The Truth About Senior Showcases In NYC (Or at least my perspective!)

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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I’ve seen folks mention Senior Showcases on the forums, and I’m writing in hopes that with a little more information, you can ask better questions of these programs, because asking “Do you have a senior showcase?” is not enough. Others of course can chime in with their experiences.

There is a lot of stress, angst, and worry associated with “capital-S-Showcase”, and it can be a very important part of your college students’ career, so I wouldn’t be afraid to ask these questions. Asking questions of programs may also help improve their showcases.

My kid is a few years out from the BFA now, and I have friends whose kids have gone the BFA route too, so this is my wisdom garnered from our experiences, and our friends’ experiences. Additionally, my kid has friends from attending camps and doing summer stock that have had their showcases in NYC, so said kid has attended and experienced a lot of showcases in person.

  1. What if my school doesn’t have a senior showcase? Of course you don’t have to have a senior showcase to be successful, but if you have a GOOD senior showcase, and you land a great agent, then you have a bit of a head start compared to your peers. But in my opinion, a bad Senior Showcase is worse than no showcase, because you’ve spent all that time, energy and money on it to no (or little) avail. If your kid’s school doesn’t have it showcase, there are other paths to securing an agent, Senior Showcase is just one way.
  2. Aren’t showcases just a celebration of four years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears? Of course, but every single kid up there wants to get agent appointments, and then book an agent from showcase, and if they deny that, they’re lying!
  3. What makes a senior showcase “good”?

    Students are prepared. Some schools prep starting in the fall of their senior year. And when I say prep, I mean: call outside people in to help pick material for seniors, have weekly practice sessions, have casting directors come in and coach kids, have people consult on clothes seniors are going to wear, etc. Some programs do a little of the above, some a lot, some precious little.

    Students have good material. Students who know who they are, and can pick great material for themselves are great. They seem to know the best songs/monologues that will show them in the best possible light. If the student doesn’t have that insight and skill level, then the faculty will have to know their students, and use their wisdom to help the students find material that will showcase themselves to the fullest. (Some programs don’t let students choose their own material)

    In my opinion, hiring an outside person (or 2) with experience in casting/coaching to pick material (or at least consult on material) would be helpful as they could see the students with fresh eyes. After going through this process with my kid, I thought it would have been ideal for the faculty to start keeping a list of possible showcase material for each student when they are freshman, and then grow that list as the student grows. (You will be surprised what drama the material-picking will involve! Trying to pick material that is not overdone, tells a story, showcases the individual - it’s a LOT) I have heard sad tales about the lack of faculty thought and preparation regards to helping pick each senior’s material.

    Rehearsal. Some schools seem to start this process very late in the school year. Some start early, but do not follow through, and students are still remarkably not ready for their spring showcase in NYC. Students that are on internships have to figure out how to rehearse and get help/coaching/lessons without the assistance of faculty which is tricky, and can be expensive.

    Agent Attendance. I cannot stress this enough, if agents do not attend a showcase, then everything above is a moot point. Getting agent appointments isn’t the be-all-end-all, but it’ll make life a lot easier in NYC for sure. Casting directors that attend showcase are looking for people they can audition for shows right then, and my kid was called in by CDs surprisingly long after showcase to audition for them, but one really wants agent appointments. Sometimes audiences at showcases seem to be full, and they are, but not with agents.

    Agent Attendance II. How do programs get agents to attend their school’s showcase? Some programs “send out invitations” and they are done. It seems that agents attend based on two things: reputation, and leg work by program faculty. (Reputation of the program, and reputation of past showcases mind you.)

    My kid has attended many showcases over the years and knows quite a few agents and casting directors, and checks out who is in the audience. A high percentage of agents and CDs (not their interns, or associates, but the head agents or head CD) attend showcases for the programs you would expect: CMU, UMICH, CCM, BW, etc. But what about the other programs?

    My kid has been to friends’ showcases from what some would consider Tier 3 programs where there were plenty of agents in attendance, so that must mean the program has done a great job getting the word out, and the reputation of their performances, right?

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Part 2

Some Tier 2 type programs have had sparse agent/CD attendance - is that a lack of positive reputation or lack of faculty leg work? Who knows.

One final note about agents - the big agencies don’t have time to attend the numerous showcases in the city, so they send their associates and interns who don’t have a lot of say in the matter. So while you may see Telsey+ on the guest list, they may have sent an associate who is very low on the totem pole because there is no way that the main players can attend the hundreds of showcases each year. 

Preparing for Agent Appointments Some schools prep their students for agent appointments by holding mock sessions so that students are can rehearse possible scenarios. It’s also a good idea to think about questions to ask the agent when on appointments.

