<p>Things have been relatively quiet on the forum lately, and I'm assuming everyone else is in the same boat we are at our house: swamped with schoolwork and fall theater productions, cranking out the applications, and gearing up for auditions. It just feels like a good time to check in for a little group moral support! My S is about halfway done with his applications--a few turned out to be extremely easy once the main Common App essay was done!--has finished his standardized tests (still waiting for ACT results), submitted scores, and has his main monologues nailed down but is still working on some alternative ones. He only needed one prescreen, and that's done and cleared, and has completed one audition (and had fun!), scheduled 6, and has 3 still to schedule once their apps are submitted. Whew! We've been able to see a couple of shows at schools on his list and will be going to at least one more in December--this is our favorite part of the process!
And on the home front, our school's fall play goes up this weekend--he assistant directed, so isn't performing; his fall grades will be posted after Thanksgiving; and once the long run of auditions has ended (December 1-Feb. 9), he'll have the winter musical at school and then...collapse! And wait. </p>
<p>We'll be thinking of everyone doing early decision auditions in the next few weeks (and feeling a bit of a pang of jealousy--how great to get this over with before Christmas!). We are learning a lot about the process and despite all the time I've spent reading and researching on CC and elsewhere, it's still a ton of work to keep track of all the details. Hope to hear how everyone's auditions are going--chime in, please! :)</p>
<p>My D has her first interview/portfolio review on Sunday at CMU. After taking in all the advice here and speaking with financial aid at CMU, she went ahead with her ED application. We both know it’s a really, really long shot, but if you don’t try…</p>
<p>We leave for Pittsburgh Saturday morning and will be able to do a self guided tour of Point Park. We are also seeing “Seven Guitars” in a matinee at PPU Saturday afternoon. </p>
<p>At the end of next week we will go to UNCSA for that interview. I hope we will be able to see “Detective Story” while we are there, but we’ll only have one night. </p>
<p>All of her applications are completed. Most of her interviews have been scheduled with the exception of DePaul and Purchase. We may end up having to Skype one of those, but we’ll see. </p>
<p>One Act finished up last weekend. She makes the move to the “new” theatre group next month and will have three shows with them before the end of the year. Tonight she is finishing up a final prompt book that will go with us to her interviews. Things are calmer here, but she is dragging her feet on finishing up this last book. It’s from the spring musical so there’s a lot to do to it and she’s just kind of lost her drive right now. :(</p>
<p>We took a bit of a break from the applications work. After S submitted his ED app to his reach school and his EA app to his safety school, he knew he didn’t have to get anything else in until 12/1. So just yesterday I reminded him that he needs to get rolling!</p>
<p>I know at this point, he is making a run to finish his first semester with decent grades, so I didn’t push to hard. Grades close this Friday and - with the exception of a poopy math grade - the grades look solid. Not stellar, but solid!</p>
<p>Last Friday was BU’s College of Fine Art’s visitor day. We went, and I was quickly dumped for a bunch of BUSTI kids who showed up. I did stay for the general admissions presentation, as well as the School of Theatre’s admissions presentation. The two SOT presenters were just great. Somehow they were both laid-back and brimming with enthusiasm at the same time! I left after that, and told S to take the subway home. He had lunch with BU students, attended a master class, then found some friends who graduated last year from our HS. He had a blast!</p>
<p>We got the word today that S will have half his head shaved for Sweeney Todd! LOL! Which means he will have a total buzz cut for the monologue competition he will be going to the week after Sweeney is over. Hope that doesn’t make him self-conscious. Oh well!</p>
<p>So, to use a Boston Marathon reference, looks like we all started strong, then backed down a bit to a steady pace. But pretty soon we will be coming up to Heartbreak Hill - which we can do, as long as we keep that steady pace! And get some freakin’ SUNSHINE!</p>
<p>I think my brain has lost some cells along the way in this process. I intended to wish everyone well with this last stretch into auditions and interviews. </p>
<p>Marlbleheader, Sweeney is one of our (well 1 D and me) favorite shows! I wish we had been able to see Western Carolina’s production last year. One of my D’s closest friends was in the ensemble, as a freshman. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make the trip. I wish your son well in the show.</p>
<p>My D has tonight to finish up that final book. I know she’s tired and excited about the trip, but she has to make one last push to complete it. Ugh…should be a fun evening with me nagging and her dragging. </p>
<p>Good luck to everyone–ugadogg, I have been following your daughter’s story with interest and will be pulling for her! And Marbleheader, I’m still cracking up at the concept of your very handsome son with half his head shaved! Hope we will see pic of that on Facebook…and if my kid ends up with a shaved head for “King & I,” we will reciprocate. I’m still glad that production is AFTER auditions…but am also very much hoping the director lets him keep his hair. Re: your request for sunshine, my biggest worry about the whole audition process is honestly the weather as it affects travel. This might be the year for snow tires! :(</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone and their auditions! I have my first audition for Northern Kentucky on December 1st, and have been accepted into their BA Program already. It is my first choice due to the fact that I am from Kentucky and the tuition is outstanding. Is anyone else considering NKU as an option? Has anyone been accepted Early Admissions anywhere yet?</p>
<p>I am following all of you guys and pulling for you all to get in to your #1’s!!! Next year I will be here and hoepfully you guys can pull for us and share tons of advice:-)</p>
