How auditions are conducted at UArts

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>Here’s a question for those who have gone through an audition at UArts:</p>

<p>Can anyone describe how the day was structured in a little more detail than what is told to the kids in the letter that they get, confirming their auditions?</p>

<p>The letter my daughter got says only to arrive at Dorrance Hamilton Hall between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m. to register, and then to be ready to participate in a warm up. (It says bring warm up clothing.) It says then that the kids auditioning for acting will go to the monologue audition portion of their day, and will be joined later by the MT kids after they complete the dancing and singing portion of their auditions. It says to be prepared not to break for lunch and to go as late as 3 p.m. that day.</p>

<p>Does anyone know if a kid normally does, say, his or her dance audition portion first (and thus, should come dressed for that) or whether some do their singing portions first, and so on? </p>

<p>These instructions are so general that it’s tough to plan. : ) Any help that anyone can provide is appreciated.</p>

<p>I did call UArts and was told that this is all the kids will know until they show up on campus that day. It sounds like the kids should come in “warm up” clothing and carry the rest of their stuff and hope to have time to change. Is that right?</p>

2

<p>My daughter auditioned last December and here's what I recall. (A lot of this is in a PM I sent you but I will also post it here for everyone's information.) First, everyone congregates in Hamilton Hall which is located at Broad and Pine Sts. When my daughter auditioned, auditions for Acting, MT, Dance and Music were all going on that day so there was a large assemblage of students and parents. When you arrive, there are tables set up by major to check in and receive materials including a student info sheet to be filled out. While everyone is together, explanations are given about how the day's events will be organized. Then the students are led off by major to where they will be auditioning.</p>

<p>MT students are taken to the Terra Building which is 3 blocks north on Broad St on the other side of the street. Dance, monologue and singing auditions are all held in different rooms. When my daughter auditioned, my recollection is that the MT students were divided into 3 groups, each of which started with a different part of the audition process. Each "subgroup" was led to the next room when everyone was finished a particular segment. </p>

<p>My daughter had her dance audition first. While everyone has the opportunity to go to a locker room to change into and out of their dance clothes, things got a bit frenzied. My daughter chose a dress she could just throw over her tights and leotards so all she had to do was take her dress off and change her shoes. After the dance audition, she just took off some layers and slipped her dress back on. This worked out well for her.</p>

<p>The dance audition is a group audition and students are put through a series of combinations and taught a mini routine. Classical ballet training helps but if a student has other dance training, can move, learn the combinations and respond to adjustments, they should be ok.</p>

<p>After the dance audition, my daughter did her monologues and songs but I can't recall which she did first. Students should expect to perform both of their monologues and songs. There may or may not be adjustments and other interaction with the auditors. A brief interview is conducted at the end of one of these segments. Your daughter may be asked "why UArts" or to discus her audition pieces. (My daughter was asked to contrast her experiences at UArts summer program with those she had at Syracuse's. She was also asked to talk about what was going on between the lines of dialogue in her ballad i.e about the subtext.)</p>

<p>Music should be in a looseleaf binder and she should bring a resume and headshot (need not be professional). Also bring 2 or 3 bottles of water and a "powerbar" type of snack. There is no lunch break and the day gets long.</p>

<p>While the auditions are going on, parents can take a tour and attend various info meetings including one on scholarships and finacial aid.</p>

<p>The atmosphere is very warm, congenial and welcoming. There are many student volunteers who work the info/checkin tables at Hamilton Hall and who assist the auditors in the audition rooms, so there is always someone to ask if a question arises.</p>

<p>The most convenient hotel to stay at is the Doubletree at Broad and Locust Sts. It is right in the heart of the "Avenue of the Arts" and UArts' campus. It also is probably the least expensive of the hotels on Broad St in the vicinity but it is a bit pricier than the Crown Plaza at 17th and Market or the Holiday Inn at 10th (I think) and Chestnut. The other hotels in downtown Phila that are within reasonable distance to the school will usually be more expensive than the Doubletree.</p>

<p>Hope this is helpful. If anyone has any questions about travel logistics or anything else, post them here or PM me. If you can commit 2 days, it would be well worth your while to explore center city Phila (if you are not familiar with it) and get a sense of what going to school in the city would feel like. Also, there a load of school productions running through the audition season so check the School of Theater Arts schedule on the website.</p>

<p>Wish your daughter Good Luck!</p>

3

<p>When booking your hotel, make sure to ask for the University of the Arts discount.</p>

