<p>I thought it might be helpful with Unifieds looming around the corner to maybe start of list of interview questions that may have been asked in the past. Help from those who have already gone through the process would be appreciated.
I will start.</p>
<p>"What was your character feeling when you gave ____ monologue?"</p>
<p>What do you see yourself doing five years from now?</p>
<p>Your resume shows a lot of MT. What is it that makes you want to pursue a degree in Acting?</p>
<p>What other programs have you applied to?</p>
<p>If you couldn’t do theatre, what would you do?
- So then why did you choose theatre instead of (previously stated other career choice)?</p>
<p>Great thread, bisouu!!
“What makes you want to be a part our program?”
“Do you have any questions?”</p>
<p>What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your life so far?
Tell us something we don’t know about you from your resume.
Which are your favorite plays/playwrights?
Describe a professional performance you’ve seen and tell us what you liked about it.</p>
<p>What about this monologue do you personally connect with that made you choose it?</p>
<p>What is the last book you read?</p>
<p>Who is your favorite playwright and why?</p>
<p>What’s the last play you saw?</p>
<p>What role would you love to play someday?</p>
<p>What actor have you seen in more than one play? Compare the performances.</p>
<p>What is your favorite Shakespearean play/character?</p>
<p>And, it should go without saying that the applicant should be well-prepared to discuss anything included in their application package and not be thrown off by it. About ten minutes of my D’s Tisch 30 minute interview was about soccer. She played competitive soccer for many years and this apparently intrigued one of her auditors. :)</p>
<p>Auditioning students should also be well-prepared to discuss any of the plays listed on their resumes, and I’ve even heard about kids being asked to do a song or some lines from those shows.</p>
<p>“What is the purpose of theater/art?”</p>
<p>As Alwaysamom has indicated, the student should be prepared to discuss anything that he or she lists on his or her resume. My S went thru the audition process several years ago and had listed his special skills on his resume. Here are some examples of things he was asked to do during his auditions. He has on his resume that he is skilled in American Sign Language. During one audition, he was asked to do his monologue. Then he was asked to do another monologue. After he completed that monologue, he was asked to repeat it - in ASL. At first, he was surprised because monologues are spoken, but he then recovered and performed the monologue silently in ASL. I don’t think the auditor was testing him to see if he actually could do the monologue in ASL. I believe the auditor wanted to see how he would react to the request. He also had on his resume that he liked to do impersonations. That particular audition had a parent-student session beforehand and so my S was able to watch the auditor explain the program and answer questions. It was my S’s turn to do his monologues and after he performed them, he then was asked to do an impersonation of the auditor! That request was quite a surprise too. My S also had an unusual extracurricular activity on his resume that most people probably would not be familiar with the extensive training and skill that is required to be proficient in this activity. But as it turned out, during yet another audition, he had an auditor who was quite familiar with this activity and asked him about it extensively. My S ended up going to that program.</p>
<p>Part of this–but not all of this–is to make sure that applicants are not lying on their resumes. Some folks put extra stuff on their resume to make them seem like better applicants.</p>
<p>^I can only speak for the program where I work, but “to make sure that applicants are not lying on their resumes” is not in any way related as to why we ask students to talk about things on their resume. </p>
<p>The reason for the interview is to get to know the prospective students a little better and see if we think we could be a match for them, and they for us. This is a long term relationship we are considering entering into with each other. Asking them to talk about things they have on their resume is one way to get then to talk about themselves, their passions, and experiences.</p>
<p>I keep picturing the episode of FRIENDS where Joey has on his resume that he can speak french. Thanks KatMT!</p>
<p>These are from some kids who just had their auditions…</p>
<p>“What are your hobbies outside of theatre?”
“Why do you want to come to this program?”
“What’s been your favorite role to play?”
“What other programs are you looking at?”
“Are you in a show right now?”
“What’s your GPA?”</p>
<p>bisouu – I love that episode! ;-)</p>
<p>“How do you prepare your monologues, beyond just the technical memorization process?”
“What musical, play, film, actress have you seen recently that has made you think, ‘Wow that is theatre/acting!’”
“What made you pursue acting?”
“Are you interested in creating your own works in the future?”</p>
<p>Just be ready for the unexpected. I heard someone was asked to do their monologue while running around the audition room. After being aware that any of the above may potentially happen, my kid was accepted to programs when actually no additional questions were asked and there was no indication from the auditor that there was any interest. I think its about being able to stand on one’s feet and how you handle being asked to do something whacky. composure, not falling apart and freaking out being asked something difficult. Its ok not to have a good answer or to feel stumped but how you respond and behave to that is the key. Plenty of our kids are not accustomed to doing much off script. Be yourself and engage the auditor in yourself if they are attempting to get to know you. If the interview doesn’t work out well and some won’t, its all about “Whats Next”.</p>
<p>My daughter brought along a play she’d written (which had been produced at another college) to her BU audition. The auditor talked to her a lot about her work as a playwright, and then asked her to perform a monologue from the play (!), which she did (she felt that it went really well). Who knows–she was rejected! In hindsight, I’m glad, even thought it stung at the time, because she really loved BU and would have been tempted to choose it over the program she did choose–which is perfect for her.</p>