Class of 2022 (the journey); sharing, venting, discussing

@speezagmom BW audition was not too bad . We parked at a lot near the gym I believe & they had a van take us to audition building. I seem to recall waiting in auditorium while D did songs and monologue then dance call was last. There were other disciplines there auditioning also like voice etc but the bulk of people were there for MT . There was a parental break for lunch which was very good lol . We also had an opportunity to speak with faculty member and ask questions while she was at dance call . We also got to hear from students( like Q&A ) & also sit in on a student feedback where current students sang in front of I believe a casting Director? There were some AMAZING singers in that just sayin!
It was a long day but not awful. Very well run and organized when we went. Some boring spots but that’s just par for the course for parents!

There is a masterclass this weekend at BW; I assume auditionees will be permitted to sit in! @speezagmom - are you seeing Anything Goes? It is a real treat!

@artskids Yes - We are seeing Anything Goes on Saturday evening. Can’t wait!

Thanks, @theaterwork Appreciate the info.

Opinion Question… what is the rule of thumb with thank you follow ups after an audition? Even a quick email to the director to say thank you? outdated idea/ Over the top or is it good practice and good etiquette?

My D is sending handwritten thank you notes to the director. S sent emails. I don’t think polite “thank yous” ever go out of style.

My S is also sending handwritten thank you notes.

I don’t think thank you notes (written or emailed) make a difference for the most part at all, but for one program that was interested in my S, the thank you note began an excellent dialogue via email. Another friend wrote a thank you email and then the director responded with an informal but real acceptance to their MT program with an assurance that the formal offer would arrive later. Both my son and his friend used the email exchanges to find out about the program, get in touch with current students and inquire about scholarships. But again, I don’t think it matters unless they are already interested in your kid. My son wrote his thank you notes by hand and enclosed a business card with his email and telephone number. It was a great experience for him to actually write the notes. They are not easy to write and looking up addresses etc. and addressing the envelope were all invaluable learning experiences. The thank you notes to teachers who write recommendations though? Those are mandatory in my opinion. The teachers get swamped with requests and it is a pain in the neck for them. My S didn’t write the thank you notes to recommenders until he knew where he was going and then wrote the notes and got them sweatshirts from the school as a present. We ordered business cards and personalized thank you notes on vista print.

@anotherBwaymom I will echo what others have said. Being asked for an additional song or monologue can mean something or it can mean nothing. My S’s experience is exactly like @sopranomtmom My S felt he did really well at some, felt he bombed at others and acceptances and rejections were (generally) impossible to predict based upon the audition room experience. One school in particular, my S was starting to come down with what eventually became a horrible case of sinusitis and bronchitis; he acknowledged he was easily the worst male dancer in the room; he was told by the director something like, “Every time I hear your monologue, I want to punch your character…” (and S thought, “Ugh an overdone monologue with an unsympathetic character.”); and the director encouraged him to think about their directing program rather than MT during the interview. That program accepted him with a great scholarship. One program the director beamed at him, told him they she he could act well simply by the way he sang, and then asked him for a third song, and beamed at him the entire time. The director used his first name, and was so complimentary in the room. Rejected. So encourage her do her best. Learn from her mistakes. Shake off any bad experiences. And keep plugging along. I totally over-analyzed what my S said happened in the audition room. I too was told by many on this page that audition room responses were not predictive of acceptances and rejections. I didn’t necessarily believe that, and sometimes I was correct and sometimes I was totally shocked (both good and bad).

As a parent that took a son and a girl from our neighborhood to 8 college campuses and all three unified locations I’d be more than willing to share my experiences and perspective on the process. Combined the two kids auditioned for 34 schools. Lot’s of highs and lows. I would rather not say where both ended up but my son ended up at a top five acting school and the girl who started from nowhere a year before the process began somehow came on late and made two top five waiting lists and enrolled in a tier two school. Both kids are very happy almost at the midpoint of their freshman year. Just be aware being ethnic helps and make sure all social media accounts are G Rated.

