<p>So I've always wanted to do drama and this summer my parents were finally on board and I auditioned and am currently enrolled in an intermediate acting class (they say I'm pretty good). However I'm 16, a junior, in high school and have no prior acting experience aside from elementary school under my belt. So what are the chances of me even getting accepted as a drama major with little experience ? I'm applying to stella adler in the winter and I'm planning to audition for things like crazy but my first interview/audition (uncsa) is in april and I don't believe I could get that much experience in before then. Any tips or stories about people getting accepted with little experience ?</p>
<p>And by uncsa I mean the high school program if that makes a difference</p>
<p>The UNCSA high school drama program is looking at a student’s talent, potential for growth as an artist, and ability to be a part of an ensemble / team. Choose audition material that you feel connected to. Make sure you have read the entire play that your monologue is from at least once, ideally 4 times. Most importantly, be willing to put yourself out there and make no apologies for who you are. The ensemble is made up of students from a wide variety of backgrounds and experience levels so your inexperience will not be held against you. Keep in mind this is a very rigorous program. You will be working from 8am to 9 or 10pm Monday - Friday plus you’ll have Saturday rehearsals. Sunday is your only “free” day and you’ll have homework & laundry to do. It is a truly amazing and transformative program. Best wishes to you.</p>
<p>My impression is that experience has surprisingly little value for auditioned college programs. Your resume can be amazing but those few minutes in the audition room are what really count. I’d continue to work on my craft and keep auditioning. Don’t let rejection throw you, just keep learning, working, and trying. If you don’t get into UNCSA high school that means nothing about your chances at college auditions. Of course any experience you get will help you grow as an actor, but you’re not starting too late. </p>
<p>The one thing I would say though, is-- think hard about whether this is something you want to dedicate yourself to, full time, for four years. It is hard work, much more time-consuming than most majors, and you can’t usually just decide to change your major, as a BA student can. I’d look to get more experience so you can test your theory that this is what you want to devote your education to.</p>
<p>Prior experience is only relevant to the extent that experience helps makes the two minutes of audition better. Colleges are not make their choices past on comparing resumes. If you have a resume that is so completely empty - e.g never been in a single show – that they wonder if you’re actually interested in theater, I suppose it could be a factor but that would be a pretty unusual case. </p>