your considerations in choosing your monologues?</li>
<li>How many monologues did you prepare, the minimum required or more?</li>
<li>Did you select different monologues for for different auditions or were they all the same?</li>
<li>Did your "formal" theater training start in high school or before?</li>
<li>Have you always known you wanted to act?</li>
<li>Is there anything in particular that you think helped or hindered your college auditions?</li>
<li>If you had to go through the whole process again next year is there anything that you would change/add/detract etc.?</li>
<li>Anything else you would like to add</li>
</ul>

<p>Please feel free to add any questions to the list which may shed light on what is required for success.</p>

2

<p>Thanks for posting this, IanJoseph. Your list contains many of our questions. Could you also add: did you use a coach specifically to get ready for auditions? If so, was it a local person you knew or did you hire someone outside your network of teachers?</p>

3

<p>s accepted at Ithaca & Fordham; waitlisted at Purchase.</p>

<p>He left Ithaca feeling he auditioned very poorly and thought he had no chance.</p>

<p>Excepting Ithaca and UMN/Guthire callback -for which he was very sick- he felt
positive about most of his experiences.</p>

<p>Going straight out of HS.</p>

<p>No on the the arts-based school. Small town, small school, Theater is strictly extra-
curricular - no classes whatever.</p>

<p>Didn’t actually hire a coach but we are lucky enough to live in a mutant community with
lots of show business types, most of whom were willing to watch his pieces and give him
feedback.</p>

<p>Aside from the requirements for each school, he chose material with which he was comfortable.</p>

<p>I advised him to have enough material in reserve so that he would not run out. He had six ready and at one audition did five. There is not much worse at an audition than being asked for more and not having it prepared.</p>

<p>Yes, there were different monologues for different schools but mostly because of a particular schools requirements.</p>

<p>“Formal” training. Member of a local improve group from about 12 years old. Summer
intensives after sophomore and junior years.</p>

<p>I don’t know if he always wanted to act, but was very into performing magic at an early age. At his first public performance he finished his opening trick, spread his arms wide in
triumph and on hearing loud applause developed glazed eyes and a goofy smile. I immediately thought “Oh, sh__…” He was not encouraged growing up to be an actor, but
he wasn’t discourgared either. He did grow up watching theater, which probably had some
effect.</p>

<p>It’s always a drag when people are (or seem) inattentive at auditions. On the whole though, most were positive experiences.</p>

<p>If he had to go through it again I would encourage him to audition for more schools. He didn’t audition for that many schools and the ones he did have very low acceptance rates.
Luckily, he did get into some excellent programs but in my opinion there is a bit of a crap shoot dynamic to these auditions and things could have easily gone the other way.</p>

<p>I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.</p>

4

<p>Updated list of questions:

  • Which colleges were you (or your D/S) aacepted to?
  • Were any acceptances a surprise or did you leave the audition with a good feeling?
  • Were there any auditions that you felt better about than others or were they all more or less the same?
  • Did you enter straight out of high school?
  • Did you attend an arts based high school with a theater stream?
  • Did you get any special coaching for your auditions?
  • What were your considerations in choosing your monologues?
  • How many monologues did you prepare, the minimum required or more?
  • Did you select different monologues for for different auditions or were they all the same?
  • Did you use a coach specifically to get ready for auditions? If so, was it a local person you knew or did you hire someone outside your network of teachers?
  • Did your “formal” theater training start in high school or before?
  • Have you always known you wanted to act?
  • Is there anything in particular that you think helped or hindered your college auditions?
  • If you had to go through the whole process again next year is there anything that you would change/add/detract etc.?
  • Anything else you would like to add</p>
5