@mach4, honestly, I disagree that being ethnic helps. It depends on what the school is seeking and perhaps what the current ethnic mix is, but it’s still super competitive for everyone.

I don’t think thank you notes are necessary. Not that there is anything WRONG with them, but not necessary. While I think the sentiment of thanking someone who has done you a favor is excellent, (and as a teacher who wrote 12 letters of recommendations this year, it’s really nice to get some appreciation) the faculty is there for a different purpose. They stand to gain as well. Of course, for many, the real purpose of writing the note is to remind them that you exist, and I get that - and I bet the colleges get it too

@GSOMTMom you are right, it is super competitive for everyone. However, @Mach4 does have a point in terms of the numbers game. Most programs are looking for a diverse class, and rightly so. However, the number of ethnic candidates auditioning has not necessarily caught up with that trend. There is a smaller pool from which to draw so your odds are better if you are a talented auditioner of color, just like boys have better odds than girls. It’s just the way it is. The competition if you are a white female in this process is extremely fierce just because that is the group that by far is the largest in number and no school is looking to fill their entire program with that demographic. So yes, being that it is often a numbers game certain demographics have better odds. Hopefully that will all even out in time as more young people of all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to participate in theatre as they grow up. I think shows like Hamilton and The Great Comet are helping and that is a really positive thing!

@Mach4 what are you making sure people are aware of? Quick glance of many class photos will shows 1-4 minorities per class out of 12-20, so that still leaves 80-90% of a class non ethnic. If @sopranomtmom wants to adjust for less ethnics auditioning, then lets adjust for less ethnic spots available for the ones auditioning and lets not even discuss the roles available once you are in a school. OR we could just not even segregate out for the ethnics since its hard out here for everyone.

Thank you, @IfYouOnlyKnew. A show like Hamilton is a fluke. As a matter of fact that whole season was one big fluke as evidenced by this season. Over 70% of roles per AEA reasearch still go to NON-ethnics. @sopranomtmom, my experience is as an ethnic who, therefore, has an ethnic daughter. That’s not the way it is.

I’ll repeat, it’s super competitive for everyone.

I think my comments may have been misunderstood so apologies if I offended anyone. I was simply making an observation about the overall pool of auditioners based on my observations at a Unifieds in both Chicago and LA last year in that it skews heavily Caucasian female. It would be nice to see more diversity. This path is tough no matter who you are and it’s competitive for EVERYONE. I completely agree and perhaps my assumption that Theatre is hopefully becoming more diverse is mistaken but there does appear to be positive progress. I certainly hope so anyway.

Regarding thank you notes: Maryanna Dennard preaches the importance of sending handwritten notes after auditions. Several of my son’s acceptance phone calls and letters last year referenced things he had written in his thank you notes. At a minimum, it’s a reminder to the program of who you are and reminds the program directors that you are interested in the program.

My son is ethnic and the girl that came with us isn’t. It helps being ethnic. It helps to write thank you notes. If the school thinks your in the mix it certainly can’t hurt. The top couple schools specifically Michigan, Carnegie and Julliard have freshman classes that are over 50% ethnic. My kid is ethnic and ended up at one of those schools. I have to say it helped his chances a lot. If your a white female you should go for it but your chances are below 1% to get into these three schools.

Welp, whether ethnicity helps or doesn’t help-I don’t think there’s anything any of our kids can do about THAT one. My D can take FIVE gap years-and she’s still gonna be a Caucasian blonde. I think the point that others are making is that the advice is moot.

@Mach4 thanks for the refreshing post. It’s difficult to discuss your topic but it’s realistic and many of our experiences are quite different from each others. It’s nice to see that your child’s race did not hinder his chances of getting into a top school. It’s uncomfortable for others but I’m certain that you may have had many naysays because of it as well. I’m sure the pool of less than 1% of white female is a curse and a blessing. she will have many Many more opportunities on stage and in front of the TV screen if this is part of her future goals. Good luck to everyone