<p>So is it appropriate to send a thank you note after an audition? Cincinnati's website specifically mentions that it is a good idea to send a thank you note to any program a person is especially interested in. But how about other schools? Don't want to brown-nose, but if the schools expect a thank you note and we don't send one, that's not good either. Anyone????</p>
<p>This is actually one of the best questions and one I have wanted to know an answer to.
In my opinion it truly matters on the school. I feel a school that receives a high volume of applicants the thank you would not play any factor into the decision (CMU, CCM, etc…).
I think if you felt a true connection and had a genuine conversation then it could be a good idea.
I would just look at the situation and see what you think you are trying to gain from the thank you. If it is to help make a better impression it will not play a role in the decision.</p>
<p>In the professional world and in NYC, YES!!! SEND THEM!! I have met many casting directors and agents who say to most definitely keep a connection and perhaps send a hand-written thank you as they are more likely to read that over an email. Again, this is from Broadway casting directors and current Broadway professional actors. (TELSEY, BINDER, NETWORKS, RUBIN, CLEMMONS/DEWING)</p>
<p>It is not considered brown nosing to send a hand written thank you note or email after an audition for a school.</p>
<p>It may or may not play a role in the decision, but it certainly can not hurt.</p>
<p>Where I teach we attach all thank you notes and email to the student file.</p>
<p>Very Good to know, thank you Kat.</p>
<p>When often you see multiple auditors which may or may not include the head of the department, who exactly would the thank you be sent to?</p>
<p>While it’s true it’s common practice to thank casting companies and agents after an audition (particularly screen auditions), it is not common practice to thank a theatre you specifically auditioned for. </p>
<p>So KatMT, this is great info to have–it’s acceptable for college auditions, and the school puts such notes in the file. So I second halflokum’s question. Last year, my D simply could not figure out whom to send the thank you note to. In only one audition was there a meaningful, extended personal interaction from the program heads/teachers that made it feel more appropriate to her to send the note. In all the others, it was more or less the equivalent of a cattle call–tons of students, quickly in, quickly out, lots of sitting around. In some there was a tour by current students or a general speech given by more nameless program people. In only one program did they introduce themselves and explain what their relationship to the program was. </p>
<p>So should she then write to the head of the theatre program though she hadn’t met him/her? The nameless auditors? The current students? She thought it should be the head of the program and a general thank you for her experience, mentioning the current students and any positives she had had, plus reiterating why she wanted to go. But she felt sort of awkward about it I think because it was so nameless. </p>
<p>Would that have been the right format? Any advice? Thanks!</p>
<p>^^^… the panel of current students that did Q&A’s or led tours of the department, the accompanist whose name you were never given and on and on. Connections, you got the essence of my question. Last year most of the time it just wasn’t obvious and because of that, my daughter largely didn’t send thank yous with the exception of a couple of cases where it was obvious and she was presented with business cards of all involved.</p>
<p>Yes, halflokum, same here. Same experience. The thing is, thank you notes imply a personal interaction. But if you have no personal interaction, and no one bothers to introduce themselves or explain what their relationship is, then the entire thing feels very impersonal and not conducive to personal thank you notes. In only one audition did my D feel the interaction was personal. Then she wrote a thank you. </p>
<p>Should she have sent the personal note anyway? What would she say? “Thank you for the opportunity to audition for you,” explain what’s special about the program, and sign off? And would this be to the program head she never met? Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>I send thank you notes to schools that are my top choices and talk how about how great it was to audition for them and include something personal. Short and sweet.</p>
<p>Where I teach a personal interview is part of the audition, so it would be clear who to send to.</p>
<p>At places where this is not the case a note could be sent to one of the auditors in the room or to the program head to pass along to the rest of the faculty.</p>
<p>I am also the Artistic Director of a professional summer theatre and often receive thank you notes. </p>
<p>We just brought in a guest artist to JMU who talked about sending thank you notes directly to theatres (if they do their own casting) and casting directors (when they are the primary casting contact).</p>
<p>None of this is a “rule” … there are no “rules.” A thank you note will never hurt. However, if you really feel like you would be hard presses to think of anything to say, it is certainly not necessary or even expected.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>
