@artskids and @MTmom2017 I can’t believe you are going for round 2 and 3!! This is my first and only round and I feel like my head is going to explode (of course in secret - never let the D see me sweat). My mindset oscillates between - “Oh my goodness, she’s so talented - everyone is going to love her”, to “holy crap the odds are totally not in your favor.”… to “don’t you want to be an accountant?”. And then I see her doing what she loves and I go back to the beginning. It is a rollercoaster ride for sure.
D’s apps are almost complete (I have put one hour application appointments into her phone calendar a few times per week - that’s been helpful) and monologues are mostly set (hiring a coach is brutal on my wallet but totally worth it). We are shooting for 10/1 completion date - prescreens and all.
Thank you for all the advice. I can spend hours (!!!) on this site distilling suggestions and stories and sheer kindness. I call this thread “the vortex” in my house. I say things like - “the vortex says you need to do this… and the vortex suggests that…” My husband laughs but I honestly would be so lost without reading all of your posts. Thank you vortex! :x
@ginaf1102 I LOVE the “vortex”! I’m going to borrow that one! You are ahead of the game – good for you! I’m running into heavy winds and resistance from my D right now! She thinks I’m a bit insane to want everything done right now but I am a little bit insane - but this is the part artistic kids really hate (the list making - application filling out - finish essays - scheduling stuff). And it is the only place where I can lend an assist - the artistic parts are all on her. I’m not surprised that she isn’t thrilled when I figure out new ways to organize the spreadsheet or link up audition requirements :))
For those of you with boys…I am riding a very fine line of being helpful vs flinging him into outer space. My daughter is first born, self-starter, organized…but my son is not so much. Ironically he is doing really well in school - I think it is a refuge compared to this process. Unsure whose kid doesn’t need a parent working and constantly reworking all of the spreadsheets. This site has helped me so much. Thank you Vortex!
@DoinResearch Same here. Text a few tasks at a time. The process is fairly linear so helping choose the A tasks that need to be done before the B tasks and C tasks is right in my wheelhouse. I keep reminding her she’ll thank me later (in, of course, my best impression of Sandra Bullock from “The Blind Side”).
I have been doing research and reading old posts from the 12 part archived threads. I came across several references to a cut system at SUNY Purchase. @artskids, does that still exist? Any idea of when they got rid of it?
Thank you for the dates @actorparent1! I have another question - has anyone used the Monologue Concierge on Mary Anna Dennard’s website? D (and me too!) is getting very anxious because the acting coach in town who is helping her is not finding good contemporary monologues. She’s an excellent acting coach, but is close to my age & worked in film most recently, so not familiar with newer contemporary plays. D decided to do this way late, even though I “gently suggested” starting last spring that if she even thought she might want to audition, she should look for monologues. And now we need to tape prescreens and don’t have good contemporary monologues…
@MTmom2017 We used the Monologue Concierge last year, as kid needed monologues fast and was pressed for time, and he (and I) were happy with the selections. My kid agonizes over script selection, so the relief was tremendous. Also, she happened to pick a play where kid had met the author, and felt a bit of a connection, so that checked the box of “sometimes miracles happen” column on my spreadsheet.
@Sammy8028 Purchase is not a cut program. They do, however, have very thorough juries (not unlike other programs, I am sure). It is not uncommon to be told to step up your game but if you are accepted into the program, they expect you to do the work and to graduate!
@MTmom2017 My son is using Mary Anna Dennard as his coach, and he loves the monologues she’s helped pick for him. I think this is where she is especially helpful.
Just wanted to share that my son put in his first application, uploaded the prescreen materials, passed the prescreen, and now has his first audition scheduled – it has begun!
Congratulations @Twoboysandadog! That’s huge. I keep saying to my D, if you complete the apps you won’t have this constant stressor. That’s not working.
Kid had to turn in forms so that Naviance would populate with the list of schools. Then we can request the recommendation letters. Its like watching paint dry.
We found the Naviance procedures to be frustrating as well. My D missed the first two weeks of school while she was in Canada at a theatre intensive. We start back early in West TN. So she did her common app essay this summer. We had everything pretty much ready by the first week of August and I even went to her school and met with the guidance office. App was submitted August 7. Finally after weeks of her prodding, the transcripts and Rec letters were sent in mid September. We made every effort to have everything ready to download as soon as possible and still had delays. It seems to be a common theme that these guidance offices do not understand the urgency to get things done so auditions can be scheduled. About half
Of her auditions are scheduled now and we hope to get prescreens done this week. I know it will all work out but I have found the delays frustrating. The lack of standardization is a pain as well. It seems everyone wants a different monologue length or some extra supplement. My spreadsheet is getting out of control!
I don’t remember when letters of rec and transcripts were sent to my D’s colleges - but in 2014 we had no trouble getting audition spots once we had OUR part of the application (common app and supplemental essays) done and application fee at each school paid. Things may have changed, but if you are waiting on those types of things to schedule, you might want to contact school and see if it is necessary.
@toowonderful thanks for the reply. D did contact the schools and it was a mixed bag. For some we were able to schedule without application being completed- probably most. Part of our frustration is that she has been artistically accepted based on audition at SETC last spring to two schools with rolling admissions. Once she has academic acceptance, then she has two auditioned schools that can function as safeties. So she’s wanting to get those academic acceptance letters and it’s frustrating to wait. Right now we just have to schedule Boston U (not open until 10/1) and Montclair (hot mess of a place), plus the prescreen schools if she passes. Having everything done may not matter as much, but I am just a bit frustrated because she has done her part and I am impatient having to wait on others! Thanks for the reassurance.
@TNTheatreDad - hang in there!!! And while it may be a pain getting the safety pieces pulled together - I will feel GREAT to have them in place once you do! <:-P
Has anyone done any early auditions yet? My daughter had two this weekend- one was at a non-audition school so it was for artistic merit scholarship. She was nervous about going this early- but BOTH ended up being extremely positive experiences and confidence builders. Both theater directors spent a lot of time with her as there were only a couple auditions and she learned a lot and loved working with them. Their feedback was so valuable and appreciated. I also want to mention that at Muhelnberg she was able to sit in on (even participated) in a theater class and LOVED it. I highly recommend jumping in on some early experiences if you are able to- it was a fantastic way to start off this season of auditions.