<ul>
<li><p>Which colleges were you (or your D/S) aacepted to?
Accepted UCLA, accepted AMDA (LA BFA) with partial scholarship, waitlisted Purchase, still waiting RADA Foundation</p></li>
<li><p>Were any acceptances a surprise or did you leave the audition with a good feeling?
UCLA was a real surprise as D felt the audition was OK, but no fireworks. She felt better about other auditions where she was rejected so it appears, from our experience, that FB or lack of FB at an audition is no indication.</p></li>
<li><p>Were there any auditions that you felt better about than others or were they all more or less the same?
Each audition was different and many had different processes.</p></li>
<li><p>Did you enter straight out of high school?
Yes</p></li>
<li><p>Did you attend an arts based high school with a theater stream?
Yes, Marin School of the Arts in Novato, CA offers a Theater Arts program with 2 periods a day for 4 years of high school.</p></li>
<li><p>Did you get any special coaching for your auditions?
No, just some feedback from class mates and TA teacher.</p></li>
<li><p>What were your considerations in choosing your monologues?
The ones that felt right for her, in some cases D even disregarded audition guidelines as to age appropriateness and using a foreign accent. In some cases this may have helped in others it may have hurt, we just don’t know.</p></li>
<li><p>How many monologues did you prepare, the minimum required or more?
Prepared a total of four, two classical and two modern, plus one song.</p></li>
<li><p>Did you select different monologues for for different auditions or were they all the same?
Used exactly the same monologues for all auditions, just changed the order at times.</p></li>
<li><p>Did you use a coach specifically to get ready for auditions? If so, was it a local person you knew or did you hire someone outside your network of teachers?
No coach, just teacher and classmates.</p></li>
<li><p>Did your “formal” theater training start in high school or before?
Started in HS.</p></li>
<li><p>Have you always known you wanted to act?
Since D was 3 years old wanted to perform on a stage.</p></li>
<li><p>Is there anything in particular that you think helped or hindered your college auditions?
Did not know enough about what was ahead of us therefore a steep learning curve when we started the process. Also lack of knowledge as to what to expect from each college made the process somewhat murky.</p></li>
<li><p>If you had to go through the whole process again next year is there anything that you would change/add/detract etc.?
More research earlier on. I would have started researching D’s junior year and made visits in her junior year. I also would have applied to more backup and some safety colleges. We only applied to one non-audition college and were rejected. Our’s was a high risk strategy as we only applied to the top line colleges and stood a chance of non acceptance to any.</p></li>
<li><p>Anything else you would like to add
CC is a great resource to those starting out, use it and ask questions</p></li>
</ul>

6

<p>I am straight out of high school. I am from a public high school in a suburban area in Michigan. I auditioned in Chicago.</p>

<p>…you might know what I am about to say, but I will say it anyway…</p>

<p>The summer in between my junior and senior year was spent researching more and more college departments. Keep in mind, that many of these universities have acceptance rates less than 3%!!! The more you audition for, the better your chances. Remember this…that and researching monologues, etc. That was also important during the summer</p>

<p>I auditioned for CalArts, Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, Boston University, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, North Carolina School of the Arts, Marymount Manhattan, Julliard, University of Minnesota-Guthrie, DePaul, SUNY Purchase, and I did a walk in for several British schools (LIPA and RADA are the ones I can remember)</p>

<p>I was accepted to Marymount Manhattan, NCSA, and CalArts, while being placed on a waitlist for University of Michigan and SUNY Purchase. I was also called back for LIPA (but could not make it due to my DePaul audition).</p>

<p>Everywhere else I was rejected from…and it is a lot… Some people go into auditions and get accepted into one, three or all they have auditioned for (one person in these forums boasts seven or eight acceptances!!!). If you get waitlisted to any one of these BFA Programs, you have beaten the odds. The people who have gotten into multiple universities have done extremely well for themselves and are extraordinarily talented individuals. </p>

<p>Some universities are known for accepting high school graduates (NCSA and Purchase, for instance). Others are notorious for accepting transfers (Julliard and Minnesota’s Guthrie, for instance). My advice is audition, audition, AUDITION! The more you audition, the better your chances. If they have walk-ins, DO IT!!! Also, HAVE A BACK-UP. Mine was Wayne State University’s BA Program and University of Michigan’s Literature, Science, and the Arts College. If, for some chance, you do not get admitted to one of these programs, you have somewhere to go, and you have an excellent shot of getting in the following year.</p>

