I have been stalking this forum for about a year in anticipation of my DD applying to MT programs next year. We do not live in a big city, and her performance and training opportunities have been limited to her high school’s drama program and yearly musical. Her strength is definitely her voice, and she has taken voice lessons for several years. She is however a definite introvert - I think that is part of her passion for theatre. She really comes into herself on stage and now it is all she wants to do. I am worried though about how introverts do in this grueling college audition process. In another thread someone mentioned that it is hard for a 17 year old introvert to succeed in the 6 minute audition format. So I guess I’m looking for advice and maybe even encouragement? Are any of this years applicants introverts and successfully weathered the college application process?
Hi, My son is definitely not an introvert, but I would recommend possibly hiring an audition coach. I think the more your daughter learns about the process, the more confident she will be going into auditions. My son’s coach ran her students through a mock audition, where the panel listened to their prepared material and asked a series of questions. My son said it was very helpful for him, as several audition panels engaged him in conversation. They often want to get a sense of the student’s personality, see how they express themselves, etc. My son has no problem talking to groups of people, but he did appreciate having an idea of what the panels might ask him.
I wouldn’t say that a more introverted person can’t be successful. However, I do think that lots of preparation and knowing what to expect will be helpful. Good luck to your daughter!
My daughter is an introvert and can get overlooked in group settings where more dominating personalities get attention, so I can relate. Couple of suggestions I can make. Stretch out the auditions if possible to leave down time in the day/weekends, because introverts get more worn out by lots of people. We avoided Unifieds for this reason, but it could be manageable if you don’t put too many schools for that weekend. Be the calm, organized one at auditions offering support, soothing, strength - and SNACKS! 
Consider smaller, maybe less-known programs and smaller schools where she can shine.Practice doing the interviews, small talk, asking questions, etc that may come more naturally to more extraverted kids. This may be something a coach could help with, and I would certainly consider it.
Also, really consider the Acting programs. You said voice is your daughter’s strength, and I would have said it was my daughter’s also. But she felt more comfortable with the acting auditions, where they spent time getting to know her. In the end, she’s in a BFA acting program where the students feel more like her people - and still takes dance and chorus. You’ll make it through it!
My D is a bit of an introvert. We did do unifieds but found that NOT staying at the Palmer was the best decision we could have made. It actually started b/c H had hotel points elsewhere, and 3 of her auditions were not AT Palmer - but it turned out being able to be able to get away was SUPER helpful
My daughter is also an introvert. For her audition season, she did both on campus auditions and attended Chicago Unifides. She actually thrived at Unifieds, staying at the Palmer. The on campus audition days completely drained her. At the Palmer, she could go do her auditions and retreat to her room to regroup which worked out perfectly for her. We stayed on the Executive level and having the large room with 2 beds and 2 baths worked out great.
I would agree with the others about hiring a coach. My daughter did not use one, but we live in an area where she was able to constantly perform for 10 years. Also, I would recommend to her to consider BFA acting programs where she can also take voice and dance. Now that my daughter is in college, most of her closest friends are acting majors. She absolutely loves her MT class, but she does have to retreat and regroup after spending time with the big personalities. She says its like being in a room with a hundred puppies…adorable, but exhausting and overwhelming! LOL
My daughter is doing very well at college, is extremely focused and loves her school. But it has definately taken her longer to bond with her classmates and she does get overwhelmed. It has pushed her to put herself out there more as she is very far from home. It is so interesting to me at how the introverts completely change onstage. Its like mild mannered Clark Kent transforming into Superman, lol.
Best of luck!
I echo what @MReader said above. Do not overlook smaller programs or even BA programs and if you can try to hire a coach who can help you thru the process. There are many you can use via Skype. My D is NOT an introvert, but being an only child she needs her quiet/down time. We didn’t do Unifieds, we auditioned on campus at all the schools she applied. There will be auditions were your D will get zero feedback and walk out of the room have absolutely NO idea how she did (other than her own assessment!) - other auditions the auditors really do engage - my D loved her auditions at CMU, Wagner and American - all the others she felt like it was her 6 minutes of in/out that was it. (Kind of like what auditions will be when she is trying to find a job!). Also, if you can get some auditions out of the way early (before the holidays) - that way there is not as much pressure to get everything crammed in after the holidays.
