This may be a question I’m already supposed to know the answer to, but it hit me today that it’s a detail I’m unclear about.
When you are in a BFA acting program and auditioning for shows, are you competing for roles with all years of BFA actors at that school (assuming freshmen are barred from auditioning, which seems to be pretty common), or are you only competing for roles with the BFA actors in your year? Does it vary school to school?
From what I understand it varies school to school…some kids even compete with MFA students as well as the entire school. Check with each school individually.
Agreed- it’s a good point to research within schools. At NYU there are shows that are specific to studio (and within those shows that are specific to a grade) as well as main stage shows that are open to all studios. It just depends.
Some schools like USC BFA and UNCSA BFA have guaranteed casting, which means they place you in productions, you don’t audition.
CCPA has guaranteed casting, but you still have to audition. (It is possible to get a very, very small part.)
Not guaranteed at Otterbein and you audition for all productions (plays, musicals and dance concert). For Spring productions you are not competing with the seniors as they are doing an internship.
For CCM Drama, the casting pool is Sophomores through the Seniors for MainStage shows. Usually the last show of the season is just Juniors and Sophomores b/c the Seniors graduate in March and travel to do Showcase the first weeks of April.
Hey everyone–my schools are Boston U, DePaul, NYU, UT Austin, Emerson, and Pace. Does anybody know about these specifically? I’ll definitely ask the schools directly, but if anybody here on CC knows anything about those schools in particular regarding casting, I’d really appreciate it.
I already kind of answered with NYU - but I will add in that Freshmen are not allowed to audition. I am firmly behind that as adjusting to college and the city is already a huge task! Freshmen do have a crew assignment each semester. last semester D did a studio show, this semester she is assigned to a mainstage
BU - Freshman have a showcase at the end of the year (a two or three person scene from a variety of plays, with each freshman participating) and the sophomores put on their own production at the end of the fall semester. Sophomores are put into regular casting in the Spring of sophomore year. Each quarter (1-4), there is guaranteed casting for 2nd semester sophomores and all juniors and seniors. Guaranteed means you will be in the production in some form - they don’t guarantee that everyone will get a lead.
^^After talking with my son today, and hearing all about the auditions for Quarter 4 this spring, I wanted to add that even though BU has guaranteed casting, students do need to audition. I left that out above! Sorry!