<p>I remember stressing obsively over this very issue last year. I decided to use the format given by one of the summer programs my daughter attended. The first page is her regular theatre resume and the second page is education. I know I broke the cardinal rule of resumes. In my defense they want all of this info on your kid. They also made the student fill out pages and pages of nonsense on the application. If they can’t look at another page of relevant experience then they are not worth the aggravation. She applied to 16 audition programs, she got into 8 and waitlisted at 4. The world didn’t end and none of the auditors heads exploded by having to look at a second page. So just an idea to make this year more manageable. If you do get it to one page and they get another part, and you know they will. You will have to continue to drop something else to fit in the new part.</p>
<p>There are so many really difficult things the students have to do as part of the audition process. Keeping a resume to one page, as is universally recommended, is relatively easy…so it really seems like something they should make an effort to do.</p>
<p>Well, I haven’t of course met bisouu’s daughter, who is the person who is going through all these auditions.</p>
<p>But one of the things that helps the most at auditions is CONFIDENCE. The auditioners are looking for someone who is comfortable going through the whole process, comfortable performing their monologues, can handle slight changes of plans, etc.</p>
<p>Or at least, someone who is a good enough actor that they seem confident.</p>
<p>Someone who comes in worried about absolutely everything is going to be giving off the wrong vibe. I’m just afraid that bisouu’s constant worrying about details might rub off on her daughter. Maybe I shouldn’t be worried, though.</p>
<p>Your idea is valid, KEVP, about parental worries getting passed on to the student. It does happen! It is just your delivery sometimes.</p>
<p>I will say, I thought of the character Brick from The Middle, when I saw your thought in parenthesis . . .</p>
<p>I guess it’s a matter of semantics. I don’t see it as stressing over every little detail but looking ahead at problems that may arise and circumventing them. That’s a daily occurrence as an educator. Especially when you are trying to herd cats (33 kindergarteners). My D has been through tons of auditions professional and school based and is very comfortable with the process. We tease her that she can successfully talk to a tree and get a response.</p>
<p>As her mom I am just covering our bases. I realize this process is often dynamic and she will need to be able to adapt and adjust as she goes along. I am not concerned about that. I am very comfortable with the way things are done in the professional setting, (i.e. protocol on set, addressing directors, AD’s, what resumes should look like etc ) It just seems that things are done differently for colleges and we just wanted to get it right. </p>
<p>Please if you think I am asking a stupid question just ignore me and I apologize for wasting anyone’s time. In the beginning I did not understand how this site worked and didn’t realize that many of the questions I asked were already answered in previous posts. Once I got that down I search things carefully to try and find my answer before posting. I thank you all for being willing to assist me. </p>
<p>As a single mom I don’t have anyone to really bounce these questions off of and when a question comes to mind I post before I think. I will be more selective on what to ask and hopefully won’t cause any drama…</p>
<p>We are happy to answer questions, and we all appreciate if someone searches the forum first. Some topics deserve to be brought up again, and we all remember when some of this was new and mysterious. We all aim to be patient with newbies, since we were all newbies once ourselves.</p>
<p>Practically none of us had anyone to bounce this off of when we went through auditions. I think your question of how to get a resume onto one page was valid and of use to lots of people - not just theatre people. I think the best takeaway was that the resume should spark interest. That’s the end-all of the topic. I have hired for high-level jobs where people have been working for 20 years, and I’d say it’s not impressive to see repetitive listings of similar work. It’s best to present a nutshell, with highlights that mean something to the job at hand. In this case, it’s not that someone has been “successful” (whatever that means - leads, dozens of shows, etc.) but that they are dedicated and would be a valuable addition to a theatre department.</p>
<p>Depending on the school - eg whether broad-based or purely Acting-focused - I would put tech, directing, writing, etc. These are topics that many programs hope the student will be interested in and give as much effort to as performing.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about wasting people’s time here. If a question or thread isn’t that interesting, it dies naturally. If someone doesn’t know how to search, we help them learn. About the only really frustrating things are when someone takes over a thread with a question on another topic (referred to as “hijacking”) or when someone is overly negative to other posters. But we try to guide people gently, as much as we can. There are rules on CC, and no one tolerates mean-spiritedness here.</p>
<p>There isn’t just one “protocol”. Nobody should be “programmed” with a single protocol and expect everything they see at the audition to fit that protocol. Just take things as they come. If you exude enough professionalism, they will understand if you are not familiar with their particular idiosyncratic protocol. They will feel forced to say “I’m sorry, I know this must seem strange to someone as professional as you, but I am afraid we need to . . .”</p>
<p>And they are looking for people who enjoy the process. The people who are excited about encountering something new and unexpected. The folks–not just bisouu–who post here and say “Oh no!! I need you tell me EXACTLY what is going to happen at the audition!!” are the ones I worry about whether they have what it takes. It’s an adventure. Feel free to be surprised. Relax and enjoy it.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>