4

<p>My D is auditioning Saturday (12/1) at Uarts (& Muhlenberg on 11/30). We also received the letter and were confused what to wear to the audition. Unless anyone has any new info she'll probably wear warm-up clothes to start the day. We're wondering if D will be able to tour the campus (& housing) after the audition since this is her first visit and she would like to see as much as possible. They also have tickets to the Senior Cabaret at 5pm and then will try to see some of the city in the evening.</p>

5

<p>I am unsure if there are tours running on Saturday. I know they often run during the week, but as I'm not often in campus buildings for the weekend, I don't know if they give them. I think they like it to be lively and filled with people when they give tours. I know that there are a lot of students working the auditions who are eager to help and you may be able to twist one of the current freshmen's arms into showing you some of the dorms if you can't land a tour. ;)</p>

<p>Warm-up/dance clothes are probably ideal to start the day, and just have whatever else your D needs on-hand.</p>

<p>If your D is up for two shows in the day, the Senior Cabaret is at 5 and our second mainstage musical of the semester, THE CONTRAST, will be playing at both 2 and 8, though 2 is probably too early for her to see because of her audition. Seeing the city is, of course, equally as imperative for somebody considering the school, though.</p>

<p>Please tell her to stop and say "hi" after the Senior Cabaret! I'm third on the bill of soloists and I'm happy to answer any other questions you or she may have.</p>

6

<p>My recollection from last year (also the first Saturday audition in december) is that tours are offered to parents while the students are auditioning. The audition process can be very long and as a result most students really didn't have the opportunity to take a tour. In any event, as sheerviolette points out, there isn't that much action going on in the classrooms/studios on a Saturday morning/afternoon. There really are only 4 buildings of particular interest to a prospective MT student/family: The Terra Building where all the MT classes/studio work are located (Broad and Walnut St on east side of Broad), the Arts Bank (east side of Broad at South St) which houses the most frequently used mainstage, the Merriam Theater which is the flagship proscenium theater (west side of Broad at around Spruce) and one of the dorms (I would recommend seeing Spruce Dorm at 1228 Spruce St if you can; most of the freshmen live in it and the neighborhood has a gizzillion great restaurants up and down the streets from 11th over to 13th Sts and Locust over to Pine). Talk to the faculty at the pre-audition orientation or to the student volunteers to find out if an organized tour or self tour is available. And if you can, see the senior showcase and/or The Contrast. You will be in for a real treat and will get a good idea of the level of talent and training at the school.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the info Sheerviolette. My D is very excited about seeing the Senior Cabaret and I'll certainly encourage her to talk with you after the show. As far as The Contrast - I hadn't thought about trying to see both shows that night but that's a great idea. What better way to get a good feel for the school.</p>

8

<p>As I recall, many of the auditioning schools last yr. were vague as to which part came first. BE CAREFUL not to assume as some times they tend to split the kids in to groups of dance & acting/singing, and then switching off. Therefore, you never really know how to dress. D generally dressed in dance attire (unless instructed otherwise) first (nothing like wearing nice clothes after a sweaty dance so be prepared i.e. deo, wash cloths etc.).......somehow there was always time to change clothing one way or the other. Regardless @ most of these auditions changing was a "rush".</p>

9

<p>everyone should DEFINITELY see the contrast at 8 PM friday or 2 and 8 on saturday (sry shameless plug hahaha!!!)....but also see the senior cabaret!!</p>

<p>everyone dances first at uarts and then they'll divide you for acting/singing, so wear your dance clothes and not your fancy audition clothing</p>

10

<p>Thanks to BroadwayWannabe and SheerViolette. My kid will be there at UArts this Saturday, too, and that wardrobe question (what to wear first?) has been puzzling her, because the materials UArts sends does say that actors and MTs must first participate in a warm up. It's good to know that dance comes first and everything else comes after. This may seem like a stupid question, but do kids just haul their nice audition dresses around on hangers (along with everything else) wherever they go? I guess I mean to ask: where do auditioners (particularly MT girls who plan to wear dresses or skirts) leave their stuff while dancing, etc.? Can stuff just stay in the locker room? Unfortunately, my kid's dress is not the type she can just pull over a leotard. That would look awful! (MichaelNKat, I wish my kid has chosen something like yours did! That was smart ...) (Reillylong, maybe we will cross paths. My D was at Muhlenberg yesterday ....)</p>

11

<p>Best wishes to all those auditioning this Saturday. If anyone is interested in recommendations for some great restaurants that are within a few blocks of the Terra building, that visitors don't normally stumble upon, shoot me a PM.</p>

12

<p>I auditioned last year and I felt the process was unnecessarily long and exhausting. The whole day was about 5 hours long, 4 of those hours spent waiting.</p>

