I absolutely agree with not outing the program that sent that email, but have each of you who received it contacted the program to let them know that they should be sending these things privately?
Agree with lovetoact, one, or all, of you who has received these emails should be letting the school know. The email addresses for admin will always be on the schoolās website.
BTW - for those getting the āQbertā situation when trying to edit, I think itās Chrome? When I switched to good olā Explorer just now, the weirdness disappeared & I was able to edit w/no problemā¦
We also received an audition confirmation with the email addresses showing last week. I found that to be odd, but a decline letterā¦wow that was a fubar!
I would be extremely upset if my D had received a rejection email along with many others. What a breach of privacy, and especially to have it happen on a rejectionāI realize itās a mistake, but come on. Thatās terrible.
I know I donāt post much here but I do read a lot, and you all have great advice and have helped me so much since we began this journey. Let me preface my comments by stating that I know how tough this field is, I know rejection is a part of the process, and that the process makes no sense. Iām an arts professional (veteran educator), so I do understand how completely subjective the arts field is.
We just returned from Dās UArts audition yesterday, and Iām pretty upset about something, which I (likely) will be bringing to her admission counselorās attention. She only had one auditor in her audition, while D believes at least some others had 2. (We are not 100% sure that some rooms had more than 1 auditorāso if any of you have auditioned there this season, specifically yesterday, please share your experience.) If this is the case, then it is in no way an equitable method of doing things. How is it decided who gets to audition for one person and who gets to audition for a panel? D remembers the auditorās first name, and upon checking the website, I found out she isnāt even MT or Acting faculty, sheās listed as a member of the directing/playwriting/production faculty. This was very unfortunate for D, as her singing is much stronger than her acting at this point. D did not receive a callback, even though she felt great about how it went. I get that this isnāt unusualāfeeling positive about the audition and then getting a rejectionābut what bugs me is that, had she had another auditor, perhaps sheād have stood a better chance of getting a callback. Providing just one auditor is not the best way to assess a potential studentāthe person could just hate the song or monologue selection, or her dress, or her look, or the tone of her voice (sheās a strong belter) or whateverā¦and with no one else in the room, this one personās opinion completely knocks Dās favorite school out of the running for her. I know, sheāll end up where sheās meant to be, and I know that everyone gets lots of rejections. This was her first audition, and we knew of the callbacks from the beginning. But we so loved this school, their attitude and vibe, and everything else about the people there. I loved their attitude toward pretty much everything! This has REALLY left a bad taste in my mouth. I am only naming the school b/c I want to know if others have had (or will have) the same experience there.
Iāve been an auditor myself in many different types of auditions on the middle and high school levelāinstrumental, vocal, theatre, etc. So of course I do get how subjective ALL of it is, which is why having ONE auditor is so unfair to students, especially on collegiate level auditions. Auditors are human; we need at least one other professional in the room to bounce ideas off of, especially when the decisions we make are impacting a studentās future. With a panel of auditors (even 2), there is some advocating for one student over another. One person sees something in a student that another may not. D also mentioned she was one of the last to go (how is that decided??) and that her auditor looked bored and uninterested. This goes against everything the school presented to us back at a visit last fall and even yesterday. It was all āwe want to get to know you, show us who you are as an artist.ā I get that it can become boring to sit through hours of auditions, but if you canāt at least PRETEND to be interested, then youāve got not business being an auditor in the room.
I realize I may get some criticism for this postā¦Iām not complaining that she didnāt get a callback; Iām upset with the audition process that was used at a school that didnāt present itself as being āthat kind of schoolā at all. If this were one of the schools more known for being āsnootyā or whatever, maybe I wouldnāt be so surprised at our experience. Itās a learning experience, and D handled it well and has moved on. Life isnāt fair, I certainly learned that a long time ago. Thanks for listening, sorry for the long rant. . .
@mspamela So sorry that happened. My D did UArts while at NYC unifieds so a different experience - no call bacls at all for off campus auditions. I think there was more than one auditor in her room, although at others there was only one. My D had an early rejection as well for a top choice and it was one of the most difficult things. I feel for you both but hopefully she will have a much better experience in other auditions. BAL.
@mspamela, I want to address your second concern first (your daughter going last and the auditor looking bored). Someone has to go last. The slots are typically assigned first come, first serve, or randomly, or based on real needs (e.g., flight leaving). And yes, Iām sure the auditors get bored. BUT, there are two points that are important: 1) their appearance of boredom may be meaningless (there was an audition panel at one school where not one of the auditors LOOKED at my Dā¦didnāt say a word, appeared totally disengaged. She was WL thereā¦ and some kids who experienced the same thing got in); 2) Even if the auditors are bored and tired, if your D wowed them, they would have perked. In other words, talent is not going to slip by them b/c itās the last appointment of the day and they want to go home.
