<p>I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a successful audition season! </p>
<p>With a few auditions under her belt, my D already has met so many of incredibly talented young men and women. Hats off to all of you! </p>
<p>After speaking with the accompanying parents, I find that some are very aware of how competitive this process is, but that there are also many who are completely in the dark, which is why I felt I needed to reiderate what has been said all over this board, there are way more talented kids than there are available slots. Please keep an open mind and that "whatever is meant to be, is meant to be". Some people seem really hung up on one particular school. </p>
<p>I think it would be a lot less stressful to have a list of schools where your child feels he/she would be perfectly content going, rather than just one. I know that the majority of people here all know this, but I thought I'd bring it to the forefront one (last) time.</p>
<p>I am looking for the play "Memories of Childhood" by June Guarlnick. My son likes a monologue from this and now he needs to read the play.
Thanks.</p>
<p>What is the reason audition judges ask what other colleges/conservatories the student has applied to?</p>
<p>And, what is the appropriate response to a question about whether you have had coaching on your monologue, who has offered the coaching, and so forth? Some schools specifically state that you should NOT have coaching. . .most do not specify.</p>
<p>letsfigureitout, I was aware that students are often asked (on their applications and in person) what others school they are applying to, but I had not heard that kids were asked during auditions if they had coaching and so forth. Interested to hear what the response is from those who know. My kid goes to an arts high school, so they naturally work on their monologues in class senior year.</p>
<p>llong39 - I am not 100% sure, but I don't believe that that play has actually officially been published, except for some selected monologues, but you could contact the author, her last name is actually Guralnick, and ask her if you could get a copy of the script (explaining what you need it for): <a href="mailto:june@juneguralnick.com">june@juneguralnick.com</a> /// Good luck :)</p>
<p>I have never heard of an applicant being asked if they had coaching on their monologue and by whom. Do you know of anyone or which school where that occured? It did not at any of the 8 BFA programs my D auditioned at (all well known ones mentioned here frequently) or for any clients of mine at a variety of schools. Not that I am aware of, anyway. I can't imagine this being asked. Every kid I know had a voice teacher helping prepare songs and an acting coach prepping the monologues. Some kids have a college counselor helping select schools and helping with the admissions process. Some kids have an SAT tutor. Hmm...I haven't heard anyone asked about any of these things by colleges but all are very common. Frankly, I encourage all my clients to work with an acting teacher or theater director (someone trained in acting) on the selection and performance of their monologues. I can tell you my own kid, who had no acting classes where we live, did work with an acting coach (who teaches at a conservatory in NYC but who commutes to live at his home in our state on weekends) starting in Sept. of her audition year. I truly can't imagine being asked this but if asked, I would volunteer the truth that you had someone review your monologue presentations to give you feedback and who that person was. And while you are at it, you might mention the English teacher who read over your essay before you sent it too. :D</p>
<p>PS...similarly, one of my D's is applying to graduate schools for architecture right now. The admissions is heavily based on her portfolio and it is highly selective to get in (kinda just like the BFA process and auditions!) and she is having various people in the field review drafts of her portfolio and she is making changes,etc. based on their feedback. She SHOULD do this, just like I have my clients get an acting coach. I think those preparing for these types of reviews who don't get feedback from professionals in the field, are at a disadvantage because most I know who apply to BFAs, DO get some coaching on songs and monologues.</p>
<p>letsfigureitout - I think most schools like to see "what kind of list you have compiled", big/small/urban/rural/conservatory/LA, to get a better feel for who you are and/or what you might be looking for. I don't know that they are getting a "real picture" because I am not sure how kids actually answer that question. For example, my D has mix of schools on her list and typically answers with the names of about 3 schools that are similar to the one she is auditioning for.</p>
<p>letsfigureitout & NMR - In regard to coaching, D has not been asked this question yet, but she has been received comments about her training in general, as she has attended some well known summer programs. </p>
<p>If asked about monologue coaching, IMHO I think it is better to have your child answer truthfully, nothing worse that feeling awkward and lying. No need to volunteer this information without being asked though either. It is likely that audition panels will have a feel for that regardless and,
NMR - I think this holds true especially in the case of kids who attend PA schools. I would guess that audition panels would almost expect them to have worked with someone on their monologues. I would also venture to say, that if they wind up questioning their natural ability, they will likely ask to do the monologue differently and see how the child responds.</p>
