@AnxiousNovice thanks for sharing that information. It does not make me feel better - I don’t want these brave and talented kids not being selected. But it does help paint a more complete picture. I can relate to the feelings you are having. We had a super rough start to the auditions this year and redid everything late in the game. My kid actually ended up changing everything from audition outfit to songs and learned a new monologue just before unifieds because it was such rough start. Things are a little bit better as a result of these changes, but definitely still not where my kid was hoping to be. I hate that our last few months together are going to be so fraught with stress and a bit of sadness from the suffering that is happening around these auditions. Good luck to all!
@LinnyLou , @AnxiousNovice , and all going through this right now, I am so sorry. There has been so much good advice here, all I can add is hugs and prayers for something to turn around soon.
@Anxiousnovice Round of applause to YOU ~ I cannot even IMAGINE doing this again… I am EXHAUSTED
@linnyloo - It sounds like your D is independant and a self-starter, it also sounds like she is both passionate and stubborn. All of these are great traits but - this process isn’t one that is best done alone. All of us can attest to the fact that the application process was a group effort - most parents have difficulty not using the first person plural when talking about it “We auditioned here and we loved it!”, lol. Here’s a suggestion to break the ice with your D : ask her to listen to something you have to say and not discuss it for a bit. Tell her that you’re really proud of how hard she’s worked and impressed at what she’s done on her own. Tell her also that you’ve learning that most MT applicants have adult help and there are whole systems - prep classes, coaches, mock auditions - in place to prepare applicants for these auditions. Tell her you feel badly she didn’t have access to these resources and if, when the decisions are all in, she’s not happy with her options, you would like to sit down with her and review what kinds of outside help you could get her for next year. Then leave it and let that be absorbed. She may be feeling mortified and depressed that her hard work hasn’t paid off and giving her something new to think about “Hey! Other people had help! If I had help maybe I would have gotten different results!” might bring her around to involving you in her process and deciding if the next 8 months are best spend preparing for another round. This is a team effort, truly and she probably spiked her own guns by going it “alone”. I hope things improve soon!!!
I just wanted to throw out there again for people still waiting for a “yes” that WVU (West Virginia University) has a new MT BFA. My daughter auditioned digitally, by just sending them her prescreen videos and resume, and she got accepted with a healthy scholarship package. I JUST got an email from them saying they are actively trying to grow the program, that they are still accepting auditions from interested students, and that they have scholarship $ available! Just thought that’s an easy way to widen that net if you’re still fishing.
And I’ll throw this out without any knowledge of whether it’s true for this year - in the past Sam Houston State has been an MT school that accepted late applications. One of the class of 2022 transferred there from an east coast program and is quite happy. If you’re in TX and short of good options, it’s worth a phone call.
For juniors and younger reading this thread, have your kid shadow someone who is going through the process the year ahead. That way, your kid can see how hard it is for a talented peer that they respect and admire and it helps adjust expectations. My D’s mentor was extremely academically talented and headstrong, fought her parents (and herself) the whole way. She applied to all reach schools and was shut out. My D benefitted from this and widened her list (a little, should have done more! It was harrowing.)
Parents, you’ve already taken the first step, here at CC. Adopt some parent mentors early, too!
Accept all the help you can get - wherever you can get it. And then you can pay it forward for others.
I hope this is helpful for everyone. If not for this year, then for future.
This is the first time I have been through auditions in about 8 years (the last time I had a kid go through) and I can honestly say they have changed substantially. For the future (and for gap year kids for next year), I highly recommend a college audition prep workshop in the Dallas area run by Tracy Jordan (College Audition Prep Weekend). I know of Tracy (he used to run the Dallas Summer Musicals High School Musical Awards and training workshops) and he has built a pretty amazing workshop. He brought in Kaitlin Hopkins from Texas State (and one of the voice faculty, Michael Maresca), Bob Westerberg from Missouri State, Dean Nolan from Texas Tech, Ashton Byrum from U Oklahoma, Dr. Harry Parker from TCU and their counterparts from U Central Oklahoma, Baylor, Abilene Christian, Samford and more. Additionally, Dave Clemmons also was there and a few others.