As to your first point, Iām not sure how all the different schools do it (and my D did not apply to UArts), but I know there were many schools who had concurrent panels auditioning (is it fair to have different kids assessed by different panels?); schools that only had one person in the room; prescreen videos are reviewed by only one professor, and different professors view different prescreens; etc. I suppose, to keep it completely āfair,ā the same panel of auditors should review all prescreens and all auditions. But that is not realistic. Furthermore, I imagine some schools run the auditions rather like American Idolā¦a panel of 3, and you need 3 yeses. So the one auditor who saw your D would have been a no, and even if there were 2 people in the room, she would not have been CB anyway. I guess what Iām trying to say is there is not a realistic way to have the same people review all the auditioners. And, I suspect that everyone who is an auditor knows what the school is looking for, and if there was any question, they would move the kid on so they could get assessed by more people. For whatever reason, the school didnāt think your D was a good fit. It doesnāt mean she isnāt talented. And it doesnāt mean she wonāt get into other places. The vast majority of these schools have the audition process down pat, and they know exactly what theyāre doing. I guess you have to trust the process. Break legs to your D as she continues down this path.
Iām sorry about your experience, and your daughterās disappointment. My son auditioned at UArts in December. There was only one person in the room. He did not get called back for the afternoon round of auditions. At the time, it did feel lousy to get that instantaneous rejection. But in retrospect, maybe itās better to know right away, as that may make it easier to move on.
Our strategy has to been to find out as little as possible about each school so as to avoid raising hopes about a particular place. Weāve tried just to focus on the audition process, and to save learning about the specific schools til we know what the options really are. I know some will disagree with this approach, but itās been working for us. Though my son does say, a little anxiously, right before each audition, āRemind me why Iām applying to this school, so Iāll have something to say if they ask me.ā 
Lol @boatmom love your approach!
@mspamela , Iām sorry about you and your Dās experience. The vast majority of us have tasted the disappointment of a rejection that hurt in this process, and itās a hard pill to swallow no matter how the rejection happened. D didnāt audition for any programs that had callbacks that day except a walk-in, so she didnāt experience this feeling then. (Thank God! I can imagine my heart, stomach, and neck at during that audition, lol!) Iām sure itās really intense, especially at a favorite program, and especially if D thought the auditor was disinterested at a program that is known for being professional and demanding but warm and individualistic (which it really is).
My D is at UArts for MT. That same professor is the one who was at Dās Unified auditionāone of the last auditions on the last day of Chicago Unifieds. She is one reason D wanted to go to UArts; they āclickedā at the audition (and they continue to do so today, as this prof teaches a class that D is in). This professor is a well-respected, much-loved member of the faculty who well represents UArtsā philosophy and program and is intimately involved with acting and mt at UArts. Plus, their faculty works quite well together; they are cohesive.
D also experienced other auditions with only one representative at the audition and had prescreens viewed by one faculty member instead of another. As @monkey13 said, programs handle auditions and prescreens in many different ways. Itās just the reality.
Iām glad your D has moved on; that is so important in this process and in her field! And, I understand your ārant.ā Feel free to rant away; thatās one reason weāre here! We will listen, support, commiserate, try to reason, help you not fall too deeply into the crack of MT audition madnessā¦!
@mspamela, I realize this may not be a comforting thing to say, but I did this process 3 times over the years with 3 different children, and based on my admittedly non-scientific experience, I would say the process is at times not fair or equitable. The only thing I can say is that continues into the real world as well. But that didnāt comfort me as in this case we are paying a great deal of money for the process, and also this is supposed to be education, not the real world.
This isnāt a comment on UArts specifically. But in the 3 times I did this, sometimes it was more than bad luck; sometimes it was outright unfair or unprofessional (most times not). Some schools made a much, much bigger effort to truly gauge the studentās skills, while others seemed to have the attitude that one talented student was more or less like another, and if they missed one, theyād get another. It was a sort of jaded, bored body language, sort of like you say. Iām not speaking out of sour grapes, as my kids all were fortunate to get into top schools. But I definitely observed this. But the thing is at all schools, regardless, luck and chance play a part.
Luck plays a much bigger part when the school opts to have a single auditor at the gateway, and an even bigger part when the school has several gateways with different auditors. You can just have bad luck and get the auditor who just had a fight, is sick (this happened twice to us), has a raging headache, has a tech failure, doesnāt like your look, has already chosen someone who looks like you, reminds you of someone they dislike, or in your case, has auditioned dozens before you.
One negative example (weāve had several): My D had an auditor insult one of the people who wrote her letter of recommendation. He cut her monologue short, and sneered, āOh I bet X taught this to youā (the person hadnāt) then bashed the personās ability. I think he worked with the person professionally and had had a bad experience. Obviously this has nothing to do with my Dās ability to be at the college, is pure bad luck, was unprofessional of the auditor; maybe he had had a bad day, who knows. Although I canāt be certain, Iām sure it at the very least colored the auditorās impression of my D & she didnāt get the callback there.