<p>You have your dance audition first which is around 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of people in the group. I auditioned in January and there was at least 40 people in the studio, so there was not a lot of room to move around at all while learning the combination. The dance I found difficult, one of the most, next to Boston Conservatory actually. Once you go through it around four times, then your broken off into smaller groups of five (alphabetically) and you do it at least three times. People in the groups that were finished were allowed to leave once they were done, they could change and then were escorted upstairs to do their monologue/songs.</p>

<p>Once you get upstairs you sit in a classroom with around 25-30 students (obviously depends on how many are auditioning that day). Then once everyone's done with the dance audition they'll take you into a room for a 15 minute vocal warm-up, then you go back into the room and wait to get called in. I waited about an hour before I got to do my songs. Then after you do your song you're taken back to the classroom and you wait to be taken up stairs to do your monologue. Once taken upstairs you then wait in a hallway for them to call you to do your monologue, this took another hour or so.</p>

<p>Out of all the auditions, I just found it to be the least organized. It's impossible to really focus (I tried) when you're waiting for hours on end. Obviously I had to wait at other schools, but none of them were as long as this. It felt like we had to wait for all the kids in the group to be done before we could move on to each part. I remember Boston Conservatory did shifts, like once one group was done with the dance audition, then they would take how ever many kids were done with their monologue/songs and put them into the dance audition. Plus I liked the fact of doing your audition/song in the same room.</p>

<p>I didn't get accepted to UARTS but honestly I was turned off by the whole audition day that I really wasn't that upset.</p>

13

<p>In defense of UArts most of the schools we visited last yr. had looong audition days (4+ hrs. was the norm). This is usually explained prior to visits (several at Unifieds had warned of long schedules as well).
Just go with the flow....where to place clothing etc. will all make sense once at each school.....you can't always pre-plan everything.<br>
Good luck! :-)</p>

14

<p>My daughter auditioned at 8 schools on campus. Many of them had situations like you describe at UArts (she did not apply to UArts) where it involved a four hour block (half day) and in some cases, an entire day. Almost all involved a lot of waiting except BOCO which at the time had no dance audition and so just an appointed time individually. Anyone reading this thread needs to know that such a situation is TYPICAL at many of the schools (and as I said, a couple schools involved the entire day such as UMich and Penn State).</p>

15

<p>I think that Ithaca also asks kids to block out at least half a day, and from what I can tell, Elon also has kids plan to be on campus for an entire day, as their audition includes sitting in on classes, as well as the actual time that prospectives perform before adjudicators. UArts is not unusual at all. And I am only guessing here, but as inconvenient and stressful as all that waiting around is, I bet it's less stressful and more comfy than standing in one of those open call lines to audition for a show .... ;)</p>

16

<p>Of the 5 schools my daughter auditioned at, the shortest time actually at the audition was 3 hours and the longest was 5; UArts was about 3 1/2. It varies, not only based on the school's procedure, but of course based on the number of students auditioning on a given day. One of the advantages of UArts location is that there is plenty to keep parents occupied or entertained while a student is auditioning and when the student is finished, there are plenty of things to do as a family if you don't have to rush your travel plans.</p>

17

<p>I didn't think the waiting at auditions was a big deal. Actually at many auditions, my D had a chance to meet up with friends she knows from other states who had the same audition day or in some cases, current students at the programs whom she had not seen in a long time. So, it was actually fun to share the day with friends she can't see very often due to distance. As well, often I got to visit with parents of her theater friends. One advantage also of being on CC is that at several auditions, I met up with other CC parents and got to know them in person while our kids were off doing their thing. If you don't know anyone attending the same auditions in real time, you can try to connect with some CCers who are going to the same auditions. For my D, on her end of it, the auditions were a fun chance to meet up with theater camp friends either attending the same audition, attending the BFA program itself, or who lived in that city. The time not spent in the audition room was actually quite fun for her and I usually also had a nice time visiting either with parents I knew, or parents from CC who I got to meet up with (arranged ahead of time), or just meeting other families at the audition who were all sharing this process and had all that in common. The trips were fun. It is also time spent one on one as parent/child.</p>

18

<p>I readily admit that I was a little concerned with running into lots of "stage parents" (I work tech theatre and see a lot of those "my child is the next big star" people), and so I armed myself with a big book. I have to say that I have yet to finish the first chapter. Most parents are really nice, are supportive, and have done their homework. Some, like me, have totally different, non artsy, backgrounds, others have been "in the business" for quite some time. You really begin to root for each others child and I am very impressed with so many of the kids auditioning. Most have great attitudes, are realistic about their chances, and at the same time are determined to succeed. Needless to say you are all (parents and kids) winners in my book!</p>