<p>I'm auditioning with colleges later this year and I'm having a hard time figuring out how I should "portray myself" to schools. My voice teacher, school drama teacher and my community theatre director have all told me different things; I respect each and every one of their opinions, but I'm getting a lot of mixed signals. I'm about 5'8", blonde, and a belter with an average build. I'm working on my legit, but its not my strong suit. I've been told ingenue, leading lady, chorus girl, "sexy seductress" and the typical energetic ditzy blonde [my favorite to play :)]. A part of me is flattered that I'm coming across pretty versatile, but I also want to be aware of the type of roles I'd realistically be cast in. I know it's kind of impossible to pinpoint it without knowing me/seeing me perform, but just off of these basics, what would my type be??? Any input is appreciated!</p>
<p>How old do you look? You sound like an ingenue to me, but it’s difficult to tell just from a description. Your height might set you up to be portrayed as a leading lady when you get a little older.</p>
<p>To be honest the only thing you need to worry about right now for these schools is being YOU! Do not worry about type at all right. I’m a freshman MT major at Webster University, and I really worried about portraying the right “Type” and realized that I wasted my time. I would say focus on finding non common songs and monologues that you relate to and shows off your voice and personality. The only schools that I know that really look for specific types are Texas State and Baldwin Wallace. So unless those two are your top choices I really wouldn’t focus on that at all. What Webster has told us is that they looked for students who would work great in an ensemble, had a pleasing personality, and who took direction well. Good luck and I hope this helps!</p>
<p>39652310 - since you attend Webster, how do you “know…the only schools…that really look for specific types are Texas State and Baldwin Wallace”?</p>
<p>39652310 - This is from the Texas State website and knowing Kaitlin Hopkins and most of the current MTs in her program, I believe this is completely accurate. </p>
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<p>What they are looking for has more to do with what’s on the inside, than your size, shape, or vocal range…</p>
<p>I hope this doesn’t devolve into an argument over which schools admit based on ‘type’ and ‘looks’ and which based on what’s ‘inside.’ We really can’t control how a school decides to admit nor can we actually know what goes on behind closed doors. Nor can we control our looks. What we CAN control is finding the right monologues/songs for us and honing them so they’re really under your skin. I would focus on that and not worry about ‘type’ at all. Personally, I wouldn’t listen to ANY of the advice about what type you might be. I’d ignore all that and just find the monologue and songs that you connect the most with, that you could perform with meaning and truth, that play to all your strengths. When you dress for the audition, dress professionally, in a way that shows your shape but isn’t a ‘type’. Let the school - if they do select for balance and type - decide what your type is, not you.</p>
<p>connections - I was not trying to hijack the thread, but I wanted it to be clear that, contrary to 39652310’s comments, Texas State looks at many things besides type.</p>
<p>One, During my audition for Baldwin Wallace, Victoria Bussert was very clear with telling us that she tries to accept one person of each “type” as if she was casting a show. Plenty of my friends who now attends Baldwin Wallace can speak on that as well. As for Texas State I know a TON of people who auditoned for Texas State, passed the pre-screening, then invested in a trip to San Marcos to the Texas State call backs only to recieve an email from Kaitlin herself that stated that they were among the top contenders, but they were looking for a different type. One of my good friends who is a male, caucasian, character actor said that in his email she specifically said that she was looking for “leading men” and “Men of color”. I find it very odd for these people who DO NOT know each other to all have the SAME exact experience and recieved the SAME email along the same lines. I am not knocking the two programs by any means, and definitely do encourage students to still audition for them because they are still among the best programs in the nation. My point in saying this in the first place was because I think stressing over your “Type” is a little overwhelming and to be quite honest we really will never know what our type is until we get out of college and into the real world, and I’m sure by then what you thought your type was has probably changed. What you should focus on is being the best “You” you could possibly be. Also I never once said to NOT audition for those programs, I was just stating something that happened to PLENTY of people in previous years. </p>
<p>P.S I would like for you to think about how smart it would be for a college to post on their website “We only accept students of a certain type”. You have to remember these schools make a decent amount of money from students application and audition fees, and definitely wouldn’t jeopardize that. Althought I think what Kaitlin wrote in that statement is true, that still doesn’t mean that them accepting certain types isn’t. I actually appreciate the fact that a school can say that we just weren’t looking for your type, because then I know that I wasn’t rejected because I wasn’t talented…</p>
<p>I have always heard that a lot of these schools (not just those 2) build a class with different types in mind and some already have chosen the upcoming shows for the next year. There’s nothing wrong with that and in many ways it makes lots of sense but I would think that if they are asking you to fly across the country for a callback they could figure out the type thing ahead of time.</p>
<p>^^^^actor12
DING DING DING DING
You hit the nail on the head. This is what they do and it makes sense. They are casting their next four years of shows and they need diversity. It doesn’t mean that those rejected aren’t equally as talented; sometimes it just means they already chosen that type at an earlier audition and don’t need multiples.</p>