What was great about this workshop was that it was EARLY. In summer!! And the students had the opportunity to try out their prescreen and live audition material in front of some of the schools and people they wanted to hear and see them. They got REAL feedback and some of it was harsh (“your screlting is hurting my ears,” “no man should sing a children’s song for an audition” (this was “The Kite” from You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown), “who are YOU as a performer?? with these songs you have chosen, I can’t tell. Your theatrical resume does not match these songs.” “That song is overdone. If you aren’t going to be the best one we hear, choose something else.”) but it was ENORMOUSLY helpful and all left there (two seniors and two juniors) feeling that they had some info to get started with. The two seniors ended up changing all of their music but not the monologues (kudos for that) and also got some additional insights on their capabilities. (Kaitlin Hopkins told the young man he should also look at film, she thought he would do very well in film acting. Not something he had considered.) This year it is going to be in Denton, Texas at Texas Women’s University. They are offering an Intensive also with masterclasses and prescreen filming, but (and this is just my opinion), I feel it is in reverse order. After they had their weekend of critiques, they needed time to go work and find new material based on the feedback they got. They spent about 4-6 weeks working on new cuts, etc. Not ready to film prescreens yet.
I know there are similar workshops in other areas, but I can’t vouch for any of them, but I was there the entire weekend and watched it firsthand and can honestly say it was very worth it!
Also - they both signed up with College Audition Prep for consulting packages that would allow them to attend the CAP Atlanta auditions in November. That audition was a great experience. If for no other reason than to get some of their jitters out and get used to the flow and pace and stress. Some of the same people they saw at the workshop were at CAP Atlanta. (Some of the auditions in Atlanta are live prescreen, some are first & final). They got to see how they listened to them and revised their material and approach and resulted in callbacks based on that!
Then, the following week was NTDA in North Texas and saw some of them for a third time! Some that had not given callbacks in Atlanta gave them there. Skip to Chicago Unifieds and a few they got to see for a fourth and final time (plus there were some on-site auditions at some schools who didn’t do NTDA or Unifieds) and some of those have turned into acceptances.
Does anyone know when (today 3/2) Molloy is sending emails? I’m about to lose my mind with this whole thing. We didn’t get the letter on Friday / Saturday. So that’s good. Mail doesn’t come til late afternoon. Hate being in limbo like this…
@rickle1 I hear after 6pm!
@MTnervousmom Thanks. Geez just do it already! I need a break and/or a drink. One of these days I’ll actually focus on work…good thing I’m not a doctor 
@rickle1 you need to sign up for the USPS notifications! They send you an email around 8 a.m. will scanned images of the mail that will be in your box that day! Yes, I have turned into THAT mom. LOL!!! My excuse is that we have community mailboxes that have been getting broken into quite a bit. It allows me to see what is suppose to be in my box. And if I also get to see if there is a specific letter from a specific school, then so be it. 
Also - two other close-to-Texas programs you might consider for late submission. West Texas A & M has a VERY strong theatre program. One of my leads in Hairspray didn’t cast the net big enough a few years ago (only applied and auditioned for a couple of schools) and I recommended she look there. And she got in and has been thrilled with the experience. I see her posting news and updates and it seems to be a great fit for her. Another one we saw going through auditions is fairly new. Oklahoma State University is trying to start a new MT program. They have always had theatre, I think? But this MT program is fairly new. All of the Oklahoma schools we have encountered have had great programs (OU, OCU, UCO) and both of my kids talked to their director at CAP and NTDA and were a little excited about their enthusiasm and plans.