Another word of advice - get your applications in EARLY! D had all her apps in by mid Sept because audition spots (especially at schools like BoCo or BW) fill up quickly, and then you go on a waitlist. If she does prescreens, get the video in order over the summer so she is ready to submit in the fall.
Best of luck to your D!
Hello! My daughter is very much an introvert. She would often get labeled as snobby or cold because she Isn’t naturally outgoing and would choose to sit in silence over having to talk to someone she didn’t know because she felt awkward. However, the moment she walks on a stage, she becomes a completely different person and shines.
Last summer, she was competing in something that interview was 25% of the competition. We set up several mock interviews with people we knew and trusted to not only help her overcome her shyness, but also to be honest with her about her strengths and weaknesses. The initial mock interviews were brutal. But we videoed them and she would watch them as well as read the comments from those on the panel. By the end of the preparation process, it was almost like she was a new person. We challenged her to see it as a role, and that she was “on” the moment she walked in the room. I’m proud to say she won the competition and now has $10,000 in college scholarships. I can say with 100% certainty that had we not invested so much time and energy into the mock interviews, she would not have won.
I would definitely make sure she finds a BA program that she would be happy to attend as her safety. Going into all the auditions without this will put even more pressure on her. FYI, we also did Chicago Unifieds last year and stayed a block away at the Hampton Inn. My daughter also needed to get away from the chaos of the Palmer House.
Thanks - my daughter is an introvert until she gets to know people. I think she might get anxiety if she was at a big place with dozens to hundreds of other kids and scores of auditors rushing about.
@mamallovesllamas - my daughter is an introvert and has anxiety. So it always amazes us how she comes to life on stage and does not get stage fright, like, at all! But, I will say the college audition process was very daunting for her!
We did both on campus auditions and Chicago Unifieds - and like @Onourown she seemed to handle Chicago Unifieds (staying at the Palmer House) better than the on-campus auditions. As you know, introverts can be social, but find being social and being around people very draining - thus she needs “retreat time” to recharge. What was nice for her about staying at the Palmer House for Chicago Unifieds was that she didn’t have to worry about getting there on time, or dealing with traffic, or what to do in between auditions (all the logistics that tend to fuel her anxiety), rather she could just prepare in our hotel room and then walk down to her audition appointment, then return to our room when it was done to recharge and prepare for the next one. We tried to limit it to 2 auditions per day to allow for some down time in between.
In contrast, the on campus auditions often tended to be an all day event which she found more draining. It is nice to see the campus and get a feel for the environment, but was definitely more draining.
@Onourown - I loved this: “She absolutely loves her MT class, but she does have to retreat and regroup after spending time with the big personalities. She says its like being in a room with a hundred puppies…adorable, but exhausting and overwhelming! LOL” :)) That’s my daughter to a T!
My d also liked Unifieds much more than on-campus auditions. At some on-campus auditions you may spend 6-8 hours going through a multi-step, “hurry up and wait” process, sometimes in a relatively large group which is likely to include some “big” personalities. You may have to spend an hour or more sitting in a hallway or a relatively small room with said group. As someone who is relatively shy around strangers, my d found on-campus auditions to be much more stressful than Unifieds, where she was in and out relatively quickly (although some programs at Unifieds do conduct auditions that last for hours with long waits in hallways, etc. - this seems to be most typical of the more popular, “bigger name” programs).
@JavaJo Sounds like our daughters could be great friends! They could sit around all day and not talk to each other! LOL…No, seriously, alot of people think my daughter is snobby or shy, and she is neither. She is just very quiet in a crowd and extremely focused. She observes everything and doesn’t miss a thing.
@Onourown - LOL! I bet they would be… I think a lot of people think the same thing about my D too. She is not an initiator - but if someone strikes up a conversation with her, she can be very engaging. I often wish other people could know the person we know - she is so funny and caring and witty and empathetic, but most people don’t get to know the real her because they misread her quietness. 