NYU: Tisch Admissions and Artistic Reviews for 2013-2014 year

<p>Hello fellow seniors, parents, and college students. I recieved an email from NYU today reminding me about my Artistic Review in 17 days (as if I could forget!) and so I thought I’d open up this thread for others, and to see if anyone can help ease my anxiety.</p>

<p>I’m auditioning for MT in SF on February 22nd and from what I’ve read I’m very excited. I’ve selected my songs, practice them daily, and have selected my monologues and work through them multiple times a week. I hope to have a fun, exciting audition, and really just embrace the opportunity. I’m also very nervous, though, that they won’t see any potential in me. </p>

<p>Has anyone been through the process in recent years? Anyone newly accepted ED this year? Credentials and tips you have?</p>

<p>My son recently did the acting review in Atlanta. Not exactly the same thing but maybe this will help. There were two sessions that day and he was in the earlier one. There was only about a dozen kids which really surprised him. They did some basic group warm up and then he went into audition. Did his two monologues. Then the interview - mostly about which studio and why, and just some basic “life” questions. He thought it was more to see if he can carry on a conversation than to judge him on his answers. Easy peasy and nothing of note! Do your best and enjoy it. You can only control those two things :)</p>

<p>I have heard that you need to improvise some dance moves to your songs so be prepared to do so.</p>

<p>That’s what I’m most afraid of: The dance moves… Does anybody know how hard they judge your movements though I haven’t got a professional dance education. Is it just that they see that you can move ? @KoreeCat : How are your dancing skills?</p>

<p>My guess here – and it’s only a guess – is that they are trying to strip away the training to see the natural, expressive performer within each applicant, so that they are not basing decisions on what a student has already learned, but on what they might become.</p>

<p>@Alicelchen I guess your question about how hard they judge your moves in this year’s movement assessment won’t be known until this year’s applicants can comment. However, if it is any comfort to you right now, dance classes at NYU Tisch are leveled and there are freshman in the program this year who entered with little if any dance training. There are also many highly trained dancers as well as those in between. Extreme ends of the spectrum are not in the same class sections and you will fit in just fine regardless of your training because you’ll be put where you belong. That said if you can’t move at all, you might struggle in NYU’s dance classes and possibly MT in general at least while you are young and certainly expected to be able to move.</p>

<p>Not sure of what moving looks like at the Tisch audition but I do know of one school that asked for an improvised movement/dance in their group dance audition at (could have been U Miami).After doing some dance combinations they asked the group to dance (or move) like cowboys whatever that meant to them. My daughter was in a group of four. Two of the four were highly trained dancers who started doing their tricks and spins, the other had had limited dance training and struggled a bit and my daughter was somewhere in between. She took one look at the highly trained dancers and knew she would be foolish to compete with their moves so she decided her best bet was to “saddle up and get her cowboy on” and act the part as best she could. Not sure how much actual dancing she did but she did plenty of moving. The choreographer loved her and joined the final interview session raving to the other auditors about how well she had done. My suggestion is if you don’t dance, use the tricks you do have in your bag – act.</p>

<p>@Alicelchen I have 15 years of classical ballet training, though at a relaxed studio so I’m not anywhere near a pre-professional level. I have a small amount of jazz and tap training as well. I’m fairly well rounded as an artist, and thought musical theatre is my definite passion and calling I’ve only been in a few shows recently (7 specifically, though only 3 were musicals). Still, I’ll hold my own during auditions. I think I’m mostly worried they won’t like the way I look. I’m not particularly attractive and I have a horrible smile due to very bad teeth. </p>

<p>I’m just feeling very jittery I guess. 13 days and I keep flip-flopping on my song choices! I’m also confused on what they mean when they want us to add movement to one of our 32 bar cuts. </p>

<p>Oh and for anyone who knows, does the 32 cut have to be exact? I can’t find an exact cut that won’t seem weird.</p>

<p>So I thought I would come on here and share my audition experience with everyone. The SF auditions were very different than what I expected.</p>

<p>I arrived about twenty minutes before the time, for check in. I’m glad I was there early, but even if I’d only shown up five minutes before I would’ve been fine. There were about 20 people there with their parents and it was quiet, but not super tense. People were dressed in a variety of styles. I chose to wear a simple red dress (something that would allow for free movement, said something, but didn’t draw too much attention to my outfit). Some others were wearing jazz pants with nice shirts or sweaters. I saw some other adorable dresses and skirt outfits as well. As far as shoes go, I saw a couple pairs of dance shoes (including my jazz shoes) but most people seemed comfortable in their sneekers or other casual shoes. </p>

<p>At our time the admissions director for the Drama department came and checked us in on his iPad. Then he gave all of us, including parents, a very condensed description of the program and he did his best to motivate and relax us. The parents were escorted to a more comfortable lobby if they felt like waiting, so they the auditioners were left alone. We were separated into two groups, one for each acting room. We went upstairs for vocal warmups as a group (all squishing into a tiny elevator, it was quite hilarious) and got to warm up our voices and bodies.</p>

<p>Then we went back down to the lobby and we chatted while we waited for our individual turns. Each audition experience was individual and complete unique. I sung first, though most people did their monologues first. It was very informal, though in a mature way, and I simply walked into the room and greeted them, showed the pianist where I made my cuts and stood ready for them to ask me to start. She told me to go when I was ready, and I just did both songs. There was no need for introductions of the songs. And also the movement I had to add to the song was not a big deal either. She asked me if I still had chosen to be considered for all studios, and I confirmed. She was very polite and the pianist was a delite. We had to chat idly for a while because the iPad they were working off of didn’t work properly. </p>

<p>I waited for about a half an hour till my turn to do my monologues and then went into my designated room (there were two). Again, I informally greeted her and handed her my resume and headshot. She told me to go when I was ready and I did both, with a short pause in between them to gather my thoughts. She asked me to work my second one a different way just for fun, which I did happily. Then we sat down for a few minutes for the interview. It was pretty informal as well and very relaxed. She asked me about my training, about my favorite role, about my favorite academic subject, why I chose NYU and things like that. </p>

<p>All in all, it was really pleasant and everyone there was very polite and kind and acomodating. I hope that anyone else who is going to audition enjoys their experience as well!</p>

<p>I have not received any emails or notifications regarding my current admissions status. Has anyone else who is on the waitlist for BFA ACTING at Tisch received anything? Does anyone know when they will be notifying people? This is the most nerve wracking experience of my life!!! Anyone else agree??!</p>

<p>One of my students got off the waitlist about a week ago. She has to notify by May 13th so there might be another round of waitlist acceptances after that date. I don’t think she’s going to end up going (she got off a lot of waitlists) but I’m not sure.</p>