<p>I typically encourage my students to send thank you notes after auditions, and wherever possible, include a personal reference to their audition (e.g. I appreciate the time you spent working with me on “Ten Minutes Ago” and found your insights to be extremely helpful). As has been said, it doesn’t hurt, and my personal belief on it is that it encourages the habit that is typically a best practise anywhere in the professional world. The student should be aware of who to send the note(s) to as most of the faculty they worked with during their audition will have introduced themselves.</p>
<p>I just don’t think it is as easy as you think. (Or connection’s daughter and my daughter hit all of the same schools). You’d have to literally stop the audition, ask if you could please write down their names and contact info to get the names straight and when they are moving people through, it would be pretty disruptive to do so. But absolutely when there was something personal and intimate like KatMT is describing, it is a no brainer. I think only 2 of my daughter’s auditions were anything close to that.</p>
<p>^^This was good timing for my son and me, as he had started writing thank-you notes for his final audition and was planning to send them today…at several schools, the auditors didn’t introduce themselves or give a card, so he is only writing to those who DID give their names and with whom he had real interactions. Very helpful to hear that this is the right thing to do, as we had wondered with some schools whether it would be pointless or seen as schmoozing (technical term, right?). At other schools–including the one where KatMT teaches–the conversations were positive and extensive and the faculty members introduced themselves, so it was clearly appropriate to write. Thanks for bringing this up!</p>
<p>I called some schools to ask who their auditors were and they told me the names.</p>
<p>I see what you’re saying, halflokum. If a student auditions at a school and they had no interaction with the faculty and no one gave their name, then I guess I could suggest trying to glance through the website and see if the faculty listing include photos (or do as dreambelle suggested and call) and go from there, and if not, then don’t worry about it. If it’s possible to send a thank you note, even without some type of personal connection or experience, I just personally think it’s a good habit to get in to - even it’s very simple. I also take your point that it’s not always possible, and that’s fine too.</p>
<p>I knew it was a good habit and after seeing it mentioned in “I Got In”, I advised my daughter to do so. But it just turned out to not be as easy as it seemed so eventually she decided in the greater scheme of things, she couldn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>@dreambelle13, are you the student or the parent? Between the 3 hours time difference between west and east coast (meaning any time after school here is after hours there), and getting the right person on the line that actually knew the answer (and often the person who knew was still off doing auditions somewhere else) it just wasn’t easy. I debated offering to track it down for her but feared whatever positive impression a school might get from a personal thank you note from her it would be offset by getting a call from mom which felt inappropriate to me. MTCoach advising your students to do as I also advised my daughter doesn’t necessarily mean they did so because undoubtedly many of them ran into the same problem. Again, I"m in favor of the practice but I don’t think it is something to panic over if the circumstances are unfavorable.</p>
<p>I logged onto to CC this morning to ask this question and start this thread! But here it is already rolling. My ds was given some cards and had several chats and personal interactions during and after his auditions as well as a couple of follow-up e-mails from faculty (which makes replying to the right person easy). So he is following up on all these and will continue to based on the vibe he had in the room and his interest in the school. I figured this all would fall under the category of “demonstrated interest” which is something that is important in the process as far as I’ve read. </p>
<p>How about card vs. e-mail? We replied to the e-mails with an e-mail. But I am starting to think that a hand-written note might be a nice thing, especially with the schools who will be making decisions in a month or so.</p>
<p>Ewanes - I personally think an email is just as good as a hand written note. I’m open to being disagreed with here, but I believe the thank you is more of a courtesy and display of professionalism, and also not a make-or-break factor in the decision process. Suffice it to say, an email should cover the purpose. If your daughter has the time and motivation/desire to hand write notes, by all means, but not something I’d go out of the way to do.</p>
<p>halflokum, I’m a student on the east coast. I usually call the School of Performing Arts and they get me in contact with the Drama dept who tells me which faculty were at the audition. I see no problem with a parent doing it because the person on the phone never asks what your name is or any personal info.</p>
<p>Thanks MTCoach, that’s good to know. E-mail is definitely easy and faster and more convenient. Honestly, the thing that would be hardest with a handwritten note would be a neat script. Kids just don’t write longhand much anymore, well, except for class notes, so mine is not super practiced and comes from a long line of scrawlers in terms of penmanship.</p>