<p>ok, so this is my own personal dilemma, and i would love to hear some advice from anyone who has, I'm sure, dealt with some similiar issue like mine. </p>
<p>So at my high school, we are doing our first ever musical "Into the Woods" and I have been dying to be in my first high school musical since who knows when. And I have planning on going to the Unifieds in Chicago, but the musical's performance weekend is the weekend before unifieds!! And I'm afraid if I do partake in the musical.. I could possibly get sick?? and that would ruin my audition chances and waste all that money spent on airfare, hotel, etc? I don't know what to do!! I'm totally stuck. Also my parents think that Unifieds are not something crucial and I guess not necessary in order to go to a good school. And i think they're more concerned about me doing this musical than furthering my education. I am trying to explain to them how much I need to do them but I don't think I'm getting my point across successfully. Is there anyone who could offer some words of wisdom.. or anything? I would be very appreciative!! Thank you</p>
<p>You could get sick not being in the musical, too. No predicting where and when you might pick up a bug....I would say go for being in the show if it's something you really want to do. Just do lots of scrupulous hand-washing, avoid others who are sick (if possible...), eat healthy, drink lots of water, use a personal steamer and get as much sleep as you can in the days before the Unifieds - not much else you can do to avoid getting sick. And then just be as prepared as you can be for your auditions - so as to lessen the stress once you get there.</p>
<p>If you don't go to Unifieds, how would you do your auditions? Would you have to go to each individual school and audition being that many of the MT BFA schools require not only acceptance into the school academically, but also accepted into the BFA program by audition and/or interview. Are your parents aware of the process and how extremely competetive it is? I would definately go for the school play so that you can add it to your performance resume, but make sure that you stay well and keep on top of all of the college deadlines as they are creeping up quickly.
Good Luck :)</p>
<p>Rubies, my D faced something of the same dilemma last year. She did the fall musical and that was it. The rest of the year she just focused on her schoolwork and preparing for auditions. As it turns out, she was sick for her Unified auditions. Worrying about a spring musical in addition to everything else would have been exponentially worse! Unifieds saved us trips to Pittsburgh, Ithaca, and Penn State. We did travel to Boston, New York, and Virginia for other auditions.</p>
<p>well theres north texas drama auditions which knocks a few colleges off my "list", but i do still need to go to Unifieds. Thank you all for the advice.. I'm still going to have to sleep on it I guess.</p>
<p>rubies, do YOU want to do the musical? I sense hesitation. If you think doing the musical and doing Unifieds is too much, just do Unifieds. There will be other musicals.</p>
<p>There is something mythic and magical about senior year...I had to keep reminding my D last year to keep her focus on the future. She was sad about not getting to take a "senior bow" in the last show but doing well in college auditions was worth it. Believe me, Rubies, in a year Into the Woods will seem very unimportant.</p>
<p>Unified auditions are a wonderful way to audition -- but whether or not you do your high school musical, there's the possibility that things can go wrong. You could be sick, there could be travel problems due to weather, etc. That's why I always advise my students not to put all their eggs in one basket -- try to audition for at least a few schools on campus if at all possible.</p>
<p>And you're right -- for some reason many high school students get sick right after their performances, or even during the run of the show. I think it's a combination of stress, lack of sleep, close contact with other cast members who are sick -- whatever the cause, it's very common. </p>
<p>Here's another factor that hasn't been mentioned: if you are involved in rehearsals for your high school musