My S has 14 upcoming auditions, 12 of them out of state with 7 at/near NY Unifieds. I figure at the 5 on campus, whoever’s traveling with him, either my husband or myself will obviously be driving him and staying there for the duration. It seems the schools have a plan for parents to include a tour or Q & A, etc. However, in NY he is seeing 2 schools in their rented audition space away from Unifieds and they have him for 5 or more hours. Do parents generally stay in those cases or drop off and come back after any parent info session? Also for Unifieds, do parents just hang around in the hallways? I hear the NY Unifieds are space impaired. Any advice would be appreciated.
We did both (stayed onsite and dropped off), depending on the length of the audition, the schedule during the audition, and the location. The couple times we dropped off, we double checked that D had everything she needed, listened to the intro section, then walked around the area and/or grabbed a bite to eat, arriving back to the audition site a bit early in case she was finished sooner than expected.
I stayed at both NY and Chicago Unifieds with D. In NY, I’d find a spot away from the doors and at the ends of the halls when possible since it was less crowded at those spots. I had to sit on the floor once, but I didn’t mind. Some people were a bit aggressively territorial with their spots, but I tried to be gracious and generous at all times, and others who had the same positive outlook/attitude seemed to flock together (which was most of us), making it an overall pleasant experience despite the tight quarters.
D handled all her Unified auditions on her own. I did sign her up for one walk-in audition when she had an early call and couldn’t make it to the table first thing in the morning. Otherwise, I worked and did some sight-seeing around Chicago.
At on-campus auditions, I walked with her to the registration table and then either went to the parent sessions (if they had them), walked around campus, or ventured forth to find a Barnes and Noble to hang out.
I didn’t do any hallway sitting (d expressly forbade this - her HS Theatre Department was really big on insisting that students be accountable and independent as pre-professional actors). I did sit in a couple of lobby areas when auditions ran a little long or I arrived back to campus to pick her up a little early.
Whether you wait there is up to you and your S. You don’t need to. Since it’s NYC, and you potentially have 5 hours, there are tons of coffee shops and small restaurants or shops or nice bars or museums you can hang out in. Or if you want to hang out in the hallways, be sure to bring something to occupy yourself with! My S didn’t end up doing any of the Unified schools, but did do outside schools that rented space, so I was there. The hallways are fairly crowded, but if you have a good book or whatever, it’s fine. Btw, when I sat in the hallway, I certainly wasn’t hovering over my S. I was fairly far away from his audition rooms and really was only watching his coat.
The only long audition my S had was with Juilliard which went from 8 am until around 2 pm. I myself would have preferred wandering around New York instead of waiting all that time, but my S wanted me close by. So it was me and my book, and fellow kind parents.
Basically, just do what is right for you and your S!
I stayed away for the most part but was close enough that a quick text could get me there if needed. At NYC Unifieds we stayed at the New Yorker which was right across the street, so though I did walk over there with her in the morning, I left and went back to the hotel once I knew she was situated. But there was a large designated waiting room on one of the floors, so if you didn’t want to leave the building, there was a place to go where you weren’t hovering. At most of the on campus auditions it was pretty clear where the parents were supposed to wait, and mostly it wasn’t anywhere near where the auditions were.
The main NY Public Library is within walking distance to Ripley and Pearl. They have a nice reading room, and also some very interesting (free) exhibits. Also Drama Bookshop is worth a visit. There’s decent shopping nearby at Macy’s and Lord & Taylors . There are plenty of ways to entertain yourself while remaining within easy distance if you get an emergency text.
I was told my job was to be a Sherpa and carry things around, and to be quiet and not bug any of the auditioners. I did some of the parent tours and those were always nice. And I went to the parent info sessions and those were good to hear about things like safety practices for campuses, scholarships, etc.
In general be there to help where you can. And for the benefit of others don’t be a stage mom or dad that brags about your child to the rest of the parents about the role he or she just had, how many places you’re auditioning, acceptances, etc. Folks will be nice but to be truthful no one probably wants to hear about it; they’re thinking about their own child.
