@ginag01893 I’m pretty sure Coastal Carolina has prescreens open until February. and @anotherBwaymom my son and I will be at CM on the 27th as well.
I thought if a college has a prescreen they would not accept a late/walkin but after reading these boards, it seems that sometimes you can still get a late audition at Unifieds. Good luck!
@ginag01893 Emerson application deadline in Jan 15 and Towson University is Jan 17.
@MTMOM17 and those who wants to see how similar the journeys of the Classes of 2018 and 2022 are (and what does that tell you) - the threads at “Class of 2018 (yikes!) - Sharing, Venting, etc.” and “Final Decisions, BACKGROUND, Class of 2018” tell it all. For anyone who doesn’t have hours and hours to read all that stuff (although I must say, it’s a great read), I re-post my BACKGROUNDS post from 2014 below. Any lurkers out there, pay close attention to #7:
"D applied to: NYU Tisch (early decision), CMU, The New School (acting), Pace (acting – D didn’t realize there was an MT program, too), Wagner, Molloy/CAP 21, SUNY Purchase, UCLA, UC Irvine, AMDA New York. All except for Irvine were audition programs.
Prescreen : Pace – passed
Auditioned on Campus: NYU, The New School, Pace, Purchase, Wagner, Molloy/CAP 21, AMDA
Auditioned at NY Unifieds: CMU
D did not attend UCLA audition because she was in the emergency room that day (she’s fine now, but it was scary). They were nice about it and allowed her to send in a tape…but D changed her mind about going to school in CA and chose not to submit it.
"Re-directed”: Wagner, Pace – both with huge scholarship lures.
Waitlisted: SUNY Purchase
Accepted: AMDA, Molloy/CAP 21
Rejected: everywhere else.
Final Decision: MOLLOY/CAP21
Training:
- Voice: 3 years at Hoff Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, NY.
- Dance: 8 years (jazz, ballet, tap – member of junior company) but quit after 8th grade.
- Acting: 2 years summer day camp (after freshman and sophomore years) at Play Group Theater in White Plains, NY. Great program – they had the kids writing and performing their own plays!
- How the MT bug bit:
a. Solo in 5th grade holiday concert brought the house down; D’s dad and I suddenly realized the girl could sing – honestly had no clue before that – she never sang in the house.
b. Attended a public MS and HS with separate Player’s Clubs. Joined MS Player’s Club in 6th grade. The summer after 6th grade, she was set to attend Challenge Camp (for gifted and talented kids) and landed a role in the musical they were doing. Had to drop out because her older sister was hospitalized for 10 weeks – D totally traumatized. D says now that her sister’s illness helped her decide that the stage was the place to be – she could pretend to be somebody else for a while (!!!).
c. In 7th grade, completely stole the show as “Pushy Woman” in an adaptation of a comedy called “Help.” MS director suggested she audition for the HS Player’s Club, a phenomenal, award-winning group. The director and choreographer (a husband and wife team) are truly gifted! D auditioned in the spring semester of 7th grade. HS director loves to tell the now-famous story in our school of how D insisted that she be permitted to audition despite her age, saying, “but I’m really good!” She was, and she is, and she got in!
d. Was initially intimidated by the HS Player’s Club and quit rehearsal one day. Her older sister (yes, she recovered, but with lasting repercussions) luckily was home that afternoon and insisted D turn right around and march back to school and go after what she wanted. D did, and the rest is history. Was in the chorus in 7th and 8th grade; watched, learned and bided her time (albeit impatiently!).
e. Leading roles in grades 9-12; landed the role of Belle in “Beauty and the Beast” in 10th grade, which caused some problems with a few of the senior girls. Actually dyed her blond hair brown for the role because she hated the wig – to the amazement of the director and most of the HS. A photo of her in the gorgeous, custom-made “Belle” yellow gown is hanging in the HS auditorium. She was allowed to keep the gown!
f. D also had leading roles in the comedies the HS Player’s Club puts on in the fall (“Pushy Woman” was no fluke – D has natural comedic timing).
g. Our HS offers a Theater course for academic credit; D took that, too.
- Other audition experience: is registered with a children’s talent agency for modeling jobs.
- So what happened?: Talent is not enough…D thought because she is the diva in HS, she would have no trouble. I tried to tell her that the process is very competitive, etc., but she interpreted that to mean that I had no faith in her and she stopped listening to me. D’s biggest problem was allowing herself to be intimidated at auditions; it was the wrong time to discover that there are other talented kids out there, too. She thought everyone else was better than she was. What they really were was better prepared! Her dream school was first NYU (although she came out of the audition saying the current students were mean to her and she didn’t want to go there), and after she was rejected there, Wagner. Both auditions were train wrecks, but Wagner’s was an annihilation worthy of its own entry on this thread. Her confidence was in shreds after that. She wanted to give up and go to Wagner anyway for a non-performance major, or to AMDA, which did accept her. After I posted about the Wagner audition nightmare on CC, BethsMom told me about Molloy/CAP 21. I pretty much forced D to audition only one week after Wagner; she fought tooth and nail. I thought she would intentionally blow the audition for spite, but her dad and I secretly hovered outside the door when she sang…and she nailed it! I give a lot of credit to the two CAP 21 audition evaluators…they let her warm up and were very encouraging. D came out of the audition all smiles. One month later, she was in artistically as well as academically. We were not sure about the Molloy part, but our campus visit yesterday sealed the deal…they are pouring money into the place yet the tuition is thousands less than the competition; the brand-new 550-seat theater is state-of-the-art; and the professors really care – the student/teacher ratio is 10 to 1! D also got a huge merit scholarship because her grades are amazing.
