<p>For those who are interested, Northwestern allows Freshmen to audition from Day 1. There are mainstage and student directed shows. My D auditioned and got many callbacks but didn’t get placed in a show last year. She involved herself by doing tech work in several shows, and was ASM in one MainStage (which was a lot of work!). But I think it’s really important to never forget that you are there primarily for the instruction from the professionals. Whatever the school policy about when you audition, the teaching you get in classes will be the best way for you to learn. You do act in classes too, doing scene work, workshopping, monologues, etc. </p>
<p>As far as building your resumes, I do have a question for the more experienced folks. How much does it really matter what roles you were in college as opposed to the training you list on your resume? Here are my thoughts, but I don’t know if I’m right: I’m not sure how much weight an agent will place on the fact that you were, say, Tracy in Hairspray in your Sophomore year in college. Colleges have a very limited range of students to choose from compared to the ‘real world,’ – the girl playing Tracy may have been the only girl available who fit the body type. Furthermore, some colleges cast for educational purposes so how you’re cast may reflect the growth you need rather than predict how you’d be cast in a professional show. I had thought agents care most about the showcase–how you perform there. How much do they care if your college resume has a long list of college shows versus a short list of college shows you were in?</p>