<p>Great suggestions, alwaysamom! You can actually get the NYTimes online for free. :) Also, playbill.com is an excellent theatre news source to check daily - and broadway.com has fun rehearsal video of new shows, interviews with actors, opening night photo galleries, etc.</p>
<p>CoachC and Sooziet:. I do not live in the hinterlands, but I have had some problems finding an acting coach for my Son. He takes evening acting classes and his very small HS brings in a director for plays and MT, but she does not have the time. We live 60 miles west of Philly and 40 miles west of Harrisburg. By any chance does anyone know of anybody who can help us prepare monologues for next year's auditions? I am exploring a few avenues, but was wondering if someone, by chance, knows of someone nearby nearby. Thanks</p>
<p>correct the above. We live between Philly and Harrisburg</p>
<p>Brian, sorry not to be more helpful but I do not know coaches in your area. Coach C lives in Western PA and may know more about people in that region. Does the LAC you teach at have a theater department? If so, would any faculty member be able to help? Also, contact regional theaters and ask who they may suggest. Someone who directs shows may have some skill in this area or point you to someone who does. Our HS doesn't have any drama classes at all. The school shows are directed by a professional outside the school faculty. My D never took any acting classes as there were none in our rural area. She took some at her summer program. I just think you need to ask around any colleges in the area and any theater companies and go from there. We lucked out for the college audition year as a faculty member of a theater program in NYC, whom my D had done yearly workshops with in our state, moved to our state and commuted during the week to NYC to teach and was up here on weekends and gave private coaching sessions up here, starting the year my D was doing college auditions. So, I didn't do much searching as that all came together. Her voice teacher also commutes half the week to teach in NYC and both these teachers are on the faculty together in NYC and so that's how we came to basically find the acting teacher. Albeit both teachers, when at their homes in VT, still live 50 miles from us but we did a lot of driving for our kids' activities and lessons given the rural nature of where we live. If you can look in a radius, you may turn up someone as well through networking with anyone involved in theater who might point you in the right direction. Sorry to not have names of anyone in your area.</p>
<p>I really ought to get out a map but just throwing this out there....are you anywhere near Bucknell, Dickinson, Gettysburg College, Susquehanna Univ., Franklin and Marshall, Kutztown University, Lafayette, or York College? They all have theater departments. Do you live anywhere near Allenberry Playhouse? They may have professionals who could help.</p>
<p>Brian - </p>
<p>I sent you a PM with some ideas. :)</p>
<p>Could someone tell me if most kids get an acting coach to prep for college auditions? Or can one rely on summer pre-college programs to prep one for auditions adequately? Thanks!!</p>
<p>Mtsmom...I can't say what "most" kids do and I don't think it matters WHICH you do. The thing is that it helps to get coaching with the monologues and also with the songs. My D did not attend a summer program that did audition coaching. She had classes/training at her summer theater program, but not geared to college auditions (no monolgues, etc.). She already had a voice teacher and in her college admissions year, she worked with him on getting songs ready. She had no acting teacher (class or individual) locally and there are none at our school. So, she did need to work with someone on monologues (an acting teacher) and she did for about six months that fall/winter. I don't think it matters if the help is at a program or lessons/coaching at home. The point is to prepare and it helps to get assistance and coaching from someone who has skills....one for singing and one for acting. Actually my D even ran her songs with the acting coach as far as acting the songs. Think of it this way...if your kid was auditioning for a instrumental music program, she'd likely have lessons to prepare for those auditions. It is pretty similar. The lessons might be in a program or one on one with a coach. One need not attend a summer program. But it does help to have assistance and guidance with audition prep from someone in the field (either singing for voice, or acting for monologues). How you attain training and preparation may differ but the point is to prepare and to be trained. There is no one way that all do it. But those who have no training or no help with prep are likely at a bit of a disadvantage. I know kids do go to summer pre college programs that do work on audition prep and material selection, though again, my kid did not do one of those. But even if she had, her auditions were primarily in Jan. and Feb. and I'm not sure I'd have wanted her to go all fall and winter with no coaching on her material, even if her material had already been selected in a summer program. Just my point of view. It seems like many with whom I have spoken have worked with coaches in the audition year. I counsel college applicants and my students work with voice teachers and acting coaches to prep for college auditions. By the same token, I know some who have Drama teachers at their HS who can help them and so that often can suffice. That was NOT an option for my D as we have no drama classes at our HS. But that is suitable for many kids as long as the drama teacher has familiarity with college auditions.</p>
<p>Thanks soozievt--I think this is something I am going to look into--Unfortunately, as with you, our high school does not have a structured drama program and our director is not on faculty at our school nor does he do any outside coaching-So I guess the search for a coach will be on but I am thinking I may wait till after her summer program and have a coach build upon what she learns to prep her for the winter auditions. Now the question will be finding a good coach!! Thanks again!!</p>
<p>My son didn't have a coach of any sort and pretty much picked out and worked on his monologues all by himself (from reading MANY plays). He also did not take drama in HS, although it was offered. He did have a great voice teacher who helped with song choices. He also did several local summer intensive theatre programs and one pre-college program in summer at OCU.</p>