- Things I learned/would do differently:
a. Should have followed CC more closely YEARS ago! I completely underestimated how difficult this process really is.
b. I did not do nearly enough research…for example; I totally overlooked Rider and MSU. Another way following CC earlier would have helped!
c. Should have started voice lessons before the 10th grade…yes, the 10th grade. That being said, D’s strongest asset is her powerful, mature voice.
d. Should have begged, borrowed or stolen the money for an audition coach. A coach would have prevented the audition disasters.
e. Should have begged, borrowed or stolen the money to send her to a college-based theater camp after junior year. Instead, she worked at a day camp to make some money. Penny-wise and pound-foolish in retrospect.
f. Should have encouraged D to do local theater in addition to HS – practice makes perfect, and you make connections. g. D made a huge mistake quitting dance before HS…it really showed. She was unprepared for the dance auditions. h. D refused to consider some great programs based solely on location – a huge mistake, but D is a stubborn person! She actually said to me, “CMU is in Pittsburgh? I’m not going to Pittsburgh.” (You got your wish, D!) i. D’s dad initially discouraged D from applying to certain schools (Ithaca was one) because they aren’t big-name schools in the non-theater world. In retrospect: who the heck cares; we are in the theater world! j. Given D’s difficulty with auditions, should have applied to some non-audition programs. k. Kicking them in the seat of the pants is an available option! I had to do it with Molloy/CAP 21, and it worked. - Grateful for: CC, especially BethsMom, who told me about Molloy/CAP 21!"
And that is my story - a cautionary tale. I still can’t believe the nightmare was 4 years ago, and now D is about to enter her last semester of college. This means the next scary road called “getting booked” is just around the corner.
We are (OK really I am) also freaking out a little bit about if my S has applied to enough schools. So much of what you say in #7 @EastchesterMom rings true for me.
He seems to think that I’m crazy and don’t have faith in him because I’ve made him apply to 11 schools, and am not sure it’s enough. I am currently hoping that he can get some walk-ins at unifieds as I would feel a lot more comfortable if he had more schools on his list. His voice teacher was like - pfttt - you’re fine. You shouldn’t even be looking at those schools that aren’t top names - you won’t have any trouble getting in. Thankfully, I have been reading CC for about a year and a half and have the perspectives of everyone here to properly terrify me. 
Oh - I should note. He has only done one audition so far. The rest are in February and early March so it’s a great gaping unknown.
This process is totally nerve wracking. I feel like we knew what we were up against (the extreme competitiveness of the programs - particularly for girls), have an appropriate team in place - solid voice and acting teachers and some ad hoc work with an audition coach, been through the process with 2 older siblings, been on these boards for 4 years - and I still wake up in the middle of the night feeling panicked (and thinking D should add more schools to her list LOL). Time to breathe. I need to let go - very tough for a control freak…
@speezagmom EVERY TIME someone says to my kid “pffttt - you’re fine” I want to say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - you don’t understand how crazy competitive this process really is! I don’t even like to say D has 17 schools on her list (not all BFA but still - it’s a big number!).
SUNY Fredonia is still accepting prescreens through February 15 for anyone who needs another options. BFA in MT and Acting (audition for the former is considered one for the latter), BFA Dance, BFA Theater Tech and Production (what my child is in). There are several audition dates left.
My daughter has been doing theatre and voice since the second grade. Private voice lessons, summer intensives, school theatre, outside of school theatre, leads in all the school musicals, honors choir, all state choir…you name it, she has done it. When all is said and done, this isn’t going to be what gets her into a college MT program, from what I have gathered. They only need one or two of her “type” in a program. The talent and experience may push her toward the top of the pile, but the rest seems to be a crap shoot based on who else is in the pool of candidates “type-wise.” I knew this process was competitive, but after attending a couple of these auditions now, I can say I had no idea how competitive it really is. Going up against kids who have been in movies and on Broadway or have been dancing since they could walk is a humbling experience.
I have known several talented kids/families who went into the process with a “X has always been the superstar, this is just the next step” attitude… every one of them had a rude awakening. The good news is - they end up doing fine, but not necessarily as they thought.
@collegemom2000, my daughter was one of the kids with Broadway and movie experience, and trust me, it wasn’t any easier for her. She, and all her friends from her time working and auditioning in NYC who were going through the college audition process with her, had their share of ups and downs just like everyone else. When it comes down to it, the auditors care more about what you do in the room than what’s on your resume.