7

<p>ALSO…
I did not recieve any coaching. I did recieve some feedback from my drama instructor about selecting a monologues that would help express my potential and show my depth…I say get feedback on your monologues at the very least! It definitely helped me!!!</p>

8

<p>I must agree with TimThom, it is very much a numbers game, the more universities you audition for, the higher your chances are of being accepted in a good program.</p>

9

<p>My main advice involves preparation. I assisted with my school’s 2008 auditions and was a little shocked at how many kids who obviously had some talent eliminated themselves by coming in unprepared. It’s like they had no clue as to what they were up against. This is pretty much a somewhat revised block and move of the advice I gave a few years ago … I doubt things have changed TOO much since then … </p>

<p>The best advice I can give is to start preparing by midsummer if you haven’t already. Get on the websites of all the schools that interest you and check out what they require for audition material. Most acting schools will want two contrasting monologues - one classical, one contemporary. It’s best to have at least four on tap, though, because of the differing requirements and the fact that some might ask you for another piece - sometimes more. Be prepared to discuss your choices, too, and for God’s sake make sure you have read and understand the entire plays! They WILL ask you questions about them. They might even want to discuss the playwrights so it’s a good idea to be familiar with their biographies and other works as well. Also be prepared for them to work with you on your pieces and direct you a bit. They might ask you about some of your acting choices and make you defend them. Really, just be ready for anything. I even had an auditor from one school get up and act the scene I’d cut a piece from with me throwing in all kinds of oddball choices to see how I’d react. </p>

<p>Let’s see … Also know a couple of non-off-color, but not-too-lame jokes because some schools might ask you for one. Be prepared for them to go down your resume and ask about your favorite roles, etc. They might even ask you for a snippet from a play you’ve listed. Oh, yeah … Some will want sixteen bars of a song from the MT repertoire as well, but don’t sweat it too much if you’re not a great singer. Just try to pick something that won’t be a total abomination. I’m not a great singer, but I came out with some really good acceptances. </p>

<p>Besides your work, they will want to learn about you as a person. They’ll see a lot of talented kids, but the ones they choose will be the ones they feel most excited about working with for the next four years and that has as much to do with personality as talent. Basically, just smile, relax, be confident, and be ready for anything. Most importantly, make it fun for yourself. Their goal will be to see what you bring to the table and this will be your chance to show them. No point in letting yourself get in the way of that.</p>

<p>

I had six specifically prepared for auditions - although I also did some snippets from some plays I’d been in on request - with the objective of covering all the bases requested by the schools. Four were very much on-type and were selected to show what I did best at the time within that range. Another was also on-type, but very risky since it was a cut from a scene played very badly, but apparently very popularly, by a famous actress in a movie adaptation of the play. Another was also intentionally WAY off-type, but still highlighted something I did well that constituted a somewhat slightly different gear than what you’d usually hear from someone that looks like me … “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!” :slight_smile: Obviously, I didn’t lead with either of those and only used them when requested. </p>

<p>Another thing to consider is that you don’t HAVE to fill up all your time with your monologues. The auditors usually make up their minds fairly quickly - like within the first ten seconds - and it can be good to hit them hard with something short and sweet.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

10

<p>I AGREE</p>

<p>The absolute best thing you can do is to have six monologues in rotation in your head. That way, you can choose the best two contrasting monologues that you feel is best for the given school or situation (sometimes it can vary based on how nervous you feel or what your instincts say). Six is definitely the best number.</p>

11

<p>Thank you so much for this! All of the advice and tips are extremely helpful.</p>

12

<p>One thing we found you should take to every audition are the following:

  • Head shot (8 x 10)
  • Theatrical resume
  • Copies of letters of recommendation.</p>

<p>In most cases they should have received these with your application, in some cases we found that they expected us to bring copies with and hand them to the auditors.</p>

<p>Given the time we spent waiting it was also useful to have the following with us:

  • iPod
  • Copies of the moinologues for last minute reading
  • Water
  • Food</p>

