Bad Audition...My Chances are Ruined, Aren't They?

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

<p>I just auditioned for a BFA in Theatre Performance at the University of Evansville. It was by far the worst college audition I've ever had. The others have ranged from okay to good, but I still have been rejected from 50% of the ones the other BFAs I applied to (Northern Kentucky and CCM). I am waiting to hear from Evansville and Ball State. Here's what went wrong:</p>

<p>1) My monologues (Lady Macbeth, Helen from Fat Pig) have been performed and rehearsed several times (but not really over-rehearsed), so there was nothing really vivacious or captivating about them. They seemed bland at my audition. I didn't feel anything performing them this time. </p>

<p>2) My Shakesperean monologue was supposed to be 20-30 lines, but it was only 17. It's a famous monologue, so surely they noticed.</p>

<p>3) I messed up my song. What song was it, you ask? FREAKIN' "I Feel Pretty" FROM WEST SIDE STORY: THE MOST WELL-KNOWN SONG FROM THE MOST WELL-KNOWN MUSICAL EVER! I've performed it for my Musical Theatre Lab (intro to musical theatre) class at school, I can sing the song relatively well. But, on the 2nd verse "I feel charming...", my brain convinced me that the words weren't "And so pretty that I hardly can believe I'm real." So, what came out was: "And ;alsjkdf;lk jasdl;kfj that alskdjfa;sljdf can believe I'm real"</p>

<p>*I know Neil Labute and West Side Story are audition No-no's, but my teachers said they were fine because I do them well (OBVIOUSLY NOT WELL ENOUGH)</p>

<p>Am I pretty much out as far as getting in? Have you ever messed up a college audition and still gotten in?</p>

2

<p>Cameano, I sent you a PM, but hang in there–I’m sure you’ll get tons of advice, and I hope you can put this one behind you. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>My son had an audition, and one of the “judges” was asleep. He made remark about it and wrote off the school. He got in. He heard what he considered a bad auditon of a young woman he knew who was accepted at Emerson. Very high academic stats, by the way. So who knows. But sometimes even after all of this you will go to audtion, be given material and botch it. If you want to be in this business, you have to just go right on to the next thing on your list and on with your day, because that’s just the way it often goes.</p>

4

<p>CP-- wonder if we know the same person at Emerson or if that is a trend there. But-- Camean02-- just keep going, keep going. As Times and CP have said, you just don’t know what will happen and why. But if you keep pressing forward, you will find a spot that fits you. Maybe it won’t be Evansville, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be CMU. It’s so hard to keep the faith through this process, when you’re being judged not for a part but for a spot in school’s ensemble. </p>

<p>“What thou lov’st well is thy true inheritance.” Ezra Pound. Keep your eye on your love of your art, and you’ll do fine.</p>

5

<p>At this point, whatever is going to happen at Evansville is whats going to happen. Your worrying about it won’t change anything. Be prepared for an Evansville callback, and prepare for your next audition.</p>

<p>When I first read your comment about the length of your Shakespeare monologue, I was afraid you hadn’t followed Evansville’s instructions, like they asked for a 20-30 line monologue, but you chose a 17 line monologue instead. If that’s what happened that was a mistake, because you should always follow the instructions of the school. But now I read it again I think I’m wrong, now I think you were planning to recite a 20-30 line monologue, but forgot the end of it so you only recited the first 17 lines. If that’s what happened, that won’t be a problem. Most auditioners trim and edit and cut their monologues, there is really no such thing as a “complete” or “incomplete” monologue.</p>

<p>An audition trick I learned as an undergraduate is just very simply, if you forget the end of your monologue, just stop as though you only meant to do the first part. There is nothing wrong with that, and the auditors won’t know you didn’t mean to do more unless you tell them (which obviously you shouldn’t). The auditors in fact will usually make up their mind about an audition within the first ten or fifteen seconds of your monologue. They may well be relieved that you cut your monologue short, especially since auditions always seem to fall behind schedule. The same applies if, say, you leave out the middle of your monologue. Just behave as though you meant to cut out that part.</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

6

<p>Thanks, everyone. I know I have to get over it, but I was just wondering if anyone had an experience where they messed up and still got in. I didn’t forget my Shakesperean monologue, I just didn’t realize it was 3 lines too short. My other Shakesperean is longer, but wasn’t contrast-y enough, so I didn’t use it.</p>

