I thought I’d start this thread here… copied the idea from the musical theater forum… since we’re heading into that season. It might be nice to share experiences and knowledge and find some encouragement. 
I’m happy to say that the puzzle of audition scheduling is done for my daughter (8 audition schools). Passed pre-screen at Chapman and first round of in person auditions are this week at Oklahoma and UT Austin. I’m thankful that she can do most in LA (we live just north) so we only have 2 trips out of state to on campus auditions. Break a leg, kids! (And best wishes to all you parents, too!)
We’re back from Oklahoma and UT Austin. I’ll give a rundown…
OU – The School of Drama kindly set up a private audition day because none of their published on-campus dates worked for us. D was able to sit in on an acting class (which she loved), we got a tour of all the theater facilities (Impressive! So many theater spaces!), and then she auditioned for the director of the program, Tom Orr. He was very kind and had her re-do one of her monologues holding a cup of soup (which he had been eating, I guess). She said that was fun and actually helpful and it all went well. They sat down to chat for a few minutes after the monologues and then he offered her an acceptance on the spot! It was very exciting and made her feel so good, especially since it was the first audition of the season! I got to talk to Professor Orr when they came out and he was so nice. He asked for a commitment as soon as she can give it… or March-ish…since spots fill up and as soon as about 14 accepted girls commit, then any others who were accepted along the way get pushed to a wait list. (Which would seem like you’re basically giving up a chance at a spot.) It seems like a little different way of doing the acceptances/admissions. We just hope we’ve figured out enough about the other schools she has applied to/is auditioning for by the time OU would need an answer. We then continued on to appointments at the National Scholars Program office and a tour of the campus. The campus is really lovely. Lots of nice architecture and facilities. Norman doesn’t seem too exciting or attractive, but everyone seems to love being at OU.
UT Austin – She had an 8:30 check in for a 9-12:30 audition window. Strangely, her name was not on the list at check in (this happened to a handful of kids) but they were very personable and helpful and promised to squeeze her in wherever they could. We got a tour of the theater building from a student. It was nice – not as impressive as OU but still quite good. Then we waited around in the lobby area with the other kids and parents. I’m not really sure, but there were maybe 30 kids auditioning/interviewing (for the BFA Acting, BA Theater and Dance, and BFA Theater Studies). They were called in small groups to wait outside the audition room and then called individually for monologues. I think D said there were 3 people (professors? teachers?) there for the audition. The kids then went back out to the hall and were called in separately for a small interview (different people than the auditioners). D said everyone was very nice. She was asked to do one monologue with a certain direction, which went well, and she said the interview was very friendly and low key. She felt very good about how the whole morning went. I don’t know when she could expect to hear from them. Unfortunately, since it was a Saturday, the admissions office/visitor center closed at noon so we were unable to get an official campus tour. We had a map and their online self-guided tour information, so we wandered around on our own. After our day at OU, we realized how great it would be if we could’ve set up that sort of immersive experience everywhere we’ve toured. The campus is really pretty. It’s quite big, but still has a great feel to it. Of course, Austin is a fun, cool, and interesting city/college town.
We learned that you should speak in whispers on either of these campuses if you’re talking about looking at or having been to the other. Little bit of rivalry there…
Just curious-when were Chapman auditions?
@crockmom My daughter sent in her pre-screen video before the early action Nov. 1 deadline. She heard she’d passed in the first week of Dec. and was invited to audition on campus. We have that scheduled in Jan. They’re doing the in person auditions in Jan and Feb, I believe.
My son auditioned for early action for Emerson MT on November 7th. It was an excellent experience and the judges provided him with feedback. Yesterday at 2:45 p.m., he was notified of his acceptance for BFA MT.
@jbeansmom I feel like if we submitted the app 10/27/15 they would have let us know about the live audition by now? I’m thinking he’s not going to the next step.