Thanks for all the advice. I don’t want to talk about nor hear anyone’s stories. Not to be rude, but I just want to be nearby for support if needed and actually try to work if I can. If it’s one thing I can’t stand is bragging stage parents! I have been around SO many of them and I am over it 
@Dankadon, bug out. There is no reason to stay close unless he really insists plus there are tons of things to do, places to go that are an easy subway ride or brisk walk away. If he needs you to get back, you can get to him but the safe assumption is that he won’t until he tells you he is done. I read a book in Washington Square Park (admittedly an unusually warm January day), went to South Seaport to get discount theatre tickets for that night because I heard the line was shorter there (it is) and generally just took in the splendor of the city. And there was coffee. Bug out. Avoid the chatter. Always a good plan.
Five hours or more is a big block of time. If the timing works I highly recommend one of these pay what you wish walking tours. My daughter goes to school in NYC and I’ve done a couple and they are really great. http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/new-york-tours/walking-tours.
Agree with all of the above. My daughter, then a junior, was auditioning for a summer program at last year’s NYC Unifieds, so it gave me a sneak peek at the whole extravaganza. We live nearby. Yes, the hallways are crowded, but there’s always a spot to plonk yourself in. There’s also a waiting room with uncomfortable chairs ands a low level of hysteria/seen it all affectation in that room from many parents. I think you’ll find you won’t want to hang out in it for very long! Within a 10 minute or so walk from the studios are, as mentioned, shopping at Macy’s (5 mins), the NY Public Library, which is located at the back of Bryant Park, which has cafes and a carousel and is a nice people-watching spot if it’s not completely freezing. Also the Chelsea neighborhood is just 10 blocks south and is full of art galleries, cafes, and a couple of smaller museums. If you’re comfortable with subways, places like Lincoln Center are just a few stops away, easily less than a half hour. Or you could hop in a quick cab, and if the weather is okay, walk the High Line - along the river and great for strolling and taking in the people of NYC. If it’s a Saturday, you might even be able to time taking in a Broadway show (5 min walk) - they generally begin at 2 and are done by 5.
All that being said, if your son is of the “I think I forgot my…” variety, as my daughter is prone to be, you may find yourself with NY Times or work stuff or both, for hours on end, taking in the spectacle.
Also, for the one audition my d. has done thus far this audition season, out of town, she took herself there on Amtrak, negotiated public transportation there and did the whole thing herself (her choice) - and stayed in a b&b near the college her brother goes to there and he helped out making sure she got where she needed to get on audition day itself, but then he left. She did the audition and then made her way back to his college, where she spent the night hanging out with brother and his friends at college. It left her feeling really confident and excited about her upcoming life as an independent college student.
That being said, for her one out of town audition coming up (Michigan) - that involves flights, etc. and is way more than she can handle independently at this point, so I’ll be going and will also be looking forward to spending that last little bit of time with her as HS winds down.
Somehow the time goes by very quickly and the waiting is not an issue. So many options. Personally I think the audition trips I took with my older D 7 years ago were some of the most important bonding experiences we have ever had. We still talk, and laugh, about some of the things that happened. I am now starting again with my younger daughter and I can’t wait to share some of the same important moments. All the little things simply worked themselves out.
^^^ I agree, @Pohsmom . We loved going to auditions together! D liked coming out of auditions knowing I was there to share in her excitement, joy, disappointment, whatever, and I liked listening/supporting/holding her extra stuff… It wasn’t a crutch situation at all, but rather a shared one. I’m sure she would’ve been completely fine if I hadn’t stayed (proven by the times that I did leave), but she liked to share the experience, and I was fine hanging out. There was still plenty of time to do other activities after auditions, too, so I felt like I got the whole NYC experience (and other places) and was able to enjoy this process with D.
Feel compelled to chime in here for the sake of many of you who may be in for a less than bonding experience during the audition season. There is another camp whose experiences will not be remembered quite as fondly. Auditioning can be stressful on everyone. Travel plans can be tight. Tempers can run short. Willingness to discuss the details can lag hours, days, weeks behind the curiosity of the parents. Parent waiting at home can think you are deliberately not keeping them in the loop and may not realize you don’t have any details because your kid has clammed up while they process, or you just can’t talk because you are deep in the weeds dealing with frayed nerves, tears, snappiness or whatever. It may not be as pretty as the fantasy but it doesn’t mean it’s an experience that you will regret either. Just wanted to be sure everyone understands that your actual mileage may vary.