Not All Agents Are Created Equal Signing with any old agent isn’t the best idea. You have to do your homework. Some agents might have a lot of clients just so that they can make money through sheer numbers. Some agents might not be easy to work with, and Casting Directors know that. How do you find all this out? There’s a website called Audition Update where you can search for past posts about agents, or even post and ask your own questions about agents. Often, when you go to an agency’s website, all that you will see is a logo which doesn’t tell you a lot about an agency, so information often is really word of mouth and recommendations . 

Preparing for Signing I only know of a couple programs who give their students a smattering of information about this aspect of booking an agent. My kid just had to ask friends for advice and input beforehand. Since it’s a legal agreement that involves your kid giving up some of his/her money, it would be good to get some information beforehand.

P.S. about agents: What about kids who get agents, then get dropped by that agent? That happens too. There’s not a lot that can be done about that from a college/university perspective, but it is a reality that hangs over a lot of kids’ heads: “How long can I go without booking before my agent drops me?” (Pressure, always the pressure.)

So here are the questions I’d ask about Senior Showcase & Agents:

  1. How is material picked for students?
  2. Who picks the material?
  3. Does the student have the final word on material? (I’ve heard that some students do NOT get a voice in their material choice)
  4. When does the rehearsal process start for Showcase? How long does that last?
  5. If students are on internship, how will they be worked with? Rehearse? (You’re still paying tuition, you have a right to ask)
  6. How many agents attended showcase last year?
  7. How many CDs attended showcase last year? (Some people may be interest in managers, but I think these kids are too young in their careers to worry about managers. After all, what career do they have to manage?)
  8. What is the process of getting agents to attend showcase?
  9. What percentage of women got agent appointments last year? What percentage got representation?
  10. What percentage of men got agent appointments last year? What percentage got representation?
  11. How many showcase performances are there?
  12. Is there instruction on dealing with agent appointments?
  13. Is there instruction on how to pick an agent if given choices?
  14. Is there instruction on contracts?

Anyway. I hope this will start the conversation rolling about showcases. Again, this is just through my lens and my kid’s experiences, but thought I could share what I know.

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@zebracocoa ,this is really excellent advice. Thank you so much!
Going in, I think these are terrific questions to ask.

The only issue is I’m betting some questions will not get direct answers. And even if they do, let’s say you ask this as a possible rising Freshman–programs being what they are, by the time you are a senior, it’s not at all improbable that the program’s policies and procedures for Showcase will be different.

That being said, knowledge is always power, and I do think it’s really great to know about the process before doing the process, especially in choosing Showcase pieces. Thanks for these posts.

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You might add to that list, “Do students have to audition to be in the showcase” I hear at some schools )Tisch, Oklahoma City) you are not automatically in the main showcase if you are a senior.

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@zebracocoa - great info. Thanks for this post - senior showcase is an important aspect to my S, and he’d like to know how the schools on his list handle them.

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I’ve been reading there is a movement afoot (goodness knows how widespread or who is behind it) to do away with senior showcase. That is not the plan at the schools my kids attend (BW/Purchase); at least not yet. Any intel on the issue?

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Some are talking about doing away with live and doing it online instead. Some are doing both online and live. Some already have. Maybe online will replace live in the future? Easy for industry professionals to “attend” in their PJs. Kind of like prescreens! LOL

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At NYU the trend has been to move away from “showcases” per se (Tisch as a whole does not do one anymore) towards inviting industry to specific performances of shows themselves - esp for mainstage shows. Obviously NYC schools have an advantage there… the agents/casting directors etc are in town. The reasoning (based on what I have heard - not via direct communication) is that A. Industry people get a lot more out of a complete performance that a single song B. Invitations can be spread throughout the year, rather than clustered when people are more likely to be busy.
Seems to be working - D knows a number of people who have gotten work/representation that way

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Online might be the way things go in the future.

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My D just graduated from Wright State and they tried something new this year instead of the traditional Showcase they have always done. Rather than 1 performance in NYC with industry professionals invited, and not sure who would/would not actually attend (or who would be sent from XYZ agency), they had a week of scheduled workshops and masterclasses with agents and casting directors, so they knew they were legitimate. The students performed and received feedback.

They all loved it, and I think every one of them had interest from agents. We haven’t had time yet to talk through details of the whole week, but the quick rundown I got on the phone was that “it was amazing.” Additionally, the new grads were paired with Mentors - alums several years older than they are who have been living & working in NYC (or tours, etc) & who are currently living in the city. They met with them and will stay in touch - so they have someone a little further out/more experienced available to answer questions.