@crockmom He had his pre-screen video (SlideRoom) submitted then, also? I believe that they were letting the kids know about auditions in the first week of Dec if their application and Slide Room materials were in by Nov. 1. If he did have that all complete, you could probably email the theater department and ask to be sure. They seem very nice. Good luck.
Congrats, @martin247998 to you and your son! My daughter is auditioning for them in Feb. (not MT).
Anyone with experience with Pace auditions? Working on my prescreen now.
My son did Pace audition on campus and it was a long one with call backs that same day. Are you auditioning for more than one major? Not sure if it’s the same but 2 years ago you had to apply and audition separately for BFA Acting, Acting Film/TV/VO/Comm and BA Acting - with different department heads. The callback involved a movement/improv portion. We were there from 8am-6pm. Bring snacks and movement clothes if you want them (my son didn’t have either though and survived and was accepted. He didn’t end up attending but we thought it was a great school/program. Definitely wear comfortable clothes and especially shoes you can move in.) If you have any specific questions I’d be happy to ask him.
Yes, my son applied for Pace on campus two years ago and same thing. ALL day. There are some convenience stores and restuarants close if you don’t want to haul snacks, but I went out and got something for my son. If you are the one auditioning, not sure you will be able to leave. I went out and got food for my son. And in his case, they asked some students to stay and audition for programs they hadn’t necessarily applied for…so even if you only applied to one program, it may take longer depending upon whether you would be interested if they ask.
Personally I want the BA acting, but on the Acceptd portal it only gives you the choice “Acting- All areas.” I am sure at the audition is where we can make the preference. Thanks for the tips, I might be getting ahead of myself though because I haven’t passed the prescreen.
Congrats to your kids and their accomplishments
@martin247998 I also auditioned at the November 7th date and was also accepted! Would love to hear from you!
Yesterday was D’s Chapman on campus audition. We got there about 8:30, parents and kids were together for a welcome and explanation of the day’s schedule from the co-chair of the theater department. Kids were then taken to another part of the theater building for a warm up. Parents stayed for a talk and Q&A session with the Dean of the College of Performing Arts. Kids were divided in half to do monologues in one room for a couple faculty members, then they all switched and did them in the other room for other faculty. D said she was asked to pick just one of her monologues (they had been told before to come prepared with the ones they did for pre-screen video). She was asked to do it a second time (in the first room) and given a rather odd/interesting direction, which she did her best at, but was unsure of. In the second room, she only did the monologue once and felt good about it. Then, all the kids did some improv exercises – that was very fun for D because she loves improv. Some kids were asked to stay and do another reading (told not to read into that… they just want to see a bit more of some of the kids). D was not asked to stay. We were done a bit before 1:00. She says it was a fun, although kind of long and somewhat demanding, audition (at least compared to others) but she feels pretty good about it. Now we wait!
We have been very impressed with what we’ve seen of Chapman. Everyone we’ve seen/heard from the university – from the President to the Dean of COPA to the chair of the department to faculty in the department to admissions personnel – have been very enthusiastic, engaged and delightful. We really like the feel of the theater department and the sound of the BFA Screen Acting (which is what D is going for). The campus is lovely and in a very nice location, too.
Oh, btw, they said they eliminated about 50% of applicants through the pre-screen videos. That process is new for them this year. They felt like with the increased numbers of applicants, the only way to really have time to see the kids in person, give them a good amount of time in the audition, and not waste the time of those running auditions or the kids (who may have to travel distances, spend money, etc.) was to have a way to eliminate applicants before the in-person auditions. When we went to an open house last fall and they were explaining the pre-screen, they said a few times that probably most of the kids would pass. They must have had a lot more applicants than expected. I understand the reasoning – my only issue was the amount of work required for the application and pre-screen which could’ve been all for nothing. We are very happy D got to audition and are anxiously awaiting the results!