I stayed in the building, but not in my kid’s face and saw several reasons things happen that made me realize I was glad to be so nearby.
During auditions last year, one kid came running out in the middle of a dance call crying. Luckily the mom was very nearby. The kid had begun vomiting, was running a fever and had become quite ill. It was nice that the kid’s mom was in the building to provide comfort and care.
At same auditoin, another kid’s leotard tore as she was changing, and there was just enough time for her parent (who was in the lobby) to run buy a new one.
Last year, a CC kid broke her foot during an audition. Not sure if mom was there when it happened, but I would think it would be nice to have the parent nearby and not across town or in a show.
At another audition (on campus) a kid realized while waiting to sing that she had forgotten her dance shoes and mom was able to go buy some new ones. At this same very long audition (a 10 hour day), the only time to eat lunch was around the scheduled times with acting, voice and dance, as well as warm-ups, tours, etc. For my kid and a few others there were only 15-30 minute gaps in the day that were available for eating, and this was not long enough for them to go and find food. I ended up buying food for my kid, and for several kids that had parents just drop them off.
I think these auditions are the culmination of many years of training and lots of money spent to get to these auditions. I didn’t look at it as a trip for me. I considered my job was to support my kid in any way necessary, so I tried to stay close and out of the way. I always had my phone on and charged, and let my kid know that I would be immediately available for anything. I just wanted to help take as much stress as possible off of the audition process. I felt I could help with running errands like getting food and drinks, and hauling and “guarding” coats, shoes, books, etc. that helps keep a kid’s mind more focused on just the audition.
I stayed at venue- “just in case”. Some auditions were great experiences- some I would not wish on my worst enemy. (And we had nothing like the crises related by @Dusing2, but plenty of emotions like those described by @halflokum.) It’s another place where the CC lore can make you crazy. “All” the vets talking about how great the trail was reminded me of the people who would wax nostalgic about being pregnant while I was still having morning sickness in my 7th month of pregnancy
Thank you @halflokum @toowonderful @Dusing2 for your reminders that auditioning , albeit a sometimes nice way to bond with your child, is also fraught with anxiety, stress and a kid who quite honestly will need you most likely for emotional, physical or logistical support. Especially at Unifieds where there is SO much going on at once & so many factors at play & the risk of either something breaking, tearing or being forgotten is high. I know just from my D auditioning for things not college related that in that type of situation your kid will probably need you to be available. Even if only for the “getting sick” factor. Plus if you have a kid like me who is on the younger side, you know this anyway that you’ll be needed at some point. Plus my kid is a very OCD about being prepared & she’s somewhat of a stress basket when auditioning of course so to be honest even though I do look forward to her college auditions I truly doubt they’re going to be all rainbows and roses for us. It’s going to be wild for sure lol. Thank God someone finally admitted that it wasn’t a vacation for them !
@halflokum, & others, thanks for writing that–I was going to write something very similar. It was not this amazing bonding experience for either my S or my D. Necessary, but not something I would willingly do again. I too want to offer this as my own experience not at all to contradict others, but to share that there is a range of possible experiences. Each person is unique.
My S was intensely focused on his auditions and both wanted me with him but also wanted to focus inward. Sometimes he was crabby (as most people are when we’re nervous). Same for my D, two years earlier.
One thing that is somewhat awful is that you prepare for so long for the moment, and then it’s over in 5-15 minutes–so there’s all this build-up, and then bam, it’s over. I’m the sort who likes to dissect my own experience, but my D and S are not, so both didn’t really want to talk about it. And anyway, it’s very difficult to tell how they’ve done unless they offer immediate call backs, which of itself doesn’t mean you got in, but at least shows interest.