<p>^^^ Good point above in that if the auditors want to see natural ability with acting, they can ask you to do your monologue another way per their directions.</p>
<p>My d was asked at her Syracuse audition if she had a coach work with her on her monologue. Caught her by surprise for sure and she wasn't really prepared for what to say but did answer honestly, yes. She did go to a performing arts high school as well and did work with a former teacher there. After the audition she said she felt that maybe she blew the audition by being honest but it seemed not to matter because she did get accepted there. That was the only school that asked her out of the ten that she auditioned at.</p>
<p>llong39, be sure to check the requirements for audition material at the schools on your son's list. Many, if not most, schools require that monologues be from a published play.</p>
<p>I am another who has never heard of the 'coaching' question being asked but I would advise to answer honestly if it is. Often an auditor will offer direction and ask that the monologue be done again. One thing which I haven't seen mentioned here for some time and which this year's kids should know, and be prepared for, is the possibility of an auditor stopping you mid-monologue, asking a question, then asking you to resume. Make sure you can do this! Some kids go into cruise control once they start their monologue and are not able to pick it up mid-way through. This is all part of knowing your audition material inside and out. :)</p>
<p>Kaysmom,
Funny cause Syracuse was a school that asked my D where else she applied and she named several of her schools but not all of them. Then, they asked her why someone "like her" was not applying to NYU/Tisch. She had not named that school on the list. She proceeded to explain why Syracuse had certain aspects in comparison to Tisch which made her choose to apply to Syracuse. She turned it into a Why Syracuse statement and knew both programs well and could contrast a few things. She was also an applicant to Tisch but at that point, had to answer the question as if she had not applied to Tisch. She also got into Syracuse. She goes to Tisch, however.</p>
<p>No questions regarding IF she had coaching that I can recall anywhere. At PSU, they commented on her voice teacher (after perusing the resume) whom apparently they knew and questioned how she had worked with him as he teaches at a conservatory in NYC but we live in Vermont. She explained how his home is in VT but he teaches on part of the week in NYC at the conservatory. By the way, asking if you were coached on monologues is interesting because they have your theater resume right there. Right on my D's resume, who she trained with is on it. The PSU folks asked about the voice teacher cause they knew him. But it is evident on the resume about the training which kinda implies having help with songs and monologues. At UMich, during the a ballet barre part of the audition, the teacher came over to my D and asked her where she had trained in dance. My D told her but knew inside that there is no way she'd have heard of our studio here in Vermont! :D I think they look over the resume because now that I recall, she said the Tisch auditor commented about her being in All States and discussed her own positive view of All States.</p>
<p>Soozievt: As I understand it, both Point Park and CMU auditors asked some question about monologue coaching. . ."Who helped you understand the material?" or something like that. Summer programs and acting instruction appeared on the resume, although they were not specifically linked to the material presented. My son was surprised, but answered honestly. He really didn't think anything of it; I wondered what it meant-what they were trying to assess. </p>
<p>Both schools were interested in the other schools to which he was applying. It would seem that most students are applying to many of the same schools from a list of 15 or so. He answered with the number of applicatons and a short list from the top of his head.</p>
<p>What if you're asked whether you're applying to any acting programs, or just MT? they asked me that at Pace, and I'm wondering whether they thought my singing was bad, my acting was great, or if they just wanted to know, since they asked what other schools I'm applying to... (I have a tendancy to overanalyze things, if you couldn't tell ;) )</p>
<p>Interesting question, Chelly. My D is also auditioning for both acting and MT programs, so I have been wondering if she will encounter the same thing. Were you auditioning at Pace for acting? If so, my guess is that your singing was probably so good that they wanted to know if you were a musical theater person ... I have heard tell of kids who believed that the fact that they sang so well was, in fact, held against them by actor training programs which perhaps suspected that their heart was in MT. But again, this is probably over analysis!</p>
<p>At my auditions the only place that actually verbally asked what other schools i was looking at was Syracuse. I told them the truth, and i did end up getting in there.</p>
<p>NMR, I auditioned at Pace for MT. I'm hoping they were just interested in what sort of programs I'm applying to, since I did have a couple of acting/BA theatre schools on my sheet, and it wasn't a comment about my singing. O_O</p>