<p>Yes, it stinks getting through pre-screen and flying across country to be ultimately rejected, but that’s life. If a school needs a certain type and they make that person an offer and they decline, then they are now missing that type, so frequently they make offers to a few of that type hoping atleast one will accept, so that may be why you were invited to audition.</p>
<p>Having gone through the MT audition circuit I can honestly say it is VERY clear what types certain schools are looking for. Sit outside a few rooms at Unifieds all day and look to see who the happy callbacks are…male and female. It makes it all crystal clear.</p>
<p>Also, as for type, I disagree with posts that say don’t worry about that. With so few spots available in a BFA program, knowing your castable type (what could you play TODAY on Broadway?) is key in chosing great vocal and monologue material that you can relate to and transform into your own which ultimately shows YOU in your best light. This being said, within Contemporary MT, typing is changing, so it isn’t so easily defined.</p>
<p>Suggestion: Ask a Director you have worked with and knows you well this question, “What Broadway roles could you see me playing now and in the future.” This will give you a nice starting point when searching for material. Good luck.</p>
<p>We were certainly told on audition day at the meet and greet (at one of the BIG, top tier MT schools always mentioned here), that they are sure all of our kids are very talented, but they are “casting a class just like a director casts a show”, and that if your type is not needed, you will not be accepted.</p>
<p>"They are casting their next four years of shows and they need diversity. "</p>
<p>This makes it sound as if college training programs are in the business of producing shows. College training programs do shows in order to train students. </p>
<p>You are correct that many (if not most) schools look for a diversity of types when it comes to accepting students into their programs. That is the best way to provide opportunities for students to be cast in productions. If too many students in a program have the same general look, voice type, skill set, gender, etc… it would be more difficult to provide performance opportunities for all of them. They would be in direct competition with one another for the same roles. If you have a program of students with diverse looks, voice types, skill sets, genders, etc… it becomes easier to provide performance opportunities for students because they all will fill different niches within a production.</p>
<p>Yes… students are often cast against type in college… or play roles in college that they will not play in the “real world” for many years in the future… But, still diversity of type and skill set in a class allows for students to have more opportunities. </p>
<p>“It doesn’t mean that those rejected aren’t equally as talented.”</p>
<p>So true! I think on the prospective student/ parent end it is easy to feel like each rejection is a negative statement on the talent of the prospective student. Most often it is not… most often it is about many other things including type… perceived program fit… audition pool at that school that particular year… the interview… the essay, etc… Each program has a different aesthetic. The same things that may turn a student on or off to a program are the things that may turn a program on or off to a student.</p>
<p>Programs are in the business of educating and training students. They admit the students who they think maybe best well suited to their program and the training offered. Because we all see more talented and qualified students than we can admit we all have to turn away students who likely would work within a program and benefit from the training, but hard decisions have to be made. Just like students who are admitted to multiple programs have to make tough decisions between programs to which they are admitted and like. In the end the student has to make a choice. So do the programs. </p>
<p>Best to all of your children as they embark on this roller coaster. Trust that they will bloom where they land, wherever that may be. :)</p>
<p>^^Yes to everything said above. I’m in no position to add more except this: in the incredibly long list of things you all need to think about to “get 'er done”, worrying about type should not be anywhere near the top 10. Type is what it is by this point. Focus on what you can control. Have a good list of schools. Be sure it includes a safety that you love. Prepare well for the auditions. Finish strong academically. Forget about type. You are what you are and you have no control over what a school that is casting for type needs in any given year.</p>
<p>My comment to forget about type was not to say ignore it with respect to your audition material. I meant you shouldn’t worry about what “type” a specific school is looking for because there is no way to know that.</p>
<p>^ You are SO very true though! All of cmy classmates and friends at other big MT schools simply sang songs that they enjoyed singing and something they knew they could sing and act very well.</p>
<p>^^That’s what my daughter did as well. To be honest, I don’t think we knew then (nor now) exactly what her type was anyway. She’s pretty versitile. It has been fascinating to see what her voice teachers at college are picking for her to work on.</p>
<p>Also one last thought on this subject. (Which also applies to another thread that I’ve responded to about transposing songs). You can make yourself nuts trying to overthink all of this and then you will show up at auditions and watch the 5 girls in front of you sing “Gimme Gimme” as well as the 5 guys in front of you sing (whatever the male equivalent of that is… sorry I have a daughter and didn’t pay much attention). Guess what, some of those kids will get in. At some point you might as well stop overthinking it all. But those of you who are reading these threads do at least have a heads up. Personally we tried to NOT do what went against type or was overdone because all of the warnings about it here in CC land scared the pants off of us. But come audition day… my daughter certainly overheard many a very well executed “Gimme Gimme” and though I can’t prove it, I bet some of those gals are with her at Tisch.</p>