My S was actually more nervous than my D,which surprised me as my S had been professionally acting for some time. I asked him at one point why he was so nervous, as he didn’t tend to be nervous for ‘regular’ auditions and he said that the two were completely different. He said if you don’t get a role, you don’t get a role, big deal–there are other roles, and that’s part of auditioning anyway. But for college, you were auditioning for 4 years of your life. Much more is riding on it. Also–I want to share this–Everyone talks about the audition and it is indeed really important. But also important is the interview. Please please prepare for the interview!! I think you should practice your responses just as you’d practice your audition. My D didn’t, and when the moment came, she was so nervous her brain shut down and she couldn’t think of anything much to say.
My D dealt with the stress by sort of shutting down. The only time she really enjoyed herself and we shared a really great time was when we had a mother daughter rode trip down to Coastal Carolina–Their audition experience was all day, and was very nurturing, and that really made her feel so much better. She loved it.
Anyway, as I write this I don’t get this glowing reminiscence. I sort of get stressed all over again! If I were to do this again, I’d anticipate the stress and think in advance of ways my kid alleviates stress, and prepare actively for that. And don’t forget your own stress! At Unifieds, I saw so many super stressed parents, which can’t possibly help the situation. Definitely take care of yourself so you can be a calming presence to your son/daughter. I had the help of a good book and really great online friends who kept me sane throughout.
Totally with you @connections. I don’t get the glowing reminiscence either. It’s not like my daughter is/was a raving lunatic either. I have do actually have friends who are contributing to this thread that have met her that know she is not crazy nor particularly unreasonable. She is/was focused and had a job to do and needed the space to do it. She also had regular school work to keep up with while everything was going on. And if you are sharing hotel rooms, together in a rental car, there isn’t a ton of private space for her to speak to friends, boyfriends or whatever. She was stuck with me more than she wanted and frankly, more than I wanted sometimes too. This is not to say that there were not lovely moments. For sure there were which is why I said earlier that it isn’t an experience I regret having at all. But I can think of a hundred things I’d rather do with her than repeat that crazy fall/winter and that would include things like the two of us hauling a heavy furniture boxes up the stairs of a 3rd floor of a walk up and it dawning on me for the first time that she is actually stronger than I am now.
I am positive that others do remember this experience more fondly and it was different for them. I’m not at all challenging anyone’s memories. But I offer that @toowonderful’s funny analogy about pregnancy could be relevant to some folks here so I wanted to make sure if you end up in the “this sort of sucks” camp, you are not alone. This was not ponies and rainbows for me and I get along fine with my daughter, we knew what we were doing, we were organized, and are very experienced travelers. I’ll take the stairs and the heavy futon any day over doing that again.
I don’t think that all of the people talking about how positive the experience of staying at the venue was were waxing nostalgic; there were different experiences and opinions shared here, and those, like me, who had mostly positive ones were just communicating that and why they thought being at the venue was a good thing. No, the audition trail wasn’t all roses and rainbows–of course not. I don’t think this experience ever could be that, and I think–I hope–that this is realistically communicated repeatedly on this board, including by me. But, even though it did have tense moments, it was a positive one for my D and me overall, and I would be remiss to pretend that it wasn’t or to not mention that I believe it was a good thing for D and me. That’s my very real experience. Everyone’s experiences are different; I can only speak with reasonable authority about mine.
But, you know, I was also one who adored being pregnant (morning sickness only during the first months, mild discomfort and mood swings, etc), so… 
Lol ok I have met halflokum’s daughter and she is definitely not a raving lunatic. She is a raving beauty is what she is, and super talented and funny and hard-working and insightful and really quite brilliant. And more mature than the average bear. I too envied the people who said this whole thing was the greatest experience they ever had with their kid. I recently asked my daughter if she had any fond memories of the audition season and she basically said, “No, it was really stressful.” We definitely had bumps in the road, like when her temporary tooth fell out on the way to one audition, and when the marathon bomber cancelled our day at BoCo. We also had some unusual outside stuff going on that certainly didn’t help. One thing we did at NYC Unifieds though that I would recommend if you can swing it is we got a suite rather than just one room, which at the New Yorker was surprisingly not much more, and it made it possible for us to have a door between us and our own TV’s when we just needed that space.