<p>My son has been busy filling out online college application forms while involved with two shows. He had a “trial run” audition day at the Virginia Theatre Association conference and got 12 callbacks, mostly very enthusiastic, plus the advice from two different drama professors that he is really “an actor who sings” instead of a musical theatre guy. Not completely sure what that means.</p>
<p>VTA was a great experience because it gave him confidence as well as helping him narrow down which in-state schools he wants to apply to (almost none of them). </p>
<p>His first real college audition is at Shenandoah Conservatory on December 1st. This is good, because he has to have all his materials fully polished by then. The next several weeks will be frantically taken up with Christmas-related performances.</p>
<p>Prodesse, Shenandoah sounds like a good possibility for my son (just a sophomore, though). Please let us know what your son thinks of it after his audition.</p>
<p>Times3 and all others traveling - just remember that last year started off with a couple of crippling snow/ice storms that wreaked havoc here in the Northeast . . . then NOTHING for the rest of the winter! Lots of cold weather, but no snow (poor ski country!).</p>
<p>Let’s hope your travel times - and ours, if ED doesn’t pan out - is clear from winter weather.</p>
<p>I know we are only concerned with safety, but as far as the inconvenience of traveling in a little bad weather - I will remind myself of those poor people in Staten Island, and sally forth with a smile on my face!</p>
<p>Prodesse – my daughter would describe herself as actor who sings as have other people so I will describe how she thinks about and how it has been discussed with us by her voice teacher who has been on Broadway and has had several students on Broadway. She would describe it as someone whose orientation is first and foremost about character and motivations and singing is a byproduct of being in character. My daughter has natural talent for acting but singing is more hard work. She can easily over think singing and get caught up in thinking about technique while she is singing rather than letting it go. However, there are other times, when she can lose herself in character while she is singing that she both sings better and you get so lost in her ability to play the character you also don’t care she doesn’t have one of those voices that God gives only to a few. </p>
<p>Notwithstanding that acting is her more natural talent, and she is only looking at acting BFA schools, her voice teacher has pushed her to continue to work on her voice as he has recounted example after example of situations where the better actors have gotten parts over those singers with much better voices who couldn’t play the character. I don’t know that MT will ever be her path but job competition is so difficult out there that it would certainly seem to pay to keep as many options out there as possible. </p>
<p>On the main topic of the thread – about half the applications are in, about 75% of auditions scheduled, letters of recommendation are a pain (Depaul really needs 3 letters!) and retaking the SAT is this Saturday as her site was cancelled for Sandy. First auditions are Dec. 1 and Dec 8 for U of Arts and Hartt. Good luck everyone!</p>
<p>^^One of DePaul’s can be the counselor letter, though, right? And the two teachers ones don’t necessarily have to be academic from what I can tell. Sounds like you guys are ticking along pretty well! I think most of us will be out on auditions for at least one of those first two weekends in December, so it’ll be interesting to check back in after that.</p>
<p>Times3–yes I saw that one could be a counselor letter. We will probably do that as she would have to bug someone new to get a third arts letter and would rather not do that just for one school. And yes, I think Depaul is specifically looking for non-Academic teachers.</p>
<p>Well…we sent an academic one and one from his drama teacher to DePaul (and the counselor of course). Hopefully the academic letter reflects the teacher’s understanding that he’s interested in attending the Theatre School, which is what they ask for, but maybe we’ll double check! I know Hartt specifically asks for two artistic rec’s–that’s the only one my S has that specifies it, though, and then a couple ask for only academic ones. Just more details to sift through…good times!</p>
<p>ActingDad–I was about to say that maybe I’ll see you in Philly on the 1st, but my daughter has ordered me to stay far away from the audition area. I have been known to be very sneaky, though. Good luck to your daughter that day!</p>
<p>OddDad – oh, I won’t be anywhere near the audition area. I’m the stage parent for some things but I’m not getting involved in any aspect of the audition part. The best thing about finding her a good acting coach who is experienced with this process is I’m out of it altogether. Our deal is I get to see the monologues after audition season is over. She both values my opinion and thinks I don’t have a clue at the same time so its best for me to stay away. </p>
<p>Well, my daughter took a chance on an early audition at DePaul and did not get a callback. It would have been nice to have a confidence-builder early in the game, but she rebounded quickly and is looking forward to Round #2! It helps that she has a couple of acceptances at safety BAs such as Indiana and Minnesota. </p>
<p>Her parents’ favorite offer is a full-tuition scholarship plus $12,000 in grants to Temple University. The grants are to supplement her studies with study abroad, etc. Theirs is not a liberal arts degree, but a performance degree with an Acting Concentration. Plus, they have a dance program so she can continue her dance training and because it is a BA she can double major. It sounds like a great opportunity but we have yet to visit, though! I am hoping we can fit in a quick trip after Unifieds.</p>
<p>Oh, I’m sorry skewlcounselor. I’m glad she bounced back, though. The Temple offer sounds mighty tempting! </p>
<p>Two visits and interviews done for us and many more to go. The first visit was fabulous; the second one wasn’t so great. She wasn’t rejected, but neither of us has very high hopes on that one. Oh well, off to the next one. Well, really just to Atlanta and an interview with Point Park mid December. I am SO glad they are coming here!!</p>