<p>One thing I would change on the head shot is to very discreetly print the name on the bottom right hand corner. That way they don’t have to turn it over to see who it is. That is an easy thing to do with PhotoShop.</p>

13

<p>copy of SAG card, or eligibility letter</p>

14

<p>This thread is sooo helpful. You don’t understand. Will you also be able to audition for the BA programs there as well?</p>

15

<p>On audition scheduling: You won’t really have to worry about this until September or October of 2009, but I will place it here anyway.</p>

<p>And I just thought of this…scheduling auditions is NO picnic…I had to fit ten auditions in three days at Chicago…there was lots of mixing and matching.</p>

<p>Bottom line: try to schedule your auditions as soon as possible. That way, you can rearrange them accordingly later on.</p>

<p>Some universities have you schedule your audition OUTSIDE of the application (TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE!) and some require you to fill your application out and THEN schedule for an audition…and some have you fill out preferences…</p>

<p>The schools that have you pay for your audition schedule outside of your application were Carnegie Mellon, Marymount Manhattan (NOTE THIS…I was waiting for them to contact me about an audition slot after submitting an application. I contacted them and found out that it was completely seperate from the application. The slot I wanted turned out to be filled because I had waited so long…luckily, they were able to fit me in at the last second), DePaul (I think…can’t remember) and Boston University</p>

<p>The schools that included audition preferences within the application were University of Minnesota, Juilliard, University of Illinois, Purchase and CalArts. Confirmation was later sent via phone call or E-Mail.</p>

<p>University of Michigan’s audition scheduling is more tedious…you have to apply, then they screen your application (to make sure you are academically eligible for the university), then they hand you an additional application to state an audition date preference. After you submit that (by mail or fax, not online), then you are officially scheduled for an audition. University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign was interesting. I recall filling out preferences on the application, and then I recieved a confirmation E-Mail stating the time I would audition…about two to three weeks after I submitted the application. I believe Purchase was almost the same.</p>

<p>If someone who has auditioned for these schools before notices an incorrect detail, please correct me. I am going off memory. The website WILL tell you what to do, but it is sometimes very easy to overlook…so be sure to follow directions. It is easier to reschedule sooner than later…</p>

16

<p>Scheduling Experience.</p>

<p>Juilliard–keep the evening full (you never know…you COULD get called back). After brief information session, they will schedule you into an hour. Callback lists posted after each hour.</p>

<p>DePaul–the audition is four hours and LASTS four hours…I was mentally spent afterwards…</p>

<p>CalArts–has a thirty minute to one-hour informational meeting followed by five minute audition slots</p>

<p>Boston University–one hour information meeting…they schedule you in three-hour blocks…after the meeting you find what time you will be auditioning at.</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon–thirty minute to one-hour audition meeting…musical theatre is VERY different from BFA Acting auditions…I believe musical theatre auditions last all three hours there…BFA Acting auditions are similar to BU’s. (Not sure how they conduct on-campus auditions)</p>

<p>Minnesota–Ten Minute audition (I auditioned in Chicago). Will notify you within two weeks if you made a callback weekend</p>

<p>Purchase–Ten minute audition…at campus, they will have callbacks (I believe it is similar to Juilliard’s process) I auditioned in Chicago</p>

<p>Marymount Manhattan–WILL last all morning or all afternoon (but it does not run concurrently with the Unifieds auditions…at least it didn’t this year)</p>

<p>NCSA–morning and afternoon session you have to attend (if there is a problem, just have a parent or someone you know take notes while you audition elsewhere). Then you have your prescheduled ten-minute audition time slot (Chicago)</p>

<p>Illinois-Urbana Champaign–predetermined ten-minute audition interval</p>

<p>Michigan–I don’t know how they do it at Unifieds…otherwise it is very similar to BU’s…on campus auditions will have a tour of the facilities.</p>

<p>I auditioned for all of these (except Michigan’s) in Chicago. It may vary by place and on campus.</p>

