Performing in college productions

<p>HI, I'm new to the forum. My D is going to apply to MT for next year and I am wondering how to figure out the process for getting to be in productions at the different colleges. Do the musical theater majors get to perform automatically? Are auditions open to all students? I've been looking on the websites and I can't seem to figure it out. I know it will be different for each school. Any help would be appreciated.</p>

<p>I know at OCU all MT and VP majors are REQUIRED to audition for every show, be it musical or opera. No one is automatically cast. Some are cast over and over and some rarely, if at all. The experience of auditioning is part of the education! :)</p>

<p>At BoCo, you are only required to audition if you are on scholarship. MT majors do not automatically get to perform in each show. They must audition for any show. In fact, there is no guarantee that they get to do any shows.</p>

<p>Syracuse does not allow freshmen to perform; they want students to focus on classes for the first year. After the first year, all students are required to audition for the next semester’s productions. There are no performance requirements, and no guarantees that students will be cast; however, each semester there are about 30 productions, including main stage, black box, and Equity productions, so chances are pretty good that students will be cast in something.</p>

<p>Freshman at UMich are not allowed to audition the first semester of freshman year, but are required to audition after that for the experience of auditioning. There are no performance guarantees, but many opportunities to perform. Most mainstage Musical Theatre productions are not open outside the department.</p>

<p>At UArts, fall semester freshman may audition for vacancies in the fall shows that occurred during the summer but are not required to do so (and are rarely cast). Thereafter, freshman (as well as all students) must audition each semester for the next semester’s shows. If not cast in a school production, students must audition during the semester for student directed 1 acts.</p>

<p>At Roosevelt CCPA, each MT and acting student is required to be in a show each semester, whether it be a main stage or a studio theatre cabaret style show. The only way a student does not get cast in something is if they ask to be removed from the casting pool if they are in a professional show/have an internship or for personal reasons.</p>

<p>Thanks so much! I’d love to hear more if anyone knows about other programs. You are all amazing resources BTW.</p>

<p>At Elon, all BFA Music Theatre majors are required to audition for all musicals and plays beginning as soon as they get to campus as freshman. There are also dance productions throughout the year that they can audition for if they choose, but it is no longer a requirement I don’t think. BFA acting majors are required to audition for plays, and can audition for the musicals if they choose. Any other majors can also audition, but usually don’t because it is so difficult to be cast. BA Theatre majors and dance majors are occasionally cast. There is no guarantee of being cast, even for the MT and acting majors. Some kids are cast over and over again as leads just like the real world.</p>

<p>Freshman are not allowed to audition at Point Park and must tech one main-stage production.
Auditions are open to everyone and scholarship students must audition as well. Many opportunities and casting is just like the real world.</p>

<p>Freshmen MT students at Indiana audition for shows. In addition, many B.A. in Theatre and drama students audition and are cast in both straight shows and musicals. MT students and students from the incredible Jacobs School of Music auditioned and were cast in the upcoming Jacobs School of Music production of “West Side Story,” part of their Opera and Ballet Theatre season. In addition, Indiana University students are frequently seen in productions at the Brown County Playhouse, near Bloomington, IN, and with the Cardinal Stage Company in Bloomington. For those particularly gifted in and interested in dance, there are many dance productions as well.</p>

<p>At James Madison University freshmen may audition for all productions.</p>

<p>Students in the Musical Theatre Concentration are required to complete at least one mainstage theatrical performance practicum before they graduate.</p>

<p>Between the mainstage theatrical productions, operas and opera scenes in the school of music, studio musical productions, and student directed productions (including the annual 10-minute play festival), there are generally four - five musical productions per year, nine - eleven plays per year, and two - three opera/ opera scene performances per year.</p>

<p>All students at JMU may audition for all campus performance opportunities.</p>

<p>At Florida State we utilize a general audition format in the School of Theatre (one general audition serves for all productions that semester and each show does callbacks from those.) The MT students are required to audition each semester beginning in the freshman year. Auditions are open to all students in all programs. MT students can be cast in both musicals or non-musicals. In addition, they frequently will audition separately for the operas and dance concerts. Our only restriction is that they may only commit to one production per semester in order to try to avoid issues with over-scheduling.</p>

<p>At CMU, the first two years of our program are extremely rigorous, so the freshman and sophomores are not allowed to audition for any main stage productions. That’s not to say though that they don’t get the opportunity to perform at school.
For example, we’re in the midst of something amazing right now called Playground, where each year kids propose hundreds of proposals of theater and only about 70 or so get selected for a school wide theater festival. We shut down a week of classes and just rehearse and perform theater for 24 hrs a day. Anyone is allowed to be a part, and anyone is allowed to propose within the school of drama. Everything is proposed such as new plays, new musicals, art installation, etc ,and some of the work here is the best work i’ve seen people ever do here!
That’s just one of many incredible opportunities that the underclassman get, and then once you hit March of your Sophomore year, you audition for the following years season. You are pretty much guaranteed a part of substance only because the classes are so small and we do a multitude of works each season!</p>

<p>At Muhlenberg, any student from the school may audition for shows. However, students have to complete at least 10 service hours (crew, strike, concessions, etc.) each year or they won’t be allowed to audition the next year. Students are also only allowed to be in two shows, or one show and a studio class per semester.</p>