<p>I signed up for my audition slot, Friday 8:15-1:15 on October 21 and submitted my app December 2. My audition was at Chelsea Studios in New York.</p>
<p>I arrived at 7:45, when check-in was scheduled to start. It turned out that there were a bunch of students and parents packed into the small lobby. I guess the NYU people weren’t there yet. They arrived around 8:10 or so, and we went up five minutes after them. We were shown to a small holding room, and we all nervously settled into our little nooks. We were asked to check in, which we did quickly. After everyone was checked it, a man (I guess I’d call him the monitor) gave us a brief overview of the program. I’ve done a lot of research about Tisch, so not much of it was new, but it was still nice to hear again. He told us the schedule for the day: an hour of dance, vocal warmups, split into two groups for acting warmups, and then the running lists for singing and acting would be posted. They said the running list was based on the order in which we signed up for the auditions. I have no clue whether that’s true or not. I was fourth on every list. The people who hadn’t arrived in movement attire like they had requested changed quickly, and we went to the dance evaluation. </p>
<p>We learned a combo from Tommy’s Pinball Wizard, which they’re apparently doing now. It was mostly jazz. I’m not primarily a dancer, though I take classes. I’d say the combo was moderately difficult. It ended with 16 counts of improv, where we could do whatever we wanted. The dance evaluator taught it to all of us, then split us into two groups. Each group went two or three times. Then it was time to be evaluated! She called us up in groups of four, in order of the running list. So, much to my surprise, I was in the first group. Joy. We danced in this formation:
x<strong><em>x
_</em>x</strong>_x
We did the combo twice, once in the front row and once in the back. After everyone did the jazz combo, we learned the ballet combo, which was slightly easier and shorter (about the level of an easy combo from my Ballet II class). We learned it the same way as the jazz one, and then we were evaluated in reverse order, so I was last that time. Then we thanked her and she left. The piano player (who had been playing for the dance part) led us through vocal warmups. He was very nice, and I felt well warmed-up. </p>
<p>We then left the dance studio, which became the singing studio, and went to our acting warmups. We were told which of two groups we were in, and went to a studio accordingly. There were probably about 15 people in my room, but I’m terrible at estimating numbers of people. We played some games, which were fun, and slightly challenging, but in a good way. We then left, and looked at the running lists. We had a little time to change if we wanted to, but they said we could audition in our movement attire if we wished, but it really didn’t matter. I changed anyways.</p>
<p>I was fourth on both lists, but we were told that singing would take 8-10 minutes, and acting would take about 15 minutes for each applicant. I sang first. I walked in with my headshot and resume, just in case they hadn’t received my submissions (I submitted them on Wednesday, since I had just had my headshots redone, and only received them on Tuesday, and I had to format them, etc). They hadn’t, so I handed over my old headshot and resume. We confirmed my audition material, and I went over to the accompanist, and discussed my one cut from my full song and the tempo for that song. I also showed him where my 32 bars were (two verses of Somewhere That’s Green). I was told to audition to Steve, a scarecrow/metal folding chair hybrid, who was situated between the singing evaluator and the piano player. I don’t know what exactly happened, but my full song was way slower than I was expecting it to be, so I didn’t do as well on it as I could have, since I was focusing on the tempo more than anything else. I finished and went into my next song maybe five seconds later. My 32-bar cut was fine, though I was a bit shaken by the full song experience, so my volume wasn’t what it should have been. I thanked the pianist singing evaluator, who handed me back my headshot and resume (paper-free process!), and I left. </p>
<p>I then waited outside of my acting studio. The first and second person had already gone, and the fifth person was in there already. After she was done, I didn’t see the third person, so I went in. The evaluator need another moment, so I waited, and then went in for my acting audition. I handed him my headshot and resume, and he too confirmed my audition materials. I did my shorter, lighter monologue first, and then paused and went into my second monologue, which was longer and darker. I did them exactly the way I wanted to. He then asked me to sit down for a few questions. He asked me if I would wish to be considered for an acting studio, and if I had any other questions. I was done very quickly, since I didn’t work on anything with him. I don’t know what that means, but I won’t fret about it, since they told us not to read anything into it. </p>
<p>I was done with the entire audition by 11:20 or so. I was then able to leave. </p>
<p>I’m not hopeful at all that I’ll get into the MT studio, but I’ll still hold out hope for one of the acting ones. Oh well, I guess I’ll find out in April!</p>
<p>If you have any other questions at all about my experience, PLEASE feel free to ask me! I know I was dying to know what other peoples’ auditions were like. :)</p>
Or CC experts, would that have been a time to ask to start over at a faster tempo?</p>
BUT I’m still going to USC, which is a great school, so I’m ok with it. Good luck to all of you!</p>