17

<p>We were able to schedule most of our auditions in San Francisco where we live but…
Had to schedule two trips to New York, one for RSAMD and one for RADA as well as one trip to Los Angeles for Guildhall.</p>

<p>We did initially schedule a trip to Las Vegas for Unifieds, but cancelled that one.</p>

<p>One piece of advice is never assume that the audition will end at the time they state allways allow a cushion of time before and after. One trip to New York we missed the last flight out that evening due to a callback for RADA that finished later than scheduled. If we had to do it over I would in fact have at least a day or more cushion before and after each audition to allow for travel. We came from San Francisco for each NYC audition so that was a day’s travel, and allowed 1 full day cushion in case bad weather messed up the flights to NYC.</p>

<p>As a result of snow we had to miss a tour and visit to Purchase as they closed the campus for the day that we had scheduled to visit and tour.</p>

<p>Most universities will schedule auditions for the same day or weeks in February, as a result we had to pay really good attention as to how to juggle the itinerary so as to fit every one in.</p>

18

<p>fishbowl is correct, good preparation is essential. This is obviously true with regard to the actual audition but it is also true about the entire process. Current juniors should be well on their way in the prep phase, ideally. Research about different programs should have begun, visits should have started, contact already made with current students and faculty, lists of questions compiled, curricula being compared, financial aid considerations considered, good non-audition programs which are academic and f/a safeties chosen, decisions made about what type of program the student is interested in, all of this should have started by now so that your list of schools is compiled. Too many students and families do not do this, and often their outcomes reflect a lack of preparation. Knowledge about programs and good preparation, with an attention to detail, are the keys to a successful admissions process. If you prepare properly, with an appropriate list of varied schools, chances are very good that you’ll have a good acceptance outcome. </p>

<p>The other side of good prep is that once April 1 comes around, you’ll have a good idea of what your options are. Every year we see students coming on to CC and posting " I got accepted to such-and-such, who can tell me about it?" More detailed investigation at that point is fine, but not knowing what the curriculum for a particular school is, not knowing the details of the type of training, not knowing if study abroad is possible, not knowing about performance opportunities or master classes or showcases or industry contacts or alumni, etc., well, no one should be in that position come April 1. That information is out there. Bottom line, do your research and prep early so you can make an informed decision!</p>

19

<p>^^^That advice is so “right on” and I really hope that juniors and parents of juniors see it.</p>

20

<ul>
<li>Which colleges were you (or your D/S) aacepted to?</li>
</ul>

<p>I was accepted to BU, NYU (Adler), and Montclair State, rejected at CMU, Purchase, and Rutgers. (To introduce myself, I’m NJTheatreMOM’s son.)</p>

<ul>
<li>Were any acceptances a surprise or did you leave the audition with a good feeling?</li>
</ul>

<p>Just due to numbers I found myself surprised by all of them. In hindsight they were the auditions I felt best about, though. Unlike some people, my audition experiences were all very similar. In each one I went straight through both monologues, wasn’t asked for another, and then had a short interview. The interview questions vary, so it’s SO IMPORTANT to know your stuff. I think my in-depth answers about my monologues helped me get into BU, especially. At Montclair I ended up having a very friendly discussion about the different choices that could be made within my contemporary monologue. </p>

<ul>
<li>Were there any auditions that you felt better about than others or were they all more or less the same?</li>
</ul>

<p>All about the same, though of course you will feel different depending on the so many factors.</p>

<ul>
<li>Did you enter straight out of high school?</li>
</ul>

<p>Yes, I’m a senior.</p>

<ul>
<li>Did you attend an arts based high school with a theater stream?</li>
</ul>

<p>NOT AT ALL. My high school has one musical per year, and it’s frankly a travesty. My training is very haphazard - mostly an amalgam of community theatre experience, and short classes at a nearby regional theatre.</p>

