<p>Ok so I am a rising senior and definitely want to pursue a BFA in acting, though I have done forensics, I haven't done a lot of community theatre (only 2 plays) and my school's drama program got cut and stopped having plays after my freshman year (I was in that play and had the biggest part out of the freshman). I have been told by different people in theatre that I am a very talented actress, but my worry is that because my resume is so limited reputable schools won't really look at me. Please tell me what you think about my chances with a good school.</p>
<p>A thin resume is not necessarily a drawback. For the most part they are looking for teachable, developable talent and people with a serious attitude and solid work ethic.</p>
<p>I have been working in this business for 30 years and the best advice I can give you - discouraging as it might sound at the moment - is don’t go into this field unless you are obsessed, can’t envision yourself doing anything else. This is not to say there are not people who are a success who don’t meet those qualifications. There are always exceptions. But if you are serious about the art and craft of acting you need maximum persistence and a very thick skin. If you’re not sure, try going to a school that has a respected theater program where the productions are open to everyone (Northwestern, for instance). See how you feel about it after that experience. Then you can seek more rigorous training if you decide to go forward. Many BFA conservatories have students who already have undergraduate degrees and there are also a few fine MFA acting programs. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Also, one thing that would be looked on favorably on a resume would be to show that you had sought out professional training on your own, before college auditions.</p>
<p>When it comes to admission to auditioned programs the audition, interview, and (at some schools) your academic record are considered more than your resume. The resume is more a way for the school to get a sense of your background and commitment to theatre. If your school does not have a theatre program you may want to find a way to include this information in your essay or the interview. You are involved in forensics, is there a way that you can get involved in any other theatrical experiences outside of school? The format of a theatrical audition is different than the forensics format, is it possible for you to work with an audition coach? Read the threads on this forum and the musical theatre forum. You will find lots of information. One of the most important things to do is create a balanced list of schools that includes at least one non-auditioned safety school that you would be happy to attend. Make sure that your academic stats are in range for the schools you apply to. Some schools, like CMU for example, use different academic criteria for theatre admissions, but many expect theatre applicants to meet the same academic standards as the entire applicant pool. Also, remember that just because a school does not have an audition or is a BA does not automatically make it a safety. For example, Northwestern does not require an audition, but cannot be considered an academic safety for anyone… Muhlenburg may be an academic safety for one student, but not another because of academic stats. Some BA programs do require an audition, and no program with an audition can be considered a safety.</p>
<p>For admittance in a BFA acting program, the audition far outweighs the resume. Concentrate on finding and working on your monologues. The admittance rates are very low for BFA acting and musical theatre programs and you will need to be very sure that, after researching your schools, you have a safety school (preferably a non-audition program) in your list of schools you will be applying to. You will also find a lot of helpful information over on the Musical Theatre forum.</p>
<p>Oops. . . . cross posted with KatMT!!</p>
<p>Great minds… 
:)</p>
<p>I’d just like to echo what has been said. Very little attention is paid to your resume. In fact, nearly none. High school programs and community theatre are far too uneven to draw any conclusions from roles. Work on the audition. Break a leg.</p>
<p>Hi my daughter came from the forensics place as well,
and bumped into two forensicals she had seen at Nationals at BU Open House.
She ended up using one of her Forensic pieces she had competed with in her Junior year cut from 10 to 2 minutes as one of her audition monlogues.
Audition is where they decide, so it appears…</p>
<p>Oh , one other thing, my daughter’s auditioner at Tisch was unfamiliar with “Forensics” when he read about it on her resume, but asked her about what it was. She was accepted…</p>