<p>Warning: it's a long message, and cc.com has told me that it's too long for one post. So I'll break it in two. Herewith part one:</p>
<p>Since our first audition is a week from Saturday, I thought it might relieve some anxiety for students and parents if I described our process. Ive written about aspects of this in many places over the last year, but it may be helpful to put it all in one document.</p>
<p>On-campus</p>
<p>We ask everyone to arrive by 7:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. I wish we could start later, but there are just too many things to do. We start in the Battelle Fine Arts Center, which houses our largest dance studio and the Music Departments recital hall. Families are met by Harriet Hill, our department assistant, whom many of you have talked to about arranging the audition, and Debbie Byrne, our new Admissions liaison. We do provide food and water. </p>
<p>At 8:30, the auditioners join Stella Kane, our Director of Dance, in the dance studio. She spends about 15 minutes leading everyone through a warm-up, then spends the next 20 minutes teaching the group a jazz routine. Intermediate level, not higher. She then looks at everyone in groups of four. She asks about previous training, and will ask those with training to demonstrate their technique, pirouette, pull backs, whatever theyve studied. Weve talked about how other schools do very difficult dance calls, and we dont see the point. Stella can tell about someones dance training in about 30 seconds, just as a good voice teacher can hear voice training from scales. (We dont need to hear Glitter and Be Gay to recognize a coloratura.) Also, were not interested in demonstrating how challenging our program is, or intimidating auditioners. We want to see their best work, and we believe well see that if we can make them comfortable enough to take risks.</p>
<p>At 9:30 we gather everyone in the recital hall for an information session, which I lead with Dennis Davenport, my colleague from the Music Department. Hes a pianist, composer, and conductor. We try to describe all aspects of the program, curriculum (theatre, dance, music and Integrative Studies) and productions, internships and showcase, in 25 minutes. It really cant be done, but we talk fast. Well, I do. Hes from Tennessee.</p>
<p>(We also try to remember to thank the parents for supporting their kids in what they want to do. We are acutely aware that we wouldnt be able to put our kids through college if you werent choosing to put your kids through college.)</p>
<p>Then we divide the auditioners in half. One group goes off to take the music test. Its pretty simple. We want to know if students can match pitches and rhythms, and if they can read music. We have admitted students who cant read, but not students who cant match pitch. We dont do a piano test. Students admitted to the program will be placed appropriately when they arrive. </p>
<p>The theory test doesnt take too long, and we try to arrange tours of our theatre facilities after the test. Our proscenium theatre, Cowan Hall, has just undergone a $1.4 million renovationnot a lot of money, but we spent almost all of it on acoustics, and the change is remarkable. I cant wait for those of you whove visited before to hear the difference.</p>
<p>The other group stays in the recital hall to do their vocal and acting auditions. They get to hear each other. Weve occasionally thought about changing that. But there are some advantages, including having a supportive audience. The kids really support each another. And we think its good to have someone besides two late-middle-aged white guys for them to play to.</p>
<p>We have a professional accompanist, Eileen Huston, who will have looked over the students music before the audition (while theyre dancing). She knows all the standard pieces, but if she has questions, Harriet Hill will get Mrs. Huston together with the students to answer them. In any case, students have a minute with Mrs. Huston on stage before they do their audition.</p>
<p>The audition for us is 16 bars of a ballad, 32 bars of an up-tempo, and a monologue, preferably from a play, the total not to exceed four minutes. These are guidelines, not rigid rules. If the first verse of a ballad is 18 or 20 bars, thats fine. But we dont need to hear all 19 verses of Green finch and linnet bird. Students are free to do the pieces in whatever order they wish. I recommend that they lead with their strongest piece. In theatre, as in court, primacy is the rule. Human beings remember the first 15 seconds of a new event more than any other part of an experience.</p>
<p>Harriet keeps time. We give auditioners a grace period, but we do stop them if they go past 4:30. By then weve heard what we need to hear. Other than for going over on time, we dont stop actors in the middle of their auditions. Theres no deduction for this; its not ice skating.</p>
<p>We videotape all the auditions, because we want to go back and look carefully at the end of the audition season. More about this later.</p>
<p>At the back of the recital hall are several people: me; Dennis Davenport; Stella Kane; Dennis Romer, our Artistic Director; and Karen Eckenroth, Director of Vocal Music. Debbie Byrne and Harriet sit in as well. Other schools put faculty in different rooms; I guess they rate students separately and combine scores later. But we like to watch the students together, because after theyre all done, we get to talk about them. We dont always agree, but I have confidence in our collective judgment. Another reason for having everyone together is that we can discuss appropriate placements for each student. Some will be right for Musical Theatre, others for Acting, or Vocal Music, or the Dance minor, or the BA Theatre program. We dont necessarily know enough from the audition, but we can make initial assessments and then follow up in the interview. </p>
<p>While the students are auditioning or taking the theory test, we hold sessions for parents in another building. One is about student life, and the other is about financial aid. We try to help. We also find it helps to have parents elsewhere when their kids audition.</p>
<p>At around 11:30, we switch groups, and starting around 1:15, Dennis Davenport and I begin interviewing each student. We may only get 7 or 8 minutes with each one, but we find out a lot in that time. Well talk to them about their dreams, their previous training, their favorite role, what they see as their strengths and weaknesses, what they hope to learn in college, why theyre interested in us, where else theyre applying. (Its no sin to be applying lots of placesas anyone reading this board knows, no one can afford to put all their eggs in one basket.) Then we may do some work. I may do some actor-coaching, Dr. Davenport may suggest singing a song at a different tempo or in a different style, whatever we think will help the student connect to the piece in a deeper way. We dont choose to work with everyone; it depends on what we think we need to know. If weve seen it all in the audition and the interview, that will be enough. Theres no point in trying to read into he worked with me, he didnt work with me in terms of your chances of being admitted.</p>
<p>We provide lunch in the Campus Center either before or after the interview. And thats it. Students and their families are free after the interview. If students have to get home for a performance that evening, all they have to do is let Harriet know that, and shell rearrange the interview times. We do encourage people to stay if we have a performance in the eveningits one of the best ways for you to assess our programbut we realize that not everyone can.</p>
<p>Continued....</p>