7

<p>Times3-
Thank you! CC won’t let me reply in a message because I don’t have enough posts yet, but I see where you’re coming from with the welcoming vibe. The teachers in my audition weren’t “mean” persay, but they weren’t quite as lively/friendly as the ones at the other schools I have been to. I wasn’t horribly bothered by it though, I was expecting more of the schools I auditioned for to be like that. Some of the students that were volunteering did come off as snobby/pretentious, though. However, the other half of the volunteers seemed very cool and personable. I also know two students there who love it, so it’s all up in the air.</p>

<p>Fairfax-
Thank you! What you said is exactly why I’m flipping out so much lol. If this was just for a part in a community musical or school show or something, I wouldn’t really care this much. But, when you are auditioning for a top-notch education, HOLY CRAP! Ya’ know?</p>

8

<p>CAMEAN02, yes it does happen that people leave an audition believing they bombed, but they get in (and vice-versa.) Do you have any non-auditioned safety schools, or a Plan B for what to do if you don’t get into a program you’d like to attend this time year?</p>

9

<p>Yes, I applied to two BAs (no audition,already accepted) and can switch down to a BA at one the schools I got rejected from. I also applied to one BFA that doesn’t allow auditions until I believe your 3rd semester, so I’d have a year of safety if I went there, but I’m not really too fond of one of the theatre professors there :0/</p>

10

<p>Northern Kentucky has where after freshman year you can audition BFA again for up to 3 times. It’s a great program, and I strongly recommend it as a school (not only because it’s my state). When I visited, I was told the majority of the freshman class were BA students and many switch. My best friend is a BA theater student freshman there and I recently visited her and met several students and it’s true. Lots of freshman BA students. PM me if you have any questions.</p>

<ul>
<li>Chase</li>
</ul>

<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>

11

<p>I’m still not clear on what happened, but yes you MUST follow the instructions of the school. So if they asked for a 20-30 line Shakespearean monologue you should have done exactly that. If you really wanted to get into this place so badly I don’t understand why you didn’t count the lines in your monologue. I.E. check and doublecheck everything you are doing to make sure you are following their instructions.</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

12

<p>Camean02, you really are doing a lot of good thinking and talking here, and I am sure you will do great in the long run. I’ll add a couple of my thoughts about auditions and auditors, etc. here:</p>

<p>1) Auditions are all about how YOU do, in your own opinion. They are 0% about how the auditors respond. Yes, the ones for schools are really, really stressful, because they feel (note I said feel) like they determine your whole future. Rejections from colleges really do hurt - and it can be said that they change your life. But equally, or more so, the acceptances you DO get will change your life. The rejections will ultimately just be a blip in your memory, practically as soon as you set foot on campus next fall. You have no control over reactions - nor any real understanding of what people are thinking - so just do your best performing and work to feel proud of your efforts. That’s the part that you own.</p>

<p>2) Again, about auditors, and profs. You said above that you weren’t too fond of a prof at one of your BA options. I imagine you were joking a bit, but I just want to say to any prospective college student that you are not going to be in love with all of the profs. Yes, kids come on here and say they just “LOVE” everyone at their school - the kids, teachers, directors, etc. - but that is really never entirely true. As with any people, it’s always a crapshoot - some of them you might never get along with, some you might change your feelings about, and some might be the best teachers ever even if you don’t connect personally. I wouldn’t come to any conclusions about your personal connection with a school at a visit, or especially at an audition, for better or for worse. Again, it’s all about YOU, and what you will do, what you will learn and be open to, and how you will change through the experience. As long as the curriculum and opportunities are there, you will have a valuable experience.</p>

<p>I can tell you are thinking very clearly about how there are lots of ways to grow in this field, whether it’s BFA, BA, or otherwise. That is great. Keep seeing the value in many paths - that will serve you well in life. I hope you get some more wonderful acceptances, but it looks like you already have terrific options. That’s all it takes!</p>

<p>And, just to throw a little more spice in the pot, there’s always transferring! Anything that really matters to you is worth a do-over, if needed. Everyone should be prepared for this possibility, because it happens to practically everyone sometime, in one way or another.</p>

13

<p>Thanks for the advice everyone!</p>

<p>Chasie- NKU is actually the BFA I was talking about that rejected me and suggested a BA. NKU is still up there on my list. I know 3 people there that love it and I hear a lot of good stuff about the program, so who knows where I’ll end up lol.</p>

