@theaterwork YES! She should have enjoyed this football season as a cheerleader but she hated it so much so said sh can’t even wear a cheer shirt to bed! The coaches are nasty and useless and nothing went right! Well at least she had the memory of last season, cheering at MetLife Stadium and watching our team win the championship. That’s just the tip of the iceberg…she’s constantly saying how this year sucks!
My D had a pretty darn nasty senior year. She spent a TON of time with a very small group of people (PA HS) and it was just not a good situation. There were a Variety of reasons, and really not a “fault” issue- but it was not a fun time. TBH- it influenced a lot of her school choices- especially after decisions were in, she decided she did NOT want to always spend 12 hours a day with the same 12 people anymore… which led to to favoring programs where she would find more diversity
My d is having the time of her life! She only has 3 core classes and the rest are theatre, Dance and choir classes. She is really enjoying her Senior year!
@theaterwork Both my S and D were just done by senior year. Both spent 1/2 days at a PA HS and neither had particularly strong connections to the HS and were simply tired of it by senior year. I don’t think that’s unique to artistic kids - many of their friends were ready to move on by senior year. College is 1000x better for both of them. As for your HS senior, this too shall pass! I’m kind of hoping my HS Jr. has a little better experience but we shall see.
D is so done! I thought she would be enjoying this year but instead she sees everything as a chore.
@artskids’ S and my D went to the same HS (Both “ordinary” classes and PA). Their senior year (2014) was a heck of a thing. I had a conversation with the head of their PA program at one point recently, and he went on and on about the extraordinary level of talent- and drama, in their class. He said he had never seen anything quite like it. I second the notion that college has been 1000% better
@marg928 as of this date last year my D had done a whopping total of 1 audition. She did 1 more mid-December, then all the rest of her auditions were in January and February, with her last one the first weekend of March. So you’re doing fine, trust me!
Add my D to the terrible senior year of high school - she was ready to move on! Fall was bad, but then after auditions (which she had a ball doing!) she was waiting to hear from schools while almost all of her friends were deciding how to decorate their dorm rooms! However, she is now a senior in college (I promise, you won’t believe how quickly it flies by!) and absolutely loves it. College has not been a bed of roses - they work HARD, but it’s doing what they love and want to do - it’s so much better than high school was.
@theaterwork - my S had a senior year similar to what others posted about their kids’ experiences at a PA HS. My S couldn’t wait for it to be over. He spent as much time as possible “hiding” in practice rooms playing piano and composing music. He opted out of senior musical and did a lot of out-of-school skill building. He was totally done with his fellow students - and faculty - who thought being “special” enough to be in a PA HS could replace hard work and exploring new ideas. He doesn’t even like going back for “alumni-strutting-around-their-previous-haunts” day. College isn’t always a perfect cure, but it’s way better than HS.
My D is also over the whole HS experience. A lot of stress & no time to do anything other than apply-prep-repeat. Hard to believe the school year will be half way over soon!!
Ditto on the senior year suckage.
D spent the night of her senior prom at TGI Fridays w/ the 30 year olds she was in a community theatre show with.
Bonus: we have some hysterical “senior prom” photos w/ most of that cast.
^Yes! D spent her senior prom night playing a Young Liza Minnelli in a U.S. Premiere.
Well that’s good at least my D is not the only one with senior year suckage which henceforth it shall be named!
So my D auditioned for The Producers Monday and yesterday. No call back for the main girl role. Part of her is insulted and the other part is relieved because she really didn’t want the role. The song is way too high for her and the character is not on stage a lot. She’s a very strong dancer and I’m sure they wanted her front and center for all the dance numbers. And one of her close football player friends tried out and got a call back LOL! This should end up being fun for her and hopefully not too stressful.
@marg928 my son did not start auditions until the weekend before Chicago Unifieds in 2015. He chose to do a fall/winter show that completely kept him out of fall auditions (4 week run) and he forgot to submit the application for the only January audition he was planning. No worries, no stress. Do NOT get caught up in the how, when, where you audition. He still got acceptances, including at the school where he was the last auditioner on their very last audition day. That school actually accepted him in the room and followed up with a letter the next day (a couple weeks before their actual notification date). Honestly, don’t worry.
Having my 3rd in a PA HS, I find that while the talent level varies from year to year, the drama doesn’t :(( . Both my older kids are in small programs (18 and 16) and either 1. college drama isn’t as pronounced or 2. I don’t hear about it because they don’t talk about it so onward and upward!
We notice a lot of drama around season auditions, but it’s not personal between the kids. It’s more about the teachers and what are they thinking about people’s ability and what kinds of politics are going on. They don’t take it out on each other, at least not at my kid’s school.
I think a lot of drama (or lack thereof) is in part a function of greater maturity - hopefully - of college vs high school. Though of course, if “Applause” teaches us anything… it’s that you always need to watch your back, you never know who is gunning for your spot 
So the list ended up being way more than I thought it would be…I don’t even want to add up what I’ve spent so far! Then a few minutes ago an email came from MTCA saying Shenandoah is coming for a private MTCA audition. The school is NOT on the list and wasn’t even on the long list from months ago…not that I’m looking to add schools! Thoughts? I’ve seen it mentioned here numerous times but I don’t know anything about it or the area.
@Marg928 I know it is a prescreen school so I wonder if you need to pass before you could audition. I don’t know much about the program except it focuses on contemporary, pop rock type training. Anyone else have insight?