Auditions 2008

<p>Has anyone had experience with the audition process at Juilliard? Any info at all would be helpful!</p>

<p>letsfigureitout, I know the parents of several kids who have auditioned for Juilliard acting and apparently, the process is quite pleasant and very well organized. Several of my daughter's pals are (I think ... so much is going on that I admit to becoming confused about some dates!) auditioning this weekend. I will try to be here with some details early next week. The one really nice thing about Juilliard is that if a kid is not called back at the end of his or her session, the kids knows he or she is not being considered. At least some of the suspense is removed! :)</p>

<p>Yes, Juilliard is auditioning this weekend--my S is auditioning there TOMORROW. I will say they have provided good written info on what to expect. There are also some interesting blogs on the process associated with the Juilliard site. I have not seen much on CC about Juilliard, however, and wondered if anyone had first-hand experience!</p>

<p>NMR--aren't you doing CMU this weekend? The weather is due to improve. . .</p>

<p>Oh, letsfigureitout, tell your son to break a leg this weekend at Juilliard! I think your son may well meet (or at least be in the same room as) at least one of my D's classmates. I was going to refer you to the Juilliard drama blog, but you and your son obviously have seen that! A girl we know who is now in her sophomore year at Roosevelt auditioned there a few years back, and reported that (as I said above) it's very organized and pleasant and that the faculty does all they can to put the kids at ease. I wish I could tell you more, because the more your son knows, the more prepared he will feel going in. Please know our thoughts and good wishes are with him ... I am sure he will do just great!
Yes, we head to Pittsburgh and CMU for my D's audition this weekend. Has the weather been awful there? I haven't even checked! Last time we visited friends (early January) it was really, really cold.</p>

<p>It's been cold and snowy (although the snow hasn't really accumulated). It's supposed to warm up this weekend. Have fun in the 'burgh!</p>

<p>Thanks, and you guys have fun in NYC! Please report back to us all on how it went.</p>

<p>Oh yes!
Safe Journeys and Good Luck to all!</p>

<p>Schools ask where else you are auditioning as a way to gauge where they fit into the mix. Many students have two lists, a "preferred list" and a "fall back school." Schools just want to know where they fit in on that list. Schools know who their peer institutions / programs are, as well as who their aspirational peers are. </p>

<p>Schools ask if you have been coached to determine how they should consider your monologue. If your monologue was mediocre, but you have never received any direction whatsoever, you will be looked at one way. In addition they are attempting to figure out whether or not you seek out training. Many students will also be asked about vocal training for the same reason.</p>

<p>By the way. There is no right answer. No answer given to any of these questions will make or break an audition. The group is just trying to learn as much as they can in the least amount of time.</p>

<p>Juilliard Auditions.</p>

<p>A couple of people have PM'd me about the Juilliard auditions, so I thought I'd respond by describing what I know about them. My S auditioned yesterday, in the morning. Juilliard is very good about providing info about what to expect. It is pretty accurate, particularly with regard to the statement about planning to spend the whole day. About 88 students auditioned in the morning, meaning they went, 1 by 1, to present 2 monologues to faculty members. My S was actually asked to present a 3rd monologue. Others were asked to sing. Feedback was minimal. From those 88, about 11 were chosen to come back for an evening session. This whole thing was handled a little differently from what we've come to expect. . .The students were all taken to wait together in a room, while the parents sat somewhere else. The students were tied up until the call-backs were posted, after NOON.</p>

<p>There was an afternoon session, which, I assume was handled in the same way.</p>

<p>My S was called back at 4PM. This call-back was for about 23 students from the 2 daytime sessions. They each presented 2 monologues (different ones) to a panel of about 20 Juilliard faculty members. There was A LOT of waiting! However, food was provided. After everyone had a chance to present their monologues, there was some type of "warm-up" class (not sure of the details. . .). Finally, most students were dismissed (it was almost MIDNIGHT!). 8 students were asked to stay for a brief interview. Once again, the students were put together to wait for their turns, while the parents waited (or slept on benches) elsewhere. Interviews were completed sometime between 12:15 and 12:30AM.</p>

<p>Now, the students wait until the very end of Feb or beginning of Mar to hear whether they are called back to NYC for another round!</p>

<p>It was a long day, but, for my S, an "awesome" experience. The Juilliard students and staff who assisted with the process were very helpful.</p>

<p>Congrats to your son, letsfigureitout, for a long (and successful!) day!...I'm assuming that your son was included in the 8 that were interviewed. Best wishes for continued callbacks! :)</p>

<p>Purchase Auditions.</p>

<p>Probably not too many on the MT thread will be interested. . .but I thought I'd describe a little about the Purchase audition experience.</p>

<p>My S auditioned there this AM. There was a brief orientation and paperwork to be completed, and then the students were taken to an area to wait for their turn to audition. Since the audition times were known in advance, there was not too much waiting (at least for him). He presented his two contrasting monologues to a small number of faculty (I think he said 2). He also sang (a cappella) the piece that he had prepared. He received no feedback and was not asked to present another monologue or do a monologue differently. He was asked if he had questions. And, he was asked when he arrived in town and what he had been doing. . .(to which he responded he had arrived on Thursday evening and spent the day Friday auditioning at Juilliard--so they asked him questions about THAT). There was a call back list posted at 11AM or so. Only three students were called back (not my son). That was it!</p>

<p>I did not attend, so I'm reporting what my husband and S told me. They did say there were only about 3 boys auditioning this morning. They guessed there were at least 3 girls for every 1 boy.</p>

<p>gem: Yes, my son was one who was interviewed at Juilliard. They did stress, however, that being asked to stay for the interview or not could not be used to predict the March call-back.</p>

<p>Comments posted about how auditions were handled have been very helpful to my son, especially with regard to questions asked, feedback given, call-backs, gender of auditionees, and number of applicants vs. number of offers. Therefore, I thought I'd bump this thread in hopes of having some folks describe their experiences.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>