Is anyone at Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) and auditioning tomorrow?

<p>Hi, I am here with my D, who is auditioning tomorrow for the undergrad audition window at SETC in Louisville. Has anyone done this before? She is a junior, and we are really just trying to gather information on programs at this point, but would appreciate any tips or feedback on the process.</p>

<p>chapertwo, my daughter is also at SETC right now. We were already signed up for this prior to me coming on CC for the first time, and I knew nothing about it at that point. My daughter is also a junior and is auditioning tommorrow. I have heard different opinions on SETC but decided that if she wanted to go, the experience would be good for her. She is a student at a boarding school away from home and is with another parent and her daughter and there are also some other kids from her school that went. Last year the kids who are seniors this year went and felt it was a positive experience. </p>

<p>My daughter has called a few times and told me that she is enjoyng the workshops which she has been attending all day. I think she did four this morning and then they went to lunch and then came back and did a few more. They ended the day going to the area where all of the colleges were set up with information. She mentioned having a really nice conversation with the Boston University rep. She said there are alot of kids there and the mood is laid back, probably because they are only juniors:) or maybe because today is only the workshops. </p>

<p>From what she has told me their will be callbacks after the auditions tommorrow and at this point you will know if anyone is interested. This part is a little bit confusing to me only because I have heard from others that they cannot make juniors offers but can only show interest, but a few of the senior kids at her school said they left with a few offers. With kids you cannot be sure what exactly happened but I think that maybe some of the schools that are lesser known quite possibly may have made an unofficial offer hoping to get a “jump” on some students.</p>

<p>I am not sure if your daughter is an acting major or design or MT but I do recall my daughter mentioning that there were quite a few schools, more then acting, there with reps looking for Fall 2013 design students. I would think based on what I see here on CC that many of the schools have completed their auditions but maybe they look at SETC for their waiting lists? Not sure on that, as this is late in the game, but they are there and looking. My daughter said CM, Point Park, Uarts, Rutgers, and BU are there and again I thought these schools were done auditioning.</p>

<p>Has your daughter had a chance to attend any of the workshops or visit the college tables for information? If not these would be good things for her to participate in and the rep’s are avaliable to answer questions. </p>

<p>Most of the kids on CC went to another conference called UNIFIEDS and that is for seniors only and is held in LA, Chicago, and New York in early Feb. You might want to look into this for your daughter also.</p>

<p>You can PM me if you have more specific questions or need more information.</p>

<p>Hope this helps some.</p>

<p>My son was at SETC a few years ago and really loved the experience. I recall that they audition in front of many adjudicators and then they get “callbacks” from schools, which are basically a chance to go speak with the college reps about the schools and sell themselves a bit. the auditions are a chance for the schools to get a first look and students to learn about program’s the may not have heard about. S really had a good time and it definitely started an avalanche of college mailings. Tell your daughters not to stress, do their best and have fun with it!</p>

<p>Hey, I just want to clarify something. SECT is a theatre conference. Unifieds is a completely different event. SETC (Southeastern Theatre Conference) is an educational conference with different components for students and educators as well as for the theatre professionals. While there are auditions, unless you are a senior, you cannot be offered a spot in an acting program. I am not sure how it works for seniors, most kids go as juniors. I would imagine it would be risky to count on auditioning at SETC as a senior as most colleges have already figured out their acceptances (not necessarily notified anyone…).</p>

<p>National Unified Auditions, commonly called Unifieds, is best described on their website as such:</p>

<p>The universities will conduct simultaneous auditions and interviews for entry into their theatre programs. If you are interested, please apply directly to the institutions. For additional locations and times, including on-campus auditions, please contact each institution.</p>

<p>There are another group of schools who participate in The Consortium and they do the same as above.</p>

<p>The key to these auditions is that you must apply to and get your audition times directly from the schools.</p>

<p>Each has a website and I would highly recommend thinking of incorporating these opportunities into your audition process. There are pros and cons, and threads which describe both.</p>

<p>Thank you Photomom5 for clarifying that! Educational Conference vs. An actual Audition Event.</p>

<p>It is amazing how many people I speak to in the south who have not heard of Unifieds and vice a versa with people in the north about SETC. </p>

<p>I was even talking to a director of theatre at a high school here locally and that person was unaware of both. I was thinking to myself at the time that I hope the students in that program are really good at researching their own options. </p>

<p>CC is a wonderful opportunity to find out lots of information. </p>

<p>Thank you to the Dad’s, the Mom’s, the educators, the students, and whoever else provides information.</p>

<p>thank you to all, for your comments. we didn’t get to workshops today, but we did get around some to booths and to the high school play festival. she is mainly here to learn the ropes and see if she is on the right path for college … she is pretty sure she wants to major in theatre or theatre arts, but she is taking a cautious approach. hopefully, she will get a callback or two, and be able to ask questions and familiarize herself with this type of process. the best thing I’ve seen so far is the thick booklet they’re giving undergrads about all the colleges represented here, their theatre-related programs, contact info for departments, etc. it’s very valuable to us. let me know what your D has to say after the audition, and I will do the same :-)</p>