One positive example: My older S, when he was auditioning at his dream school at the time, immediately clicked with the auditor. It was also the morning - he was the third one to audition (by chance) - and everyone was awake and happy. She commented on something he was wearing, and they hit it off; they discussed fashion, clothes, shops in the area, a band they both loved. Of course, we will never know how much that impacted the decision, but it didnāt hurt. Again, pure luck.He could have equally landed an auditor he didnāt click with. He may have still gotten in but who knows.
Regular luck and chance though - like my Sās example - is much easier to take than outright unprofessional behavior (like my Dās). This is another good reason to a) apply to more than one or two schools and b) to not take a rejection personally.
Finally, if you have a personal negative experience with the auditor, I like to think that that is can be a sign that the school is not a good match. What is good for one student is not good for another. Maybe the vibe or culture at the school is just not a good for your kid and the school wasnāt going to be a good place. Thatās what I want to believe anyway!
Does anyone know anything about, or know anyone who went to grad school for theatre? It would seem wise if maybe you were looking for some other job in the field for when you were 32+ and trying to have a husband/wife/family. And you wanted a job that didnāt have crazy hours like performing/Broadway. Then you could be a professor at a musical theatre school or a be a coach or voice teacher.
I do know that a lot of the BFA programs are set up with showcases senior year so they arenāt necessarily fit for a grad school intention afterwards. And Iām aware that many full time performers have family life. Although Iām not sure how, someone like Kelli Oāhara/Audra McDonald or Lin Manuel Miranda juggle Broadway and family.
@ParachuteBoy - in general, as I understand things, MFA programs are populated more by actors who have gained some/many years of experience after they complete their undergrad work. For MT in particular, pursuing a grad degree immediately following an undergrad program would preclude an actor from pursuing work in what are likely to be the peak years for employment, since MT is primarily a young-personās game. Not saying that there are not roles for older actors in MT, but the majority of jobs go to those under 30. Many, or almost all, of the professional actors that I am acquainted with actually have MFAās, but they all pursued them many years after completing their undergrad work in order to qualify for teaching positions or other slots related to academia.
From what I understand, trying to have a āconventionalā family life is extremely challenging for stage actors. If you google āSharon Wheatleyā you can find her blog, which documents quite clearly the trials and tribulations of pursuing a career on stage while raising a family in NYC (she was in Cats, Phantom, Avenue Q, and Les Mis). She also wrote an excellent book entitled, Til the Fat Girl Sings; From an Overweight Nobody to a Broadway Somebody.
Eric Gutman has an excellent one-man show that tells the story of how he left Jersey Boys to raise a family, From Broadway to Obscurity. By the way, Eric is a Western Michigan BFA grad.
@ParachuteBoy, very good friend of my family got an MFA in Musical Theater at BoCo. We are already looking down the line, too. D would like to get an MM in Musical Theater or Opera Performance or an MFA in Musical Theater. We are looking at OCU, Wichita State University, NYU, SIU, and SDSU all of which offer MM degrees in either MT or MT/Opera, except for SDSU, which offers and MFA in MT. D plans to devote at least 10 years to performing post-BFA MT. If fate intervenes and Lady Luck shines on us along the way, D will of course walk through that door, which could trump this plan. We are planning to finish the graduate degree while working on the Equity card. For the same reasons you mentioned, D wants to have a plan B for later in life and she wants to have a family, too. You have to have solid professional experience in order to validate your graduate degree anyway in academia. So, why not do both or at least consider the possibility? Logical thinking on your part, and it is not too early to be thinking ahead. Send me a pm if you would like.
@ParachuteBoy my D and I have been talking about what a great option this is as well. Since there are very few schools offering the MFA in MT though, I think weāll also look at the MM degrees like @TNMTDAD mentioned. To the college professors out there, how hard is it to land one of these college jobs though?
Interesting and makes sense, too, @EmsDad. Our D will be 22 when she graduates with BFA in MT. We were thinking of course audition, audition, audition, and if you get picked up in a big way, go with it. But, if not, she could complete a graduate degree in 2 years, continuing to work summer stock and potentially accrue EMC points, and she would still only be 24. We might need to rethink our plan some. But, to another point that @ParachuteBoy brought up, D is adding some courses as electives in order to be more ready for possible graduate study in the field.
@mspamela, what I am seeing is essential for one of these jobs in academia is meaningful professional experience to validate the graduate degree. But, I guess it depends on the job and the programs that they have. If you are looking for a job as a prof at schools that have a BFA in MT or Acting, then I am pretty sure that you have to bring some valuable work experience to the table as a performer in order to be considered. This is what our family friend, who got the MFA in MT at BoCo, is finding out now. Very hard to get employed at a college without the work resume to compliment the graduate degree.
B/c she is a hometown girl - I follow Elena Shaddow (who has been in I think 8 bway shows and been working since since got her BFA. She is in process of getting a Masters from Steinhart- and is taking voice students in addition to her actual performing work