<p>The “uniform” described is also one that is recommended in that $11.95 on Amazon bible in some religions about getting into an MT program. I didn’t pay for coaching, but I bought the cliff notes the year before my daughter applied read it quite a bit. To be fair, I learned something. I have no problem admitting I drank the wardrobe Kool-Aid at first. After audition #1 (on a week of UCLA to NYU to U Mich trip) and heading to stop #2, NYU where we finally got around to reading the fine print on the suggested attire and it was something like “wear something we can see you move in” my daughter and I looked at each other and thought, “what the heck does that mean?” A quick audit of what we had packed said dance wear or the dress. So we made a pit stop to Century 21 and she did that audition (dance, song, monologue and interview) in an orange tank top thing and black jazz pants. Who says red heads shouldn’t wear orange? </p>
<p>I can understand the angst of wardrobe decisions. The audition is the culmination of all the student’s hard work, and a one shot deal. Luckily I have a son, so the the options were few, except to leave the cape home 
Son did insist on rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt, and I admit to agonizing over his decision… for a bit. </p>
<p>Our D worked with the coach whose kids have tote bags and whose book has helped countless young people in their quest to be admitted to an MT program. She is fantastic, by the way. The dress guidelines and suggestions she gives are just that – suggestions. If you put her crew from my D’s year in one photo in their audition wear you would have seen a large variety of styles, colors and footwear. They are not clones nor does the coach want them to be. What would be consistent amongst her students is that what they wore was modest, tasteful, neat, simple, comfortable and not distracting. That is what the coach says an audition outfit should be. Anyone who thinks the coach says there is only one prescribed uniform is not reading/hearing her advice accurately. Be you. But make sure the focus in the audition room is on your audition, not on your clothes.<br>
One other suggestion: practice in potential audition outfits! Its funny how many kids dont do this. But i think its important to do. You don’t want to find out that something is itchy, or you can’t raise your arm the way you need to or breathe the way you want the day of an audition. Think of it as a dress rehearsal. And if something isn’t right, you have time to fix it or change your outfit choice before audition day.<br>
Choosing the right outfit truly is a bigger concern in your child’s world than in the auditor’s world. The auditors will be accepting and interested in everyone who auditions for them as long as the clothes aren’t too distracting or are inappropriate in some way.
I’m sure your kids will look and sound fantastic given all the research and preparation you are doing. Good luck choosing just the right look for your child, and good luck in your auditions!</p>
<p>I don’t think the clothes matter to the degree people think. I already described what my D wore which is nothing like that uniform look being described as being common at auditions currently. She wasn’t even in a dress. Yet, she was dressed beyond casual, but not dressy. But I do recall that she attended a few auditions on the same date as her best friend from theater camp (very talented!). I was pretty surprised at what her friend wore, honestly. The young lady is very fashionable and trendy and has a unique style. She was dressed quite casually and in a fashionable style in pants and had on Ugg types of boots. Her outfit was a bit busy. Let me just say that this friend got into a lot of very highly regarded MT programs and landed at CCM. </p>
<p>Another observation…I realize college auditions are not the same as auditioning for a particular show. And the coach’s suggested outfit is fine, by the way, for college auditions, and likely fits an open call for Singers who Dance (in the professional audition world)…meaning for the chorus. My kid is not the chorus type and likely never will be cast in one. She is in the professional world now and I can give as an example, four auditions/callbacks she has had for leads on Broadway, that were ALL contemporary style musicals and the audition outfit that was described as being very common today at BFA auditions…would never fly for those auditions. That outfit sorta screams traditional musical theater chorus, and keep in mind that many musicals being cast these days do not fit that mold, as they are contemporary in style, not to mention that not everyone is auditioning to be in a chorus.</p>
<p>Exactly. I do not choose my kid’s clothes under any other circumstance and he will dress himself for these events as he chooses within any specific limitations officially articulated by the auditors… He has the good sense not to wear a graphic t-shirt in this context but he’s also not going to dress as if it’s the high holidays. He cares about clothes in a way his sister never has and has a great look. What’s going to matter is how the clothes make him feel. I want him to feel good and to feel like himself. </p>