Completely agree with @onette re these summer audition classes. We did one in Orlando (kids from all over the country) run by Tim Eivenicki (sp?). He’s great! Had approx 10 schools (Tx St, BW, Carnegie, Umich, Nazareth, Point Park, etc) for a full week of masterclasses and mock auditions with real critiques (on paper). I remember one day D called us in tears (those are fun calls) to tell us that all the schools hate her material. She was exaggerating but essentially told her we love your voice, but that song won’t get a lot of attention. Being bullheaded, she used it anyway, just a different cut for a few auditions and then switched over to something different.
These camps are pretty expensive so may not be realistic for lots of folks. We chose to invest in that vs. going to see schools (like a normal college search and one that we did with our older son). Decided to leave school visits to after being accepted because what’s the point if they say no. We didn’t think a visit would really determine where she applied.
The feedback was great!
^ The College Audition Program.
BTW - Tim is a super nice guy, very knowledgeable, and great with the kids. A side benefit was at CHicago Unifieds he hosted a dinner party for "all his kids). At least 50 showed for a pizza party at a cool restaurant. Just made it more enjoyable!
Stepping back for a moment. As a Partner in a management consulting firm, and studying various types of business models for over 20 years, I am absolutely fascinated on the cottage industry that is MT / Acting prepping and auditioning, and the associated perception and revenue streams that go along with it.
In a simplistic (and sarcastic) nutshell, it can be summarized like this…through a fictional girl’s journey from middle school:
– Age 12, girl decides she wants to try theater
– Girl tries out for middle school play. Gets cast in ensemble. Learns she has some singing and acting ability. Has been taking ballet for 2 years, and that is relevant
– Parents decide to cultivate and support this. They put her in voice lessons to complement ballet, and encourage her to try out for more productions
– High school comes around and girl is thinking she wants to do this more seriously. Gets involved in HS theater, but also community theater. Continues voice and dance lessons. Does 3-5 productions a year. Maybe more
– Sophomore year, girl realizes that she should do a summer program of some kind. Starts researching. Applies to 3-5 programs (universities, Broadway Dreams, etc.). Attends a 3-4 week program in the summer
– Junior year, summer program was great and has helped her reaffirm this is what she wants to do. In addition to productions, parents now hire Acting coach to go along with voice and dance. Girl studies for SAT, and keeps up grades, all while also researching and applying to 3-5 more summer programs. Attends 6-8 week program in the summer after junior year
– Senior year starts and the real work begins. Parents and D make list of ~25 schools she will apply to. With coaches, they pick out pre-screen material. Have them professionally done (along with headshots, resumes, etc.). They shoot the pre-screens and try to have all college apps (including essays) in by October 15th (or so). Balancing AP classes, productions, senior project…and a social life…and God forbid a part-time job. Parents pay all application fees and audition fees…happily
– 20 of the 25 schools required pre-screens, 3 are straight audition, and 2 are BA safety schools. Girl hears back that she has been academically accepted 18 of these within a few months. She passes 13 of the 20 pre-screens, and scheduling auditions begins
– Girl and family schedule 16 auditions. 8 at NYC Unifieds. 5 at Chicago Unifieds, and 3 on campus directly. 2 are driving distance. One requires an additional flight
– Late fall / early spring – girl goes on auditions…and waits
– First couple of rejections start to roll in. Girl and family start desperately applying to ‘video audition’ schools to see if something sticks…just in case…more waiting
– Late fall. Girl is admitted into 2 BFA MT programs. 1 Redirect to Acting, and both safety schools. Not much in the way of scholarships. Girl and family are over the moon happy that this process pays off (in they way they have defined it) Girl decides to visit both BFA MT acceptance schools. Both are flights.
– Girl makes decision on destination. Is very happy.
– Girl attends institution for 4 years. Great learning. Great experiences. Borrows $150K to go.
– Girl graduates. Doesn’t get representation at Showcase. Moves to NYC
– Spends next 10 years living with 4 other roommates, auditions for over 2,000 shows. Gets 8 jobs in a decade. Not commercially successful, but still best time in her whole life. Has a slew of part-time jobs along the way to help her make rent. Some fun and interesting…some not
– Girl moves back to hometown and takes a great job at a children’s theater. Settles down and has a family.
