<p>I would like to expand on what some of the people have said about the weather this weekend. We live in the county next to Ann Arbor. In the past week, we've got 6 - 8" of snow. These past two days, it's been 50 deg with rain. Which means all the snow has melted and is now flooding many areas. Tonight, it's supposed to drop to 17 deg, which means all this flooding will freeze. I've already heard rumors of more school closings tomorrow because the roads are expected to be totally ice covered.</p>
<p>Please drive carefully! Please allow extra time. Please bring boots or extra shoes, especially if you audition in heels (for anyone coming in from the south, wear your boots or extra shoes and carry your audition shoes). Dress warmly, and have fun!</p>
<p>This one is easy to miss. I only saw the request for it (it was in the packet of audition materials we were sent) on the morning of day before my D's audition, about 2 hours before we left for the airport!! I almost had a heart attack!! My D went upsatirs and in 15 minutes came back with what I honestly thought was one of, if not THE best essay she wrote for all of her college applications....</p>
<p>As I recall, last year they simply asked you to write not more than a page about the performing arts experience that had affected you the most up to that point in time. It could have been as an audience member or as a performer, I think. You were requested to bring a copy of it to your audition.</p>
<p>Can't recall when your child's audition is - hope I'm not too late with this info.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. I went to the web site and found it. Her audition is tomorrow and she's up there already with her Dad, so she's just going to have to write something and find a way to get it printed out. I assume there are places where she can get something printed. But thanks so much for the help. (Although right now I imagine she's a bit freaked out!)</p>
<p>This may seem obvious, but when panic sets in, sometimes the brain shuts down..... Who could blame your D. Nobody needs last minute surprises. If anyone wants a chuckle, go back and read what happened to my D and me trying to get to UM last year (snow storm, cancelled flight, running barefoot thru the airport to make a much later flight, lost luggage, my buying $85 worth of toiletries, make-up and "necessities" at midnight at an 24 hour super store somewhere in Ann Arbor, luggage arriving at 6am, hairdryers blowing all the fuses in our room......Oh my God.......To this day, I don't know how this all worked out....)</p>
<p>Oops, back to printing the essay. If she has found a way to use a computer, I'm sure either the hotel where they are staying or the folks at the Music School will find a way to print it from a floppy or she could attach it to an email and send it to the Music School Office. (If you want an email address for Laura Strozeski, email me and I'll give it to you - don't want to post it here.) They should check with the audition coordinator when they get there in the morning. I'm positive that you are not the first one, or even the only one who has had this happen. The UM folks are VERY understanding. They might even tell her to send it in when she gets home. Please tell her not to worry. This is so NOT a big deal. Really. </p>
<p>Theatremom, thanks for your suggestions--and calm. The essay is written, and I assume printed--and it's amazing how lack of time can help someone write better than usual. One of the neatest things about this process is what I learn about my D. She is not one to talk (to me anyway) about her feelings, thoughts, etc. So in reading some of her essays, I have learned a lot about her</p>
<p>As to the discussion about what we will do when our birds have flown--I, for one, am looking forward to it. Perhaps it is self-delusion, but isn't this what we've spent all these years working for--to have healthy, capable not quite adults who can't wait to go out and conquer the world. I'll miss her, but it's only another transition to another stage in our lives.</p>
<p>Again, I think the people who post on this site are amazing--the combined knowledge--and support that is give is so refreshing. I hope those of you who are students and auditioning will remember this is a model of how to support one another even as you compete for the same parts. So bravo to all of us!</p>
<p>Expect crazy things like this to happen at these auditions. If you read an old post of mine, you will get the detailed account of how my daughther mistakenly left her ENTIRE audition music portfolio at a rehearal--3 hours away from her Emerson audition!! It all worked out in the end. The operative word here must be CALM. Proceed with a clear head and a smile on your face. But also remember that Murphy's law can strike at any moment during this very stressful time--so be prepared to think on your dancin' feet.</p>
<p>Always make sure you take an additional audition outfit to the audition site. When we were packing to go to OCU, I threw in an extra outfit at the last moment and was really glad I did. ( My d thought it was not necessaryto "overpack"). At some point during the morning while waiting to audition, my d's brand new sweater got a gaping hole along the seam on her shoulder. Fortunately, we had the extra outfit. You're right....Murphy's Law....if something can go wrong it will. Just be prepared for it! Break-a-legs to all those auditioning this weekend!!!</p>
