<p>I am auditioning for theater programs. My theater teacher suggested I lose my blond extensions but keep my bright red (dyed) hair color. I am confused about how much of myself do I change? Also, what do I wear? Any suggestions? I need help and don't know where to go.</p>
<p>I don’t know why you should have to change your hair if most people think it looks attractive and you like it. </p>
<p>As for how you dress, as long as you are doing acting auditions and no dance auditions, just wear something reasonably tidy looking that you feel comfortable in.</p>
<p>You want the auditors to focus on how you deliver your monologues and what you say if they talk with you and ask you questions. You probably wouldn’t want to be “distractingly outrageous” with regard to either clothing or hairstyle.</p>
<p>My D wore relatively form fitting clothing that allowed for movement. She wore quiet, ballet flats because on this post, there was a comment about how at another audition, an auditor made a negative comment about all the “clacking” of the girls heels. She did not wear jeans. She wanted to be free to move when she did the pieces. She wore dark colors, very traditional audition attire, but nice. She wore minimal jewelry. She did not want the jewelry to distract from her, the performer.</p>
<p>So, with respect to your hair, you have to decide if you hair will distract to much from your pieces. Does your hair work with your monologues? When you are actually performing, you will be expected to change your hair for your shows. This is really no different. My D flat irons her extremely curly hair, or has been required to pin curl it to her head so a wig can go over it at her college. You should consider your audition the same as a performance and act accordingly. Only you can decide whether your hair will detract from the auditors seeing and hearing you.</p>
<p>I’ve seen a lot of different opinions on this, but I lean strongly towards something in between professional and whatever else seems to fit you. Not super buttoned up, prim and conservative, but not ready to go raving either. My daughter wore a really flattering, cute little navy blue shirtwaist dress in a soft knit that hit just above the knees - not dowdy, not too sexy either. She wore a medium heeled pump that looked like what I call “Blondie” shoes (look at the comic strip) only not quite as high. She’s comfortable in heels, and she’s SHORT so she likes the height, but she wears and walks in them gracefully and they were quiet. She wore nude hose and enough makeup to look pretty but not over done.</p>
<p>Her style and look isn’t very far out though, as far as hair or anything - no piercings, tats, or anything more than highlights, so this was a good reflection of who she is. (she’s not boring by any means - she expresses herself with the craziest outfits you can imagine, some that she makes…but when it’s time to look serious, she tones it down.)</p>
<p>I suppose the argument could be made that if someone’s preferred style of hair and dress is really dramatic, that they should show exactly that to the auditioners, and there is some sense in that, but personally I think it should stop short of being distracting. Once you are “in” and on campus you can do whatever you want! (except of course for when you get cast and they tell you what to do with your hair, then you can’t do whatever you want. 
But my daughter would shave bald if they wanted her to!)</p>
<p>It seems to me that an audition is much like an interview for a professional job in the creative fields, and that I do know about from when I went to art school; you can be more creative and even bohemian in style than someone interviewing for, say, investment banking, but you still need to look professional. I think it sends a message that you understand what work is, that you are mature enough to understand that your attire doesn’t have to scream out whatever message you want your attire to send ALL the time, that you can put something (such as what the director wants you to do) above your own personal preference in clothing. More than any other job on earth, an actor has to be completely willing to change their looks according to something someone else has determined, according to what that job requires, so I think it’s a good reflection on you to show you understand that already. 'I’m at a high school version of a professional interview and I’m going to dress like a creative but professional young adult."</p>
<p>JMHO.</p>
<p>I would think the most important thing would be not to look slovenly, wrinkled, too revealing, or impractical. No sparkley “hottie” t shirts. Not that anyone on this forum would do that…lol…If an article of clothing gets in the way of movement that would be bad. (In addition to being just flat ridiculous at ANY time, not just auditions, but then I am a big believer in not being a fashion victim. 
) Plus make sure it’s flattering colors. Don’t wear washed out pinky beige if you have sallow skin, under those lights!</p>
<p>Another excellent piece of advice from Michael Shurtleff’s “Audition” book is to wear the same outfit at callbacks that you wore to the first audition. They don’t always remember names, but they’ll remember “the kid in the striped shirt.” Also, try to keep your hair similar to whatever photo you’ll be submitting.</p>
<p>There was a post on CC once about a girl who unfortunately became very ill during one of her auditions and ended up dropping out of the whole process and auditioning again for the same school a year later…wearing the same outfit.</p>
<p>One of the auditors not only remembered the girl a year later, she also remembered her clothing. She said something like, “Oh yes, you are the girl in the pretty beige dress who got sick!”</p>
<p>At my D’s Ithaca audition, the auditors said nothing about the audition, didn’t ask her to change or do anything extra. At the end, they said they liked her outfit. She got in.</p>
<p>More for the MT girls… I remember one girl at the CMU auditions did not bring a change of clothes. After dance auditions, all the other girls got decked out for vocal and acting auditions and she was standing around in her leotard, looking very awkward. I felt so bad for her…</p>
<p>Nice to see you posting here again, chrissyblu. How are things going for your daughter at UCLA??</p>
<p>(I don’t mean to highjack your thread, faco3dw…hope things are going well for you.)</p>