@CTDramaMom thanks, that is good to know.
It’s true we had a successful story. But with that said, I think it’s important not to worry too much. My daughter had 11 schools - not out of hubris - but because they were the schools that she would have considered going to. It’s good to know yourself and what you want. If things hadn’t worked out, she could have taken a gap year and we would have made sure her time was well spent and that she trained in order to re-apply. I know she would have been sad and frustrated but I also know that we didn’t have the money to send her somewhere that she didn’t want to be. I think it’s important to not get freaked out by everything. There are lots of good success stories on here. There are ups and downs but I think a well crafted list and really listening to your child are more important than feeling like you need to apply to a million schools.
@collegemom2020, I think it might also help to know that, as difficult as the process is and as anxious as I’m sure you feel right now, kids tend to wind up where they are meant to be. Mine’s not where she thought she’d land, but she’s thriving there.
Having done this whole process last year, I will reiterate the point… it is really and truly a crap shoot for the most part. No if ands or buts. It will humble you & your child, because DEEP DOWN we all quietly & smugly think our kid is the bomb. We’ve been told this by numerous people, OVER & OVER. By reputable people too, not just Aunt Sarah but actual people in the know right? Teachers, instructors, former Broadway people… people who know…people who are “in the business”. Most of that , although well intentioned & appreciated, should not be taken into consideration.
I thought I was prepared… I was not really. I read CC since 2014 when D was a freshman in h school. I researched, made lists, we discussed it ad nauseam. There is no more convoluted, wacked out, makes no sense process then MT college admissions. Just when you THINK something makes sense, the kid down the street with 0 voice lessons & little dance training gets accepted to (insert top 10 MT school).
I will say if your child is NOT humbled & having “oh crap “ moments during this… wait till they actually get to their college program…that will be the humbling experience. College MT is NOT high school. Your kid will question everything they’ve ever thought about themselves. “did all those people that told me I was great, that I supposedly have what it takes mean it or was that just crap?” “ why aren’t I getting callbacks for shows” ? “ everyone here is talented, is there a space for me”? “Should I be doing this at all?” “When will I perform again?..
As for “ your child will land where they’re meant to” … I don’t like that phrase. They will go where they’re accepted & where they can afford etc. they may not be thrilled with where they end up going, but they most likely will make it work. Hopefully they will end up with a few choices. They may end up with a slew. Or they may end up with one.
Best of luck to all auditioning this season. I do believe all these kids have a spot somewhere in the business. Just gotta find it.
I just want to clarify my point above. I am someone who didn’t begin reading CC until last fall. I kept going back because of the sense of community. There are so many kind helpful people on the MT boards. We are not from a major metropolitan area and we are not from a community with lots of MT hopefuls (although there have been a few and they have all gone to good programs). So it was lovely to find a community of people all going through the same experience and that is why I occasionally come back to look and see what’s going on.
With that said, although I enjoyed the camaraderie, occasionally I had to take a break because I personally felt that I was beginning to overthink our decisions or that we weren’t doing enough. I needed to take a step back and not get freaked out by people saying you need more schools or you don’t know what you are doing. Have faith in yourself and in your child. What is the right fit and path for them? Is it o.k. to wait a year if they really know what they want to do. Maybe that year will expose them to new programs or strengthen their candidacy. Being confident isn’t the same as being arrogant. My daughter is very confident and really enjoys talking with adults, I know that helped her in the audition room. It’s true that no one can predict the outcome but I just want to be the voice that I wish I had heard last year. The one that says you are doing fine, no need to escalate or feel you haven’t done enough. Enjoy Unifieds - we loved it! Every audition was special…we saw shows together, ate yummy things, laughed and watched t.v. in the hotel room. Before you know it, they are off at school and you are missing them!<3
@theaterwork Well said. I do think kids end up where they should IF they go full bore into whatever program it is to which they’ve been accepted and with which they feel comfortable to get the most out of the training and opportunities available. Easier said than done for sure, but really, what’s the alternative? Pine for what you imagine could have been and miss out on what’s right in front of you?
Those kids that don’t get their dream school must (once again) be resilient. A character trait that will be tested over and over again. But another character trait that we can admonish them to exhibit is courage. We can admonish them to boldly go forth and make the program fit them; rather than they fit the program.
When I say they land where they’re meant to, I mean that in many cases, they wind up falling in love with the school they are at, even though it’s not necessarily where they envisioned themselves. Happens quite often, and not just with MT kids.
@Mr. Eggroll - Agreed 100% re needing to devote oneself full bore to wherever one ends up… but if a student is truly not loving where he or she ends up, transferring is possible.
I’m a 2018 survivor mom I want to add that you never know what will catch the auditor’s eye. When I joined my son for a meeting with the program director of a school son had been accepted to, he asked my son why he liked the program. After my son finished his answer, I asked why the program liked my son, “We liked his goofiness.”…as well as some other qualities, lol. So my takeaway is, my son let his true (and goofy) side show, and it was appreciated. He will graduate from the program this spring. BAL all, you and your children will make it!!!