Also… my daughter wasn’t sure, but felt like the kids auditioning were divided about in half between the BFA Screen Acting and BFA Theater Performance. I’m guessing there were 20-30 kids there. And lots of boys. I think they try to get 12-15 enrolled in each of the BFA programs and therefore accept about 3x that. (If I remember the numbers they were saying correctly).
Hi jbeansmom… My S also auditioned. The day he was there… I believe there were only about 4 boys and the rest were girls.I believe there were also between 20-30 kids there. It was the same process/experience that your D had. As far as numbers go, From our sources 300 were EA applicants and they took 125 to EA auditions. Proud they made it that far. As far as RD applicants I am unsure how many actually applied. Now the wait begins, Mid feb is going to seem like forever. This would be S #1 choice. Good luck to you, the campus and program are incredible
My D also auditioned at Chapman last weekend. There were probably about 35 on her day. She loved it.
Has anyone heard from them yet? They told us probably in the next couple of weeks for acceptances.
Fingers crossed for everyone!
Good luck to you folks with kids auditioning for Chapman. My son is graduating from Chapman this spring as a BFA in theatre performance. He has loved his time at Chapman. The program is outstanding. Feel free to PM me with any questions.
Reflecting on NYC auditions now that they’re a wrap. Many of the schools continued with auditions despite the blizzard, BroadwayCon was a HUGE success and there were even some restaurants open through the snow. We had dinner on Saturday at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, which was eye opening for some in our group. The wait staff put on a show while serving food, singing a variety of musical theater and popular tunes. Some of these waiters/performers have the most incredible voices that some wonder why they’re waiting tables and not working on a stage. At the end of their performance, they explain that their founder (Ellen) is dedicated to helping young people ‘make it.’ Their headshots are posted on the wall, a bucket is passed to raise ‘scholarship’ funds to help the waiters take classes to further their skills, and they all support each other through auditions and life. They noted several recent waiters who’ve left to go on tours or work regionally elsewhere, and it was a good piece of reality for the teens at the tables to see what they have ahead of them, if they’re dedicated to their profession.
Some schools cycled the kids in and out all weekend like an assembly line, with 10-15 minute intervals and then on your way, while others had group info sessions prior to seeing the kids’ work. Each style appealed for various reasons, and those with info sessions were there to explain their ‘selling points,’ but they also gave a peek into the style of the school, or at least the style of the faculty member giving the talk. Some were such traditional artsy actor types that we felt like we were in a yoga-meditation-themed-therapy session, and others were very businessy.
Some interesting info we learned about UNCSA was that the students don’t ever audition for department productions in their entire four years in program. The dean and faculty sit and talk about the students’ strengths and needs, and cast them as they see fit. The shows build on the learning/curriculum themes for each level (the younger students workshop a Shakespeare, but later work more deeply on the spoken intricacies of Shakespeare before performing). Also, first and second year students are never cast in an actual role in a production that will be a public performance.
What are some interesting things you learned this weekend?
To respond to @lovetoact 's post about NYC Unifieds, I want to share my experience with the only audition I had this weekend.
I was at NYC auditions on Friday night for my Boston University BFA Acting audition, so I just missed the snow storm. A few of my peers were trapped all weekend, however.
The person who ran the auditions and “sold” the program to us was engaging and inspiring. And I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. My mom fell in love with the program as well!! She thinks it is her favorite of the 8 programs I am auditioning for (She is not too fond of NYU:/).
My audition was my third so far, and I think my favorite. The auditor I had gave me the impression that he was an amazing listener, he seemed engrossed in everything I was doing with my monologue work. He asked for both of my monologues, but not to work them at all after I was finished performing. Then was the short interview. It felt like I was having a great conversation with a good friend. I actually started getting emotional while answering a question that went something like, “What do you feel is the most challenging obstacle that you’ve ever overcome”, to which the auditor responded that my answer was beautiful. The whole experience was amazing and quick and positive.
Thanks for reading my rambling… I just wanted to share so badly!!! Now for the waiting game…