<p>As someone who religiously read the Theatre/Drama threads last year because my S was applying to BFA programs I want everyone to know that those of us who have been there know what this years high school seniors and their parents are going through. I was very grateful for College Confidential and its many posters, particularly for those posters who are familiar with audition-based programs and the audition process and were able to provide helpful guidance. I have to say that, with all the applications, audition scheduling, traveling to auditions, dealing with weather issues (many of the auditions are held in places where snow is a possibility), the waiting process post-auditions, and the acceptance/rejection phase, I was very relieved when the process finally came to an end. I would like to jot down a few things that my S and I learned from the process probably everything I have to say has been noted in other posts.</p>
<p>(1) Make sure that you are able to respond to any request that deals with information that you have on your resume and be prepared for the unexpected. For example, my Ss resume indicates that he is proficient in American Sign Language. After he finished doing one of his monologues, the auditor asked him to do it again - in ASL. He also has on his resume that he likes to do impersonations. In another audition with two persons conducting the audition, one of the auditors asked my S to impersonate the other auditor. I am sure that the purpose was not to see whether my S knew ASL or could do impersonations, but to see how easily he could respond to directions and do the unexpected. </p>
<p>(2) Double check the audition requirements prior to the audition. My S thought that he had everything he needed for the unified auditions but did not realize, until the auditors met with the parents and students before beginning the auditions for one of the programs, that he was expected to sing a song even though he was an acting, not MT, candidate. </p>
<p>(3) Do not ascribe any meaning to an auditors comments and do not obsess over any audition once it is over. As so many have pointed out in their postings, these programs are highly competitive. The audition may have been fantastic and the auditor may have actually said or done something that indicated that he or she liked the way you performed your monologues, but the truth is that for the very selective audition-based programs, approximately 800 or more candidates are vying for a small number of slots. It is best to put the audition behind you and move on to thinking about something else, such as the next audition, plans for Spring Break, etc.</p>
<p>(4) How the programs decide upon which candidates to accept is a great mystery. I dont think I will ever know the answer to how the programs decide upon which candidates to accept, although some of the College Confidential sages may be able to shed some light on the process. I am sure that there are many factors that are used to make the difficult choice of which candidates to select. The students who are applying to audition-based programs truly want to pursue a career in acting or MT; they most likely have dedicated years to performing; and each applicant has something unique to offer. I dont think I would savor the task of deciding which candidates to accept quite frankly, it must be a very difficult process that probably involves initially creating pools of yes and no applicants and then winnowing the yes pool. At the audition-based program that my S is attending, the parents were advised that the program didnt necessarily select the candidates that had the best audition, but selected the candidates that they believed had the most potential. </p>
<p>(5) Dont fret as the audition process winds down and the programs you applied to begin to respond. You (or your D or S) most likely will get into a program that you (or she or he) applied to. If you take a look at the postings from last years applicants (class of 2010), you will see that it appears that each regular poster (or their D or S) did get into an acting program that the student applied to. As you scroll through the postings, most posters (or their D or S) did not get into every program that they applied to because the audition-based programs are so competitive, but they did get into a program that they seemed happy to attend. </p>
<p>The very best to everyone now that auditions have begun in earnest!</p>