<p>Just as, as they say, there is no crying in baseball - there is no fairness in show business. For the record I know a couple of kids who got into really good programs without having had any kind of coaching whatever. Also, from what I have observed, the vocal parent (unless they have an awful lot of money to donate) is more of a hindrance than a help.</p>
<p>Lot of good comments here. But the main thrust comes back to wineguy’s original point: given the uncertainty and subjectivity of the entire audition/application process, why not seek out as much outside help as possible? Practicing in front of parents may not be enough. Teachers and coaches and professionals will have more critical distance and be able to make suggestions for improvements beyond what most parents can do. This may add to the unfairness - some will have more money or access than others - but, hey, even for the relatively privileged, nothing is guaranteed. The uncoached can succeed, the coached can succeed. In the meantime, I’m thinking a gun is a good idea…</p>
<p>Not the point I was making, Northdad. Of course, additional coaching can help. That’s true in acting and in life. My main point was: parents without the means to pay for top notch coaching shouldn’t feel their kids are at a disadvantage, because they really aren’t, provided they are self-moivated enough to prepare like their life depends on it.</p>
<p>Our D was rejected by multiple BFA programs, but also accepted by several others. And, while she has had professional training over the years with noteworthy theatre professionals, she didn’t have a college audition coach.</p>
<p>@AUSTINMTMOM:
You’re definitely right about knowing the character! From our experience, if there’s ONE major thing we’d recommend when it comes to college audition prep it’s this:</p>
<p>READ the entire play, and learn everything you can about your character. After finishing her monologues, evaluators almost always asked our D to put her character in context. I think not knowing their character in context is one of the biggest reasons students are rejected.</p>