<p>All of the conferences allow for Acting Only auditions. The difference at NETC is that they have a completely separate room for Acting Only auditions, so the companies in that room are specifically there to look for actors who may not sing. One thing to be aware of is that NETC gets many more applicants for the Musical Theatre audition room, and each year a number of applicants who apply for the Musical Theatre audition room are offered slots in the Acting Only room. </p>
<p>@KatMT, are the odds of getting a slot better at NETC if you ask for just acting? </p>
<p>It made me sad to see that in the original post some kids won’t even be looked at because of the university they attend. Wish it was more like the Voice and the kids were looked at blind…seems a bit unfair…but that is the business.</p>
<p>@jkellynh17 – I am not sure.</p>
<p>It seems to make sense for student applicants to apply for the Musical room if that is their preference, and hope to be offered a spot in the Acting Only room if not offered a spot in the Musical room. </p>
<p>If i remember you are from NH? If your son will be home on break when they are occuring, he may want to check out the NH Professional Theatre Auditions – <a href=“http://nhpta.org/?page_id=68”>http://nhpta.org/?page_id=68</a> – It does not look like they have updated for 2015. </p>
<p>Thanks @KatMT, he is indeed on break that week (it’s the final weekend – he’d have to leave directly from Boston to get back to school in time). I think he’s only coming home if he gets a slot at NETC. We also talked about the NH auditions (which look great), but I’m not sure he’d be back in time. He’s also waiting because of a possible conflict with a school show which has tech that weekend, so he may not do either or may be too late to get an audition. Always so many moving parts. @Bissou, I don’t see any college restrictions on the NETC form. It’s not that hard to get to Boston from NYC by train. </p>
<p>What I meant was that certain kids won’t be seen or called back because of the schools they attend have a bad reputation for being difficult to work with. It would be nice to audition without the auditors knowing what school you are from. Sad that they are penalized for past students’ bad behaviors. </p>
<p>That just doesn’t seem like something that the kids should worry about. If they have a fantastic audition, I doubt anyone’s going to hold other kids’ behavior against them. Also, if they blow it, I doubt anyone’s going to say, “well, that was awful, but since they’re from Belmont…” 
</p>
<p>I don’t know how to do the quote box, but here is what he/she said (The OP) </p>
<p>“There is another university, I won’t bad mouth anyone, that has talented kids but they are notoriously difficult to work with (they think that they are Elon, but they are further down the food chain, for sure) - and almost always I won’t call them back, regardless of talent.”</p>
<p>This is what made me sad to think kids are getting passed over because of other student’s poor behaviors…</p>
<p>OK, you got me, but that really sounds like one person with an ax to grind. FWIW, I do hear from my son that people get hired for the first job on talent, but for the second based on what they’re like to work with. So being a jerk is not a good idea in this or any other context. I also stand by my comment that our kids should not worry about this, shouldn’t even think about it. All they can control is the quality of their audition. </p>
<p>KatMt - Thanks for the link for the NH Professional Theatre Auditions. We are in Maine and if they hold auditions the same time this year it would be during my son’s break from Otterbein. I’m encouraging him to look for opportunities in the Northeast for summer.</p>
<p>I was hoping to get my S settled closer to home this summer, too, @entertainersmom. Devious, aren’t we? </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>For those in the midwest, the OTA (Ohio Theatre Alliance) auditions will be in mid-January at Muskingum University. MWTA (MidWest Theatre Auditions) will be 3rd weekend of February at Webster.</p>
<p>@KatMT - If you wouldn’t mind answering, I have a couple of questions for you regarding SETC screenings. Today S received his scores/feedback in the mail. I am curious as to who the screening auditors tend to be - are they theater educators? Professionals that might be in the position to hire actors? Working professionals in other aspects of theater? “Impartial” observers from other branches of the arts?