<p>Emmy- I wasn’t joking very much lol. For some reason, the professor just doesn’t like me. I have NO idea why, lol. I’ve never even talked to her outside of 2 auditions (for a summer program) and a warm-up class I’ve had with her. She just doesn’t like my acting style, I guess? IDK. I probably wouldn’t get into that school because of her. But, like I said, it’s at least 1 year guaranteed and a last resort if anything else.</p>

14

<p>Camean02, as you go through this process, keep in mind that it is easy to be your own worst critic and to then drive yourself nuts trying to second guess how the audition panel received your audition. It’s very difficult to resist both temptations. This Board is replete, however, with stories of auditions that seemed to go horribly but turned out well and those that seemed to be off the charts great and turned out disappointing. You never really know what the auditors are thinking and how they are evaluating what they see. All you can do is try your best at each audition, treat each as an opportunity to do what you love and to get more experience and then move on to the next one. Also keep in mind that once you think you’ve blown a part of your audition, it can color how you perceive the rest of what you are doing. My daughter had a horrible experience at one of her auditions at a very selective school (in what seems a lifetime ago now that she’s been out for a year and a half) in which a third of the way through her first song, a beautiful ballad, she heard an auditor say “She doesn’t have it.” It threw her off for the rest of her audition, her second song, 2 monologues, and she exited the audition room and had a melt down. She was convinced she had blown it all. She was accepted. To this day, we have no idea what that comment really meant, what the auditors saw as they watched the rest of her audition nor how they evaluated her performance. And neither can you. Doesn’t mean it wont make you a bit nuts as you deal with the anxieties of this process and there’s no assurance that your outcome will be one of those happy ending stories, but at the same time, try to be kind to yourself. You’ve worked hard, you are putting yourself out there every time you walk into the audition room. Don’t beat yourself up, just try to take a deep breath, learn a little from what occurred and move on to the next one refocused and without doubting the talent and dedication that has brought you this far.</p>

15

<p>Thank you!</p>

16

<p>I’ll add one other piece of info. My daughter today got to talk to some of the first year students at CMU. I may not have this totally accurate but it sounds like most did not get into even half the schools they auditioned at. Most had a rejection at places that would not be considered close to CMU in selectivity. I’ll avoid listing names not to start an unnecessary side issue.</p>

17

<p>ActingDad, I love hearing these kinds of stories because it shows that potential and/or talent is predicted differently by these auditioners. They are humans. I heard a fun story from a mother I met at the Chicago Unifieds. Her D had an audition at a school in Florida two weeks before Unifieds. It was a horrible day. She had a headache. The auditioner didn’t look at her or really talk to her. The mother told a dozen people it was definitely not going to happen. But on the way to Unifieds, her D got a phone call that she was accepted! You just don’t know until you know, you know?!</p>

18

<p>Cam -<br>
Recently at an audition I was doing my Shakespeare piece (from The Merchant of Venice) and about a third of the way through I completely blanked on what came next. I stopped and asked if I could start over, and the auditor gave me some direction/adjustment and then I started again… only to forget AGAIN at almost the same exact spot (yikes!) and the auditor only said thanks, I’ve seen what I need to see let’s move on. During the interview the guy literally told me I knew nothing about acting… In the end, I was actually offered a spot at the school on the spot. I don’t think you should worry too much about it. Especially at college auditions, I feel like (most of) the auditors understand that no one is going to be perfect, and they are looking for potential, or personality, or some unique quality that they are drawn to, or value in their program.</p>

19

<p>I feel like I have said this before . . .</p>

<p>There is a trick used by the seasoned auditioners when they forget their monologue. They just stop, as though they meant to stop there anyways. Everyone cuts their monologues for time, you can just make it look like you cut it a little more than most people.</p>

<p>And yes, the auditor will have seen everything they need to know in less than the first 30 seconds, probably less than the first 20 seconds, of your monologue.</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

20

<p>I’m late in weighing in on this thread, but wanted to add that there are no guarantees and no firm rules. My son’s first audition was at UArts, and he was smack in the middle of some huge personal crises. He had barely memorized his two pieces. His teacher/director had advised him to deliver his Shakespearean monologue first, because she felt his contemporary piece was stronger. He texted me following his preliminary audition. He was distraught, because they dismissed him without even hearing his second piece. He was called back, and then interviewed and granted a chance to deliver the contemporary piece. UArts accepted him, with a generous talent scholarship, within several days of the audition. He is there now, and loves it. He thought his strongest audition, by far, was for DePaul, but he wasn’t even called back. One reason he suspected was that he was in a group that included another boy who would be the same “type” as him, but was at least six inches taller.</p>