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<p>I do. I really do. I just don’t think it matters to the auditors as much as people think. It matters to you.</p>
<p>I’ve never set foot on stage but I know what it feels like to feel confident in how I look and what I wear has a lot to do with that especially now that mother nature is not cooperating like she used to. For example, I love boots. They make me feel strong and confident when I wear them and the new pair of black ones I bought last week are “da bomb.” At least the little old lady in wheel chair waiting in the waiting room of doctor’s office I was at yesterday thought so and I’ll take that as high praise. You got to take it where you can get it. :-)</p>
<p>So my suggestion is to find the thing that makes you feel like “da bomb” but isn’t blatantly stupid in terms of being too distracting, too risky, impossible to move in, itchy, likely to inconveniently pop open in all the wrong places and then just wear it. That leaves a huge universe of possibilities to let your freak flag fly blatantly stealing from vocal1046. </p>
<p>Well, not as if I coined that phrase. But I do think that a more CSNY approach may be our family’s way through this. campaign.</p>
<p>That’s what I meant…it doesn’t matter as much to the auditors or to the outcome of the audition as it does to the person’s own feeling about their appearance and comfort with it. There are of course, some general guidelines one should consider for the appropriateness of the situation.</p>
<p>And to touch back on something soozievt was saying earlier- I would never have assumed that what you wear to a bra audition would be what you wear to a Broadway audition. Despite the obvious connection (meaning you hope one will get you to another) they are two entirely different animals</p>
<p>Oh @toowonderful , please please don’t correct that typo!!! The thought of “what you wear to a bra audition” is too, well, wonderful!</p>
<p>I was talking to an actor friend today who was up early to go to an audition before having a two performance day in her Broadway show. Her general audition-wear advice is always to wear something that makes you comfortable and shows your shape. Something that’s flattering, yet something that always shows who you are. This young woman has tons of personality and I can’t imagine her ever wearing an audition ‘uniform’. </p>
<p>In the past month, I’ve spent two very long days on the other side of the audition table. Albeit for professional auditions not college, but I can say that it is undoubtedly very difficult to keep individual auditions separate and distinct. If everyone were dressed exactly the same and had the same hairstyle, that would be even more difficult, not to mention frustrating! Now, of course, there are notes taken but when you have 25-30 auditions each day, it’s not necessarily a negative to stand out in some way other than in your performance.</p>
<p>@vocal1046 - OH NO!!! It was at the end of the line when I was typing (where the smiley face is- so I couldn’t see it! Ah well… my 15 min window is long gone…</p>
<p>@toowonderful, not a smiley face to be seen. We are so going to enjoy milking this. 
<<<and there is an actual smiley face. </p>
<p>@halflokum - and everyone else… go for it L-) But I meant the smiley at the end of the box where you type…</p>
<p>Um, when I said casual, I merely meant not a dress. </p>
<p>The only thing worse than a bra audition is a bikini audition.</p>
<p>Indeed!</p>
<p>On the subject of bra auditions, D was just called for a commercial audition for a not-to-be-named multinational athletic wear company. She was told to wear nothing but very tight Spandex, and the audition would consist of having still photos taken. She says that (happily) she had a scheduling conflict for that one. (for this I went to college?!)</p>
<p>@momcares If by “was just called” you mean by an agent, it would be best if she made clear that this is not something she would be available for even without a scheduling conflict. Anyone with whom she has an ongoing business relationship should be clear about her limitations so they don’t waste time/effort securing appointments she will not accept. There are all sorts of commercial and print auditions where actors (often actor/models) are asked to present themselves in spandex athletic wear and bathing suits. Soaps, creams, and shampoos often call for shower/bathroom scenes. For beach scenes (travel spots, beer ads) it’s often necessary to audition in swimwear. Auditions for pantyhose or shape wear will require scant clothing. At any commercial audition both video and still shots are standard and the actor has no control over where those tapes and shots go. Obviously, no professional actor would go on any of these calls unless sent by her union-franchised agent to a well-known heavy-traffic casting office. Each actor is entitled to set her own limits in terms of the sorts of spots she’ll shoot and her agent needs to be made aware of those limits.</p>