All of the feedback was helpful, a few comments were written, but mostly it was just the rubric numbers. Many of the scores were consistent across auditors, but some were in disagreement - hence the value of multiple auditors, I’m guessing. One such area was what I think was called “presentation”, and included attire, attitude, professionalism. I know the choice of audition attire for college auditions is a perennial discussion, but what do you advise your students to wear for screening auditions? And would it be the same for the final professional auditions? Almost all the women at the screening were wearing the proverbial jewel-tone knit dress with nude pumps, men generally in button-up shirts and khakis/dress pants. Is it better to stick with the uniform? (Perhaps S’s unusual color choice may have worked against him in one instance) Or, aside from not looking sloppy/inappropriate for age/type, does it matter? Does it vary among the different regions - Southeast, vs. Northeast vs. Midwest? @TheaterHiringCo - does it matter to the those of you that are doing the hiring?</p>
<p>@mom4bwayboy – the adjudicators for each screening location are chosen by the state, SETC, and the professional division. So, generally there is a mix of adjudicators, with most per region having experience with casing for professional theatre.</p>
<p>The adjudicators have so little time to comment that the rubric is often all there is time to fill out, with maybe a few comments. </p>
<p>I find that the audition conferences tend to be more conservative in terms of dress over all than auditions in NYC (and other cities) for particular shows. Attire for combined auditions tends to be closer to the norm for college auditions/ professional chorus calls for more classic shows. i think this is because the performers are dressing slightly more neutral in order to be seen as cast-able in a wider range of shows. </p>
<p>I have cast actors for professional theatre from combined auditions often… clothing only really comes in to play if it is distracting. Men tend to be generally in the clear unless they are dresses sloppily or in highly busy patterns. For women as long as they look for clothes that are not too short, heals that are not too high, and pattern that are not too busy, they should be fine.</p>
<p>Remember the goal is to be remembered for your work not your wardrobe. </p>
<p>When going in professionally for a particular show the “rules” are a little more flexible. Particularly if the show is more contemporary. </p>
<p>Always find a way to share a side of yourself. </p>
<p>My own two cents–you don’t have to wear that ‘uniform,’ although if you’re comfortable in it, go ahead. Totally agreed with KatMT that you should find a way to share a side of yourself while at the same time have the focus stay on you not your clothes/lack of clothes. </p>
<p>In my own limited experience, I’ve seen a few mistakes in wardrobes for combined auditions: 1. Hats. I think it’s a big mistake to wear one. Some people wear one to ‘stand out’ or be individual. I’d avoid. 2. Too-short skirts combined with too-high heels. It just looks like you’re trying to seduce the casting people. One year it seemed every young woman dressed in baby-doll flowery dresses with high heels, no matter what their figure. 3. Sloppy clothes, particularly shoes. But you don’t have to wear the beige shoes or khaki pants. You can wear whatever you feel expresses yourself as long as you can move freely. Also, sometimes they will ask for a certain era or style, or you can dress somewhat in that era or style if you want depending on the show.</p>
<p>Also, @JKellynh17, “I do hear from my son that people get hired for the first job on talent, but for the second based on what they’re like to work with.” Good point, but I actually would say talent is second, and first it’s what they’re like to work with. <em>So</em> many people are talented. And although it’s unfair, casting folks are people and people are emotional as in any job. People do agree to see people from a program they’ve had good experience with, and decline to see people from a program they dislike. I’ve seen this on several occasions. You can’t control that, but you can control how you behave. Definitely people do not get cast or even seen based on their reputation (drama off stage, arrogance, etc), and conversely get hired based on their reputation. If you have a personal referral you have much higher chance of being seen. So that’s in your control. I wouldn’t worry about the things that aren’t in your control, like what a particular casting person thinks of your program.</p>
<p>@KatMT and @connections, thank you so much for sharing your advice and experience.