<p>Regardless of callbacks take the time to go to the information booths for the different schools and ask questions. Schools are not really making offers to juniors… it is an opportunity for students and schools to talk. Most schools that require an audition for admission will require an audition as part of the application for admission in the senior year (either on campus, at a regional location, or via a recording). Some schools who pre-screen may use the SETC event as a live pre-screen, but this too will vary from school to school. </p>

<p>Have a great time! The workshops are terrific!</p>

<p>PS. I am not there this year, but colleagues of mine from James Madison are attending the auditions and portfolio reviews. :)</p>

<p>Too bad there’s no “like” button. katmt’s advice is solid. For those unfamiliar’ the theatre conference is held every year in a different Southern City and has a high school competition; each of the southern states can send up to two One act shows. Really some great theatre seen at these conferences.</p>

<p>chaptertwo; Just wondering how your daughter is doing and whether she is enjoying her time at SETC.</p>

<p>My daughter enjoyed talking directly to some of the schools today and thought the audition went fine. I was surprised to hear, but also very grateful, that one of the schools Elon in NC, gave her a sheet of notes talking directly about her audition, some tips on things she could do better, some compliments, and what they thought of her. I thought that was great to have some feedback. She also was excited that BU spoke to her twice and at the call backs again talked directly to her about what they liked and offered some great feedback. I take it that the auditions and workshops will end up being a very positive experience that she can build on and use in the future as this process is just getting started. She also mentioned that there was a University that called her back and told her they really liked her alot and asked her what she was looking for in a program. She told them and they realized that they did not have it, and again told her how much they liked her, but then pointed out some schools to her that had what she was looking for, and that they felt she should strongly consider. I thought that was nice. </p>

<p>I kind of worry about her so direct approach, for a lack of better words, but I guess its good to know what you want and be able to voice it. Who knows, it is way to early for me to go into stress mode so I am going to be just as relaxed as she is about the whole thing:):):)</p>

<p>Threed, sounds like your D is having a great experience–good call for her to attend SETC!</p>

<p>wow, I would say I am impressed by your daughter, threed. good for her. my daughter was very happy and flatttered with with the amount of schools showing interest. that part was very encouraging. however, she is not one who talks easily to people in this setting, and I believe she was overwhelmed. she is a low-key kid who is quiet & reserved. she nails auditions and that ability seemingly comes out of nowhere, as she “turns it on” when she hits a stage. but she genuinely has a hard time talking to people who are marketing a program. (It’s real life and a learned skill, but she’s just not there yet:)</p>

<p>so, I’d say we are going to be better off visiting schools one by one. she feels more comfortable with that. I think it was a very worthwhile environment to see theatre professionals in the hiring process as well…I am glad we went and would encourage other juniors to go…the high school play festival was also just a blast. loved all the offerings I saw. such talent!</p>

<p>Threed…I don’t think you need to worry about your daughter, she knows what she wants and this will help her figure out the programs that will work for her. Sounds like she has made a wonderful beginning. </p>

<p>Chapter, my daughter felt the same way when she went to SETC. She is now a sophomore and is much more comfortable in these types of situations. It is all part of the growing up process!!!</p>

<p>Chaptertwo, that may be the most valuable thing you got out of SETC – the knowledge that the “Unifieds” are not right for your daughter.</p>

<p>SETC can be an absolutely wonderful opportunity for your student. If possible, it is helpful for a student to attend SETC prior to the Junior year auditions. The conference is SO large, that it can be a little overwhelming the first time you attend. </p>

<p>Along with what many of the others have said about the conference – here are a few things that our D got out of the conference two years ago.</p>

<p>It allowed her to view her work in regards to a much larger pool of students. (about 200 Junior students audition each year)</p>

<p>Being called back by schools you are interested in – can give your student a big boost. (Though I wouldn’t “avoid” schools where you did not get a callback.)</p>

<p>This was my D’s first opportunity to try out possible audition material. She received such positive feedback that she kept both her monologue and song and did them in her college auditions. </p>

<p>Don’t expect very specific feedback on your material. Sixty to ninety seconds goes by very quickly and there is student after student. A student might receive feedback to change their material, use a monologue from a real play, need more projection/energy, etc. How wonderful to get this information straight from the mouths of people who will be watching these auditions next year. </p>

<p>There are hundreds of workshops to attend (I am being literal). I suggest that students go to workshops that are being conducted by professors of schools where they might want to audition. It will give you a beginning insight into those professor’s personality and teaching style/philosophy.</p>

<p>This gives students an opportunity to practice a style of audition that they will probably do a number of times throughout college and in the professional world. (SETC, Strawhats, NETC, UPTAs, etc.) Learning to navigate this style of audition is a skill in and of itself.</p>

<p>Next year, SETC will be in Alabama. This is great for our southern friends, but will make it more difficult for students from other parts of the country to get there. (SETC changes cities every year.) If you can’t get to SETC, there are others ways to get this sort of experience (Thespian Conference, state theatre conferences, etc.) Just want to try to let people know about as many types of experiences as possible.</p>