<p>So I've never really posted here before, but I lurked around all the threads for a long time and everyone's posts were extremely helpful when I was auditioning. I've seen full accounts of a great number of schools and their audition processes, but I haven't seen one of Juilliard's audition + callback first-hand yet, so I thought I'd share my experience in case anyone finds it useful (sorry if I'm repeating info/ not doing this properly):</p>
<p>I'm an international student and therefore was required to send in a video audition first so they could decide if I was eligible for the live audition with everyone else. A classic and a contemporary monologue were required for the video, as well as a monologue in my native language, by Dec. 1st, and they emailed me an invitation for a live audition about three weeks later.</p>
<p>Out of all my auditions, Juilliard was the most crowded. There were way over 100 applicants and they ran a little late but it was very organized overall. They split us up in two groups (alphabetically, by last name, I believe) and I auditioned in front of a three-person panel. Everyone I met was really nice and cool, except maybe for a group of really, erm, intense girls; but more on that later. </p>
<p>The actual audition was also my longest one by far. Some people told me to do the same monologues I had done in the video, others told me to absolutely not repeat (does anyone here have an expert opinion on this?), and I wasn't sure, so I had seven (four required for the live audition, three required for the video) prepared, just in case, which was a good thing, because I ended up having to perform all of them.
The first time I went in, I did the two monologues and they asked me to sing. I am NOT a trained singer at all and was really just gonna sing 'Happy Birthday'. I have no idea what happened, but I had been listening to Ben E. King's 'Stand by Me' right before I went in (because it helped me w/ one of my monologues) and that song came out instead. I started to snap my fingers and sort of sway with the song, because it helped me count the bars and know when to stop.
They asked me why I had chosen that song and why the swaying. I told the truth and the auditors seemed kind of amused, then had me perform the monologue I had connected to the song and asked me why I had made such a connection and that was it for the first part.</p>
<p>They had me go in a second time, and I did another (dramatic) monologue. Then they asked for something comedic. Then they asked me if I had anything from one of the plays in my resume; I told them it had been quite a while and I didn't remember much of this particular play, but I could do something else if they wanted. They did. Then they asked me about my native language not being English and if I could perform a monologue in my native language. And that was it for the pre-eliminary audition.</p>
<p>They asked everyone to wait until the callback list was posted and, as I am sure most of you know, made it clear that if you weren't called back, you were no longer being considered for admission :( and allowed to leave. The list was posted at around 2:30. I was the only hs senior; everyone else was in their twenties (but most of them looked like teenagers).</p>
<p>The callback audition was a group audition. We got lunch and waited for a bit before being led to a room where we did a brief warm up. Then they took us to the, where we again waited outside for a while, before going in and doing some movement and vocal exercises. Then they asked us to march around while performing our monologues in different ways. Then we did some improv exercises and also incorporated our monologues into them. We did more group improvisation and they told us to wait until they posted a list of people they wanted to interview.
I was in the list along with two other people and the others were allowed to leave.
I talked mostly about my training (or rather, the lack of it) and how I thought I would benefit from a program like theirs, which led to other random topics. The auditor seemed to like when I mentioned Laura Linney playing a part in my decision to pursue an acting career and we talked about a couple of her more "obscure" projects before the interview was finished and I got to leave.</p>
<p>My advice to anyone who might be auditioning is to go to bed early the night before and eat a big breakfast in the morning and then as much as you can throughout the day; I got there at around 8:30 am and left at around 11:00 pm.
To all the hs seniors auditioning: it is possible to get in right out of high school, although difficult. To the people who haven't attended a performing arts school/summer camps, or don't have awesome training/extensive experience, or are doing Shakespeare/overdone monologues: all of those apply to me as well and I somehow got a callback. No one knows what the auditors are looking for, so don't count yourself out and don't let anybody convince you that you don't have a shot. I talked to a group of girls at the audition who were great singers and had "the perfect monologues" and professional experience, and had been preparing and private coaching for college auditions since, like, sophomore year. I might have interpreted it wrong somehow, but they talked to me as if they were trying to make me feel insecure and uncomfortable because I wasn't as prepared as they were. It probably worked better than I should have let it but not as well as they wanted it to. In the end, though, it didn't really matter. It was fun and a good learning experience regardless. And that's all you can ask for, really.</p>
<p>I hope this helped somewhat, and break legs to everyone auditioning this season! Remember that they audition more talented people they can accept and the best program is the one which is the most right for you; not the most popular or "highly-regarded" one (:</p>