<p>Thank you for bumping this! Good stuff!</p>
<p>Well, I have a story to contribute now! One year ago this weekend my D auditioned for BW. At the end of the day, as we got into the car, she said to me “I really like this school… And that’s a bummer because I’m not getting in here.” She cracked something in her songs, and blanked on a couple of steps when she was up for her dance call. A month later, we got the small envelope, and thought she had predicted her fate… But it turned out to be a wait list letter. In the last week of April, she got “the call” inviting her off of the wait list!! Fast forward to this year, and she opened last night in A Chorus Line as Val… In her first college production at BW. So, you really can’t know what might happen. Trust the process!</p>
<p>A freshman in her first production!! How wonderful! </p>
<p>I love that story! I guess the mantra is, You never know, you never know…</p>
<p>BU was the weird one. Ds arch nemesis was there (not even interested in the school, literally showed up to get in Ds head- that’s who this girl is- but I digress). It worked- D was flustered, and the auditor was cold/rude, and she left the audition in tears. Fast forward to march- portal changes to a “no” (and another friend had gotten in- cue the sad face) then a week later, D got an email saying there had been a mistake, she was on the wait list… and two weeks after that, was accepted. Such a strange journey. What’s funny overall is that it was one of her top picks when “the list” was made- but all the foibles and bumpy road made it a non-contender. Ah well. Just goes to show - you never know</p>
<p>This even happens in the professional world and so you just can’t predict the outcome. My D recently had an audition in NYC and she said she didn’t think she got it because she was cut off in her songs. She got it and is in rehearsals now. (note…being cut off doesn’t mean “no” necessarily!)</p>
<p>Soozievt is as usual right on. My d auditioned for a lead role that she had played professionally before…didn’t get it. Oh well. Three weeks later gets a call stating the other young lady had to drop and they now wanted her. Found out later the young lady was asked to drop.</p>
<p>At vp college auditions d thought her worst audition at one of her favorite schools was an automatic no. It consisted of a 5 minute sing your songs…no questions asked and no questions were entertained. Fast forward to april…she gets an acceptance letter, a generous scholarship and is now a freshmen.</p>
<p>Yes, and every college or auditor handles things so differently that you can’t really read into it (but will try anyway, ha ha). I recall at my D’s audition for Ithaca, there were no comments or conversation. It was January. Two weeks later, she got accepted with a scholarship. </p>
<p>Sometimes the “thinking you bombed” is really “overthinking you bombed” and the volume of self doubt is directly correlated to how much the school means to you. My daughter was VERY unsure after her audition at Tisch which had been her dream school for… forever. Would not talk to me after she came out and was obviously upset about it. Fortunately in a flash of brilliance I took her to the Stardust Diner (tourist trap I know but she loves it even to this day when she is no longer a tourist) and she proceeded to tell the singing waitress all about the audition day and I got to listen as if invisible. Well the only part that she thought went really well oddly enough was the dance section. Which is pretty hilarious because though she moves well and had had some training, she’s certainly not a highly trained dancer. So when the yes came from Tisch and then also several weeks later she was assigned to the MT studio even though she said she’d consider any Tisch studio, she created the running joke in our house that it was all because of her mad ballet skills. Pretty sure that’s what did it. 
You never know.</p>
<p>I’ll third @Sguti40 and @soozievt when they say that this continues during and past college. I think one of the most impressive skills D has mastered is the art of preparing, performing, briefly self-assessing and then MOVING ON after every audition. She’ll tell audition stories the day of, but if I ask her about auditions as early as the day after she responds firmly “I’ve put that behind me, mom”. As one who is prone to overthinking things, I view that skill as a superpower.</p>
<p>I think the casting director in Submissions Only who sobs and hugs every actor during auditions is a great symbol of how impossible it is to predict audition outcomes.</p>
<p>Going off on two tangents (sorry), but picking up on something in halflokum’s post 48 and MomCares’ post 49.</p>
<p>Halflokum’s post 48 relates a story about venting about the audition to the performing waitress afterwards at Ellen’s Stardust Diner. This reminds me of a personal anecdote. Back when my D was approximately 11 years old, I took her to NYC (we lived in VT 6 hours away) for an audition appointment for the replacement of the Little Girl in Ragtime on Broadway. We were just in NYC for a few hours. After the audition, before departing the city, we went out to eat at Hard Rock Cafe, thinking my rural raised kid would enjoy seeing it. After we ordered, I went to the restroom and called the agent to check in and she told me my D was out of consideration by the casting folks because she was too tall and I was a bit irked because the height requirements had to be on the audition notice (for a kid role) and then why was my kid submitted (and we traveled so far!), and I found out the agent had submitted one of her outdated resumes, not one of her updated ones and so her height on the old one was fine, but it wasn’t fine on the current one. I returned to the table to my D. The waitress asks us where we are from and why we are in the city. My D tells her we came in for an audition for Broadway and were leaving after dinner and what had happened. It turns out the waitress was herself an actor (well, surprise, surprise, LOL). At the end of the meal, when it was time for the check, the waitress says the meal was on the manager because the waitress shared our story with the manager and he wanted to treat us to the dinner. I was floored, considering this was not some little home town restaurant. Of course, this has never happened to us since!</p>