<p>I don't guess we have ever heard of an acting coach where we live!!!! It is possible to survive without one!</p>
<p>He thinks the world of the acting teacher he now has at Elon and feels that he is learning so much.</p>
<p>We just sort of lucked out in knowing this acting faculty person from NY (who also works with my D's voice teacher who also splits his time between his home in our state and NYC each week) from a few workshops and that he chose to move to our state with his family the same fall and commute home here on weekends. Otherwise, I'm not too sure that my d would have worked with a coach either. However, while I didn't look into it, I still think calling local theaters or colleges might yield someone who has enough expertise to be able to at least give some feedback on the monologues in a few sessions. Those are some places to look and also ask anyone you know in the region who may have auditioned for college theater programs in the past (inc. straight theater) who they may know.</p>
<p>I finally got a response from a local actor and head of a Theatre associated with a State college in my area. Thanks for your input. Ericsmom: I have been buying scripts for my son based upon what I know about him. I suspect that, as parents, we know what lies 'beneath' and what monologues may bring out the best. Then again, I am new to this process and may be blowing wind.</p>
<p>HEADSHOTS: For summer pre-college applications we need to forward 8 by 10 headshots. There have been a number of threads on this, but I have not seen the following question answered. First, if we want to show-off his body (sounds horrible), can we use a three-quarter shot? Second, my son's best look is his look when he exits his strict Catholic school with his white shirt with his tie-knot loosened, with a somewhat rebellious look. That is my S. Is it 'too much' to capture this look in the headshot. Am I being too obsessive.</p>
<p>Do many summer precollege programs ask for headshots? My D applied to several, and none asked for so much as a photograph.</p>
<p>Hi there, I am not a parent, but actually a junior (rising senior) that wants to say Hi. I will be going through the application/audition process myself in the Fall and so something tells me I will be running into you and your S & D's at auditions. My mom has been "lurking" or, as she puts it "learning", on this forum for close to three years now, passing me any information she thought that I might find useful and there has been so much it almost has been overwhelming. In the end though it has even further helped me realize how bad I want to pursue MT in college! Thanks to this forum I feel that at least I am given the opportunity to be as prepared as possible with all the "inside info" about the different programs and general "do's and don't's". I have made folders for all the schools that I think I may be applying to and I am beginning to feel somewhat ready. Of course there is still the anxiety of picking the "right audition material", but I guess that has been the same for any audition I have done so far as well. Needless to say, I will definitely be following each school's requirements to a "t" :-). I look forward to being in touch! PS - I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to train with Broadway Theatre Project for the summer last year, if anyone is applying there this year (BTW well worth it!), please feel free to ask any questions.</p>
<p>For summer programs 2007, I am applying to UMich's MPulse (audition), NYU Tisch's CAP21 (highly selective but no audition though) and again at BTP (audition).</p>
<p>NotMamaRose asked:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Do many summer precollege programs ask for headshots? My D applied to several, and none asked for so much as a photograph.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Some do.
Examples of those that require headshot/photos: UMich MPulse, OCU
Optional: UArts</p>
<p>mTgrl08</p>
<p>The Cap21 Precollege IS by audition. The NYU Tisch program (the way to tell is by length- Tisch is 4 weeks and CAP is 6) is by application only.</p>
<p>Mikksmom, mtgirl is right. The NYU Tisch Cap21 summer program is no audition. Tisch Drama has three summer pre-college programs at: Cap21, Experimental Theatre Workshop and Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. All students receive college credit for the programs.</p>
<p>I am so excited for all of you getting ready to start this journey for next year.... as I wait with my daughter for the rest of her letters to arrive. The year certainly went quickly! My advice is to start early, stay calm and just enjoy the process with your children. What a great opportunity this has been to spend some extra time with my daughter jetting here and there for auditions. She has loved it too and is actually sad that it now has come to an end! She is certainly ready to move on as well with the next stage of her journey......college.... (although I don't think I'm ready for that part!!). </p>
<p>In terms of Governor's School or pre-college, my daughter chose pre-college. Basically because Governor's School was straight acting and not musical theater. She must know the few of you who's daughters went to CMU last summer because she was there as well! She loved it! But I don't necessarily think one looks better on a resume than the other. </p>
<p>I wish you all the best of luck and success for next year! CC has been an incredible resource for me. I know that some of the schools my daughter auditioned at commented about cc as being more of a joke. I have found such a wealth of information on this site and met some truly wonderful people at auditions who have kept me company at auditions, joined me for dinner and have become people that I talk to on a daily basis to make the day to day waiting a little better! I am definitely thankful to have found this site and I certainly feel that my daughter was more prepared than many others because of it! </p>
<p>Good luck to all of you!</p>
<p>Hi Kaysmom--thanks for your support and advice. Yes, my D went to CMU last summer. She thought it was the best!!! Did your daughter feel prepared for her auditions from the pre-college program or did you get additional coaching for the audition process during the fall? Is your D looking to do anything this summer? I wish her well and am keeping my fingers crossed for her and all the CC "family" that auditioned !!!</p>