<ul>
<li>Did you get any special coaching for your auditions?</li>
</ul>

<p>Yes, I found an absolutely brilliant woman near me who helped me pick material and prepare my monologues. I can’t stress enough how valuable finding the right coach can be, but ALSO I warn you that finding the WRONG coach can sink your chances. I was lucky to find someone with the intelligence, resources, connections, and talent to really help me out. Sometimes coaches don’t know what they’re doing and though they might give good theatrical advice, they often don’t know how best to prepare you for the unique challenge of college auditions.</p>

<ul>
<li>What were your considerations in choosing your monologues?</li>
</ul>

<p>Pieces that suited me (though mine weren’t exactly age appropriate), weren’t overdone, and most of all that I LIKED. You have to love your pieces, or your audition will be boring.</p>

<ul>
<li>How many monologues did you prepare, the minimum required or more?</li>
</ul>

<p>I prepared four monologues with my coach, and ended up only using three of them. They were a dramatic Chekhov, a comedic Shakespeare, a dramatic and a comedic contemporary. I also polished up some old pieces so I’d have backups. For CMU (where a current Purchase freshman was apparently asked for NINE monologues for his audition) I walked in with eight or nine in my head ready to go (though in different levels of preparedness, admittedly). I agree with the others that six would be the safest number.</p>

<ul>
<li>Did you select different monologues for for different auditions or were they all the same?</li>
</ul>

<p>My basic combination was Shakespeare - comedic, and contemporary - dramatic. I had to switch it up for NYU though, which requires two contemporary. I just fit my choices to what the colleges asked for and which pieces I felt best about. </p>

<ul>
<li>Did you use a coach specifically to get ready for auditions? If so, was it a local person you knew or did you hire someone outside your network of teachers?</li>
</ul>

<p>I hired someone outside my network of teachers, since I don’t have much of a network of teachers, lol. This you have to feel out for yourself - finding a new coach was the right decision for me, but if you know someone brilliant it might be better to stick close to home.</p>

<ul>
<li>Did your “formal” theater training start in high school or before?</li>
</ul>

<p>Not sure what formal refers to…I’ve taken three classes at a regional theatre near me (which frankly were not much to talk about). I also attended a three week summer program at another regional theatre. My formal training is thus very limited. I’ve gotten brief periods of coaching from a few different people. Most of my knowledge is from doing shows.</p>

<ul>
<li>Have you always known you wanted to act?</li>
</ul>

<p>Not at all. Did it on a whim after fifth grade, liked it enough to keep doing it for a few summers. Fell in love with a summer program’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, joined the company, and proceeded from there. My path into theatre was rather slow. I didn’t get leads for most of my career. Only in the past year have I started landing roles like that.</p>

<ul>
<li>Is there anything in particular that you think helped or hindered your college auditions?</li>
</ul>

<p>PREPARATION. I was so confident with my monologues that when I walked into the auditions I could laugh and chat with the others there. This freed up my ability to perform my pieces and also come off well in the interview. Sitting alone and antisocial when you’re waiting to audition and frantically going over your pieces in your mind is the most counterproductive thing possible. Know your stuff. Then you’re free to walk in and just be yourself.</p>

<ul>
<li>If you had to go through the whole process again next year is there anything that you would change/add/detract etc.?</li>
</ul>

<p>I would maybe start preparation a little earlier. I had maybe two or three months of monologue work before the auditions. Also I forgot to take a headshot and resume to BU and CMU. BU didn’t care and I still got in, but at CMU I think it crippled me.</p>

<ul>
<li>Anything else you would like to add</li>
</ul>

<p>It’s an incredibly difficult process. A lot of good advice has already been given here. The formula that worked for me was finding a good coach with the knowledge to suggest good pieces and give good advice then going in prepared and letting myself have fun. Start early, make smart decisions, do your research, and you’ll be fine. When you walk into the audition you should feel completely confident in the work you’ve done. Then you won’t psyche yourself out. Remember to take in the vibe of the audition as well as the demeanor of the people you audition for. Looking back, the audition with the best vibe, BU, is also now the place I’m going. First impressions do matter. Remember, these colleges want good people - so as much as you’re auditioning for them, they’re also auditioning for you. Best of luck!</p>