OK, another “general” question for us newbies regarding these unified auditions. I’m guessing that for “older” (college junior/senior) and more experienced (have already done some summer stock/internships/professional work) auditionees, they go into a unified audition with some kind of preconceived idea of where they think/would like to be cast - but also what kind of job they are “willing to accept”. But I’m asking on behalf of younger/less experienced auditionees, who may consider themselves lucky to get any offers at all and are attending two or three unified auditions, how do you know WHEN to accept an offer? My thoughts have more to do with timing, rather than
“Is this job right for me and my circumstances?” - which would be a very personalized decision. If a college student is attending multiple auditions over a 2-month period and is given an offer at the very first audition, what kind of timeline is usually offered for saying “yes”? I’m thinking more about summer positions, rather than something year-round or touring - which again would have very individualized considerations. Do you say “yes”, but make it clear you are going to more auditions? Do you ask for time until all your auditions are completed? Do casting people “understand” that hiring for summer positions is somewhat “fluid” until audition season is over? Or do they try to “nail down” their cast ASAP? One scenario I am thinking of would be where the first offer that came through was for so little money that living/travel expenses would be more than the wages earned - it might be a good “experience”, but you are hoping to at least finish the summer in the black (perhaps this falls under the “individual circumstances category” and should not be factored into WHEN to say “yes”, because you should feel privileged to get ANY offers at all). And do summer internships come through these auditions, or is that another whole process entirely? Thanks in advance for your time in answering.</p>
<p>I was reading on the Strawhats page most theatres want a decision very quickly, I was wondering a lot of the same things. </p>
<p>Casting is not like the college audition timeline in terms of a “national reply date.” Companies will ask the actors to make a decision generally in 2 days to 1-week. Sometimes, if it is early in the audition season and they also have lots of auditions coming up they may give more time, but generally they want the answer quickly. That way they know what roles they are still trying to fill as they continue to go to auditions.</p>
<p>Auditionees should research theatres (at least the ones that were there the previous year if this years are not posted), and their seasons. Going into auditions with a basic idea of what the theatres are doing that years is good. You never know who will call you back, but at least it may give you an idea of what to prepare and you will have a basic knowledge of the companies before auditioning. A smart phone or tablet for quick research on site before going to callbacks is a good idea of possible. All auditionees also get a packet of information detailing the company basics in terms of season, location, and compensation (or fees if it is a training program or tuition-ed internship).</p>
<p>Looking at offers the following way can be helpful to sort through the pros and cons (1) Compensation/ (2) Artistic Development/ (3) Professional Development. Most jobs will have one or two out of the three… very few will have all three at this stage of the game… although in a perfect world </p>
<p>ex.</p>
<p>Offer A: Theme Park – Compensation – high/ Artistic Development – low to middle/ Professional Development – middle</p>
<p>Offer B: AEA Shakespeare Company (playing small roles/ covering larger roles) – Compensation – low/ Artistic Development – high/ Professional Development – high</p>
<p>Offer C: Non-AEA Summer Stock company (playing roles) – Compensation – middle/ Artistic Development – high/ Professional Development – middle to high</p>
<p>These are VERY general, and (honestly), personal value based estimations. there are lots of things that go into the different estimations… Compensation – housing provided? meals provided? travel assistance? Artistic Development – what kinds of skills would you like to develop that summer? how does the job play into your long term goals as an artist? Are there any kinds of masterclass opportunities offered? Professional Development – Who will you be working with? Does the job offer EMC points? Everyone will have a few of their own personal things to throw in as well including things like timing of contract, distance from family and friends, location, schedule, etc… </p>
<p>Rarely will a performer have all offers on the table before having to make a decision. However, they will know what callbacks they have had, and it is acceptable once you have an offer to politely email the other companies that called you back simply to re-indicate that you are very interested in their season, and have another offer that needs to know by X date. Ask if it is possible for them to let you know if you are still in consideration and if so, approximately when they will be making offers. As a producer/ casting person for a professional summer theatre I received emails like that all the time, and was always happy to let them know. Sometimes my answer was I would not know for another two+ weeks, and in those instances the actor usually took the offer in hand, rather than turning in down in hope that we would make them an offer. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” </p>
<p>The other thing I recommend when choosing whether or not to take an offer is to imagine yourself at the time when you would be doing this job if you were to take it. If you turn it down, and have no other offers you prefer would you be kicking yourself when working at you “survival job” or would you feel that you made the right choice for you. </p>
<p>Long winded response… but, hopefully it is helpful!</p>
<p>PS. many companies at these auditions are looking for interns (to answer that questions). It really all just depends. </p>
<p>That is such a thought-provoking answer, @KatMT. Let’s hope our kids are all so lucky as to have enough offers that they need to think about these things. </p>