<p>I don't mean to take away from the current discussion, but I am auditioning for Interlochen and want to lay down my accompaniment tracks very soon (as in, this weekend or early next week), so I need help with something I posted on the "summer programs" thread, but didn't get any response to: I am considering using "Today is the First Day of the Rest of My Life" from Starting Here Starting Now as my uptempo but I heard from a few people that it's overdone. Any thoughts..?</p>
<p>aspiringactress1,
Check the summer program thread again. Doctorjohn has provided thoughtful and wise commentary, as usual. Good luck with the Interlochen audition. It's an amazing program!</p>
<p>haha Yes I did just check the summer program thread, I guess I should have been a bit more patient lol :) Thanks for the "good luck" - I'll need it!</p>
<p>Here's a tip on a topic that came up months ago -- attaching resumes to head shots. My D managed to create a one-page resume (which I know won't be possible for everyone, but it was actually something they worked on in their MT class at school). Then, while her mom here was fretting over the best way to attach it to her head shot, she went calmly to her computer, resized the resume a bit, and just printed it on the back of her head shot. It was quick, simple and looks great. She tried printing several at a time, but that didn't work out well. Still, even doing one at a time, it's a lot faster and creates a more consistent product than gluing. </p>
<p>One more break-a-leg to everyone auditioning this weekend, wherever you may be!</p>
<p>Yeah, nobody ever wants to look at a resume longer then one page. If you went into an audition with more then one page you probably would get asked to take off all but one, or leave. It does not make you look good. </p>
<p>Usually in NY and LA, or anywhere else you audition, what you do is staple the resume to the back of the 8x10 and trim the edges with a sizzor. If you can print it, then thats awesome. Just warning people DO NOT COME IN WITH MORE THEN ONE PAGE. Good luck.</p>
<p>That is for real auditions...but usually all they want to see is what would be given to them at a real audition. Remember they have pleanty other articles to look at such as letters of rec, essays, and transcripts. </p>
<p>I personally, do not think most adjuticators ever look at a four page resume. You can show that you are a real professional if you are able to fit everything that matters into one nicely typed page.</p>
<p>If it is clean the adjudicators will be able to see what someone is capable of and usually cast as very quickly, instead of fumbling through useless information which tend to make it into extended resumes...Trust me, I have made the same mistake before!</p>
<p>chrism, when my D was in the audition process two years ago, she inquired of every school where she planned to audition whether or not the resume they requested should be kept to one page, as is normal for regular audition resumes. Every single one of them replied that they'd like to see a complete resume and if that meant more than one page, it was no problem. It was more important to them to have a complete picture of the applicant's experience than it was to have it glued to the back of a headshot.</p>
<p>I asked the same question this year because there is info that you would include on a college resume that you would not on a professional one. My son has a one pager, but it does not seem to have some info that is relevant to the college process. The answer was the same as the one Alwaysamom got. And headshots are not important either. Many of the accepted kids (from prior years) just used a good photo. Some programs want their own headshots for the kids once they are there.</p>
<p>I'm curious. Did your D print her headshot on photo paper? For the past 3 years or so, whenever my D has needed a headshot we have printed a photo that we had previously scanned into the computer. We've been lucky so far that we have had permission from the photographers who've done her photos. So far, we have printed the photos on photo paper. We tried a couple of times to print her resume directly onto the back of the headshot, but it did not work. The ink just seems to slide off of the paper. It was a real mess. What kind of paper did your D use?</p>
<p>While we're on the subject of headshots, I was looking at the Strawhat Auditions website last month and noted that they state that photo laser copies are not acceptable. I asked my husband if the photographs that we print from our computer would be considered photo laser copies. He thinks that they are not. I know that for college auditions it does not matter. I'm asking for curiosity sake and for future reference. Do any of you know the answer?</p>
<p>I also read on the Strawhat site that for professional auditions (again, I'm not speaking of college auditions) the standard headshot size is 8 X 10 and the resume is trimmed to fit. When we did our D's college headshots we printed them on 8 1/2 X 11 photo paper and spray-glued the resume on the back. Since the photo paper was the same size as standard paper, no trimming was necessary.</p>
<p>Strawhat says that since they will be distributing resumes/headshots to many professional companies, it is in the actor's best interest for the materials they submit to look professional (duh!) I must admit that until I read that, it had not occurred to me that my D's headshots on 8 1/2 X 11 inch paper would be considered non-standard. As the saying goes, "you learn something new everyday!"</p>