The Seniors have a Showcase class & they spend most of their senior year picking material, preparing it, rehearsing, and also learning about life in the business. My D feels very prepared and I am very impressed.

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True but that doesn’t mean agents come to a full performance. Big school and they won’t show up for every showcase performance just as they aren’t always as present as one might hope they would be for NYC showcases for schools from outside of NYC either. Meanwhile a mainstage production at NYU features just a sampling of students whom may or may not be graduating in any give year. In short, anyone who puts all of their eggs in the showcase basket is statistically foolish.

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My D did one in NYC. Didn’t get an agent from it, but enjoyed the experience, got a number of people saying they wanted her updated info, headshot, etc when she gets to NYC. Then her class met with someone in the industry who said that those agencies don’t really care to get updated information. Then she had dinner with an alumnus who told her that’s not true, and that the alumnus has worked continually in regional theater, cruises, etc, etc without an agent.
So I don’t know what to believe. She got to perform in front of some folks, met some people, and made some contacts. And had a good time. I don’t think it either made her career or broke her career. She did have two classmates that got meetings and both are going right from school to Broadway,. Bottom line from what I can tell it’s all about timing, what sows are out there needing what type of performer and so on.

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My S’s Chicago showcase was last week. It doesn’t seem to have moved the needle much. He’s working now and sending postcards for his play to agents that did and didn’t come to showcase. We’ll see.

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Great post! I agree - showcases can be great, and they can be not so great.

Interestingly, our D was not in her school’s recent NYC showcase. And she was not alone.

One of the reasons: showcase happened several days after graduation. She has a job that started the day before showcase even hit the stage. No way to do both. Which begs the question - do you take the job in hand, or wait to see what else comes along?

It will remain to be seen how successful the school’s showcase was this year and what will happen with our D’s career as well. There are super talented kids in her class that I feel will do well showcase or not. And I feel our D still has the opportunity to do well, showcase or not. Some years at her school, many people have gotten jobs and representation out of showcase. Sometimes not. And the people who get representation don’t necessarily get hired any more than those who didn’t do showcase. Bottom line: you can have success with or without being in showcase. It does not seem to make or break anyone’s career. So we shall see.

As someone mentioned, OCU does audition for its showcase - and students are selected from both the acting program and the musical theater program. This means about 10 - 12 students from each discipline are in showcase. OCU also does an LA showcase which students can audition for. And they have sometimes done a Dallas one as well. There are many opportunities to participate in a showcase while at OCU if you would like to.

Like @toowonderful said, I think some students are choosing not to do showcase for a variety of reasons. I don’t think they are a bad thing to do. But also don’t know that they are necessary to launch your career.

Many students, including our D, have already made great connections with industry people who have visited her school over the last 4 years. She has also met contacts through summer training programs and summer stock and other industry contacts. Maintaining relationships and communication I think is an important skill. Some kids meet people and never follow up. Or just don’t stay in touch. Don’t pester them. But maintain a relationship of some sort even if it’s just sending them something once a year. You never know when your paths may cross again.

Back at the beginning of this process when we were first looking at schools, it never occurred to me there would be reasons not to be in a showcase. We liked the programs that had them. It was definitely a plus in our book. So it is funny now upon graduating, it doesn’t seem nearly as important. We have watched friends get great jobs being in a showcase. We have seen friends be in showcases without any results to show for it. And we have seen friends get great jobs not being in a showcase. So just like college auditions, your results will vary based on a large number of factors.

Just know, as @zebracocoa so eloquently described, showcases can be really great opportunities, but they also are not the end all, be all. I would not make a showcase the deciding factor about any program. And also know, even if you school has a showcase, your student may choose not to participate. And that’s ok too. They each have their own paths to follow. We need to trust them to make the right decisions for their situation and career.

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The showcase thing seems to be hit or miss. We thought it was nice if the school my D was auditioning at said they had one but it wasn’t an end all by any means in her decision making process for schools this year. Seems like it’s just one of those things you can take advantage of if it’s offered and if something comes of it fine and if not whatever! I agree with whoever said to keep in touch with people you meet over the course of 4 yrs in college. I think that could be as much of a benefit tbh. Never know when you might meet that person again and NEVER BURN BRIDGES! Lol

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From my limited understanding, when an agency says they want updated info, it tends to not be about a new head shot or an updated address. They want an update if you book work on your own that makes it worth their time to take a second look at you. They are after all, looking at you as a potential revenue source. Agency seminars / master classes that one pays to attend to get in front of the same people tend to be more specific about defining the meaning of “update”.

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Great thread! Great perspective. Thank you!