<p>MomCares writes:
</p>
<p>This is very true and the sooner they get to that place, the better. Let me take this a step further, in terms of being the parent of a professional actor (in my case, who is 5.5 years out of the BFA). My D used to tell me about auditions. But as she became a professional, she gradually worked up to informing me that she was no longer sharing when she had an audition, but would tell whenever she was cast in something (and I usually am the first person she tells that to). She has said that auditioning is simply part of her job and that each audition cannot be thought of as a big deal. She doesn’t share when (or if) she has them, or has callbacks, or anything and she doesn’t want to be asked anything about auditioning! This was a gradual change after the college years. (Warning to you high school and college parents out there!) She says that none of her professional friends tell their parents about auditions. However, she recently had to reveal to me she had upcoming auditions for leads in 2 Broadway shows. The only reason she revealed these auditions to me ahead of time was due to something scheduled in connection to it (not worth explaining). Of course, even though I knew she was auditioning, I was not allowed to ask a thing. One of these, I have never heard a thing about since the audition (I’ll assume she didn’t get it but am not allowed to ask). The other one, she eventually sent me an email that said now that it was over, she was willing to tell me that she was seen five times for the lead and was one of three finalists in the final callback but learned she didn’t get it. I have a better perspective now that it likely was good I didn’t know any of that at the time because I would have been on pins and needles and been too tempted to ask about the auditions. She likely has the right idea in not sharing. Still, it has taken getting used to not knowing what they are auditioning for, what happens, etc. It is not like auditioning for college. It is now just part of the lifestyle of a working actor. And while the odds for getting into a BFA were really tough, some of the odds for some professional auditions are even tougher ones. The parent role wanes, just warning ya!</p>
<p>Great story, soozievt. Auditions are too hard on ME so I look forward to the day when the phone call I get is to say she got the part. Not there yet…</p>
<p>Just to offer a contrasting story. There is a “local boy makes good” from my hometown (actually, there are several right now, but that is another matter) who stepped right out of college into offers from multiple Broadway shows. He graduated 3 years ago, and had been working on bway ever since, a long running show, (and a new one is on it’s way to NYC) a couple of small parts in independent movies, guest starring tv gigs- basically a living breathing version of the fantasy for how this theater thing can go (which is a thing for theater kids who know him around here because they all hope the same thing will happen to them- but again, I digress). I know his mom- wonderful person, still comes to shows at the HS, huge supporter of local youth theater- just fantastic. Anyway, she was at the spring musical last year, asking all the seniors how college things are going, and she and I got to chatting. When I asked what S was working on, she gave me a long list of all the various possibilities, (some where he was being pursued, and some where he was chasing a part) and I asked her if he still told her everything going on ( after all, he’s 25) She said he ran every single job opportunity, audition, idea, workshop etc by 2 people- his agent, and his mom. The 1st person’s job was to keep his career on track, and the 2nd was to keep his life on track. </p>
<p>Now who knows which tactic my kid will take when the time comes- but like everything else, there is more than one way </p>
<p>My life will be much duller when I don’t hear about auditions from my S. Not saying it won’t be healthier and saner, but definitely duller. </p>
<p>.</p>
<p>I know my daughter will share each step or misstep with me as she takes this journey …I am very blessed.</p>
<p>^Mine will not. Need to know for sure and it has already started. </p>
<p>D still shares the auditioning blow-by-blow, but she’s only a senior and only recently got an agent, so that may change. I have mixed feelings, so whichever way it goes will be fine. Honestly the hardest part for me at this point is keeping her exciting audition experiences to myself, along with the waiting since few auditions bear immediate (if any) fruit. :)</p>
<p>She is already getting clearer about what she does and doesn’t want from me in the way of input/questions/advice, though, which is great for both of us! </p>
<p> </p>
<p>bisouu…every kid is different of course. Your D is still a college freshman. Mine told me every detail back then too. And she told me if she had any auditions when she was a recent graduate too. But things evolve in their professional life and sharing about every audition or being asked about them apparently is something that once they are in the professional realm, seems to wane. They consider it part of their “job” to attend auditions and since the stakes are often high and very very low odds, they don’t share about each one and try to take them in stride and not make too big of a deal of it. It is hard to tell how your D will be about this 8 years from now. Both of my daughters (ages 26 and 28) share a GREAT deal with me about most things in their life. The older one shares every detail about jobs and interviews. But the sharing on auditions by the MT D has entered a different realm at this stage of her professional career. You’ll have to see how it is with your D and you can’t predict this as a college freshman. </p>