So, what does this journey mean in terms of dollars and cents?
– Cost of Acting, Singing, and Voice lessons throughout childhood: $20K
– Cost of 2 summer programs: $18K
– HS / Comm. Theater shared expenses: $3K
– Application and audition fees: $3K
– Travel and accomodations for auditions: $5K
– Travel and accomodations for visits: $2K
So, at this point, the parents / kids have spent ~$50,000 just in the HOPE that it could get them into a college that will train them for the most uncertain and highly competitive field in the world.
– Cost of college: ~$250K, which we HAPPILY pay. ‘Oh, thank you for including and accepting us! We are SO lucky!’
Now, we’re $300K in
– Girl gets job while doing auditions…and hopes it all pays off someday.
Very long note, but just wanted to illustrate the journey and the associated financials that go along with that journey. It’s fascinating that the industry somewhat preys on our kid’s hopes and dreams in the form of audition fees, training, etc. with so much uncertainty, and we as parents fall right into that way of thinking without even questioning it (btw – me included! Right here, waiting for envelopes!)
By comparison, if I spend $200K to go to Yale Law School, I pretty much ‘know’ I’ll get a job making $500K a year at Cravath Swaine and Moore or ‘Kirkland and Ellis’ upon graduation, so the payback is imminent. Here, still more dreams to come.
No point in this rant. Just something that fascinates me. It’s like the business model of when new iPhones are launched. ‘Let me wait in line to give Apple another $1,500 for a phone that’s just slightly better than the one I have.’
It’s really something to behold!
Rest In Peace James Lipton, Longtime host of Inside The Actors Studio. I introduced this series to my S 4 years ago and I think he has watched almost every episode.
@StanfordAI2019 Ha, I get your scenario…I truly do.
I’ll just add some thoughts…
First, daughter has gotten a college education. She is educated (important!). Her degree could help her to get all sorts of work, in or out of the arts, not just on stage.
I’m not really into the scenario of 10 years consisting of auditioning, not much work in the field, and doing survival jobs living with four roommates. Honestly, if one wants to make a career in the musical theater world, they can’t rely simply on auditioning. I can tell you that my own kid has supported herself since her graduation day from a BFA in MT program, at age 20, and ALL of her work has been in the fields of music and theater, and she rarely ever auditions, though performs regularly. She bought her first Manhattan apartment at age 30. Graduates need to diversify in the field, and have varied skill sets. As well, they need to create opportunities and not just wait for ones to come to them. Networking is also huge. The view you present is common and what I think a lot of pre-college folks envision, but that has not been the picture of my D’s life post BFA.
In any case, working in children’s theater would be a great outcome too!
@soozievt – :), yes, I had to ‘guess’ at that stage since we haven’t gotten to that point yet. Totally agree on your points though. I was trying to just make the observation that there are a few products / services out there where people fight and hope that they even get the chance to give someone lots of their time and money. Higher education is one of them, and this field is definitely one of the most extreme.
Today I am stuck in an airport returning from a visit with my girl. @StanfordAI2019 I appreciate your post and perspective, it’s interesting and may be true for some. I do agree it is a money making industry! But it really doesn’t have to be any where near what you describe. It definitely wasn’t for us. We did not spend anywhere near18K on summer programs, although my daughter did do an amazing summer program where she developed deep mentoring relationships and I just added up what we spent on ala carte MTCA and it was less than 2K. (For parents struggling and considering a gap year…really consider working with a college coach. MTCA was great and can assess what you need help with and then you only need to pay for coaching in that area.) Get their excellent advice on your song selection and pay for quality cuts but then film them yourself! I don’t think it needs to be nearly this expensive and want to let people know coming up behind you. I know there are other parents on here who will attest to this. I mean honestly I was on the fence myself, regarding a coach but spending a little for guidance at the beginning can help in crafting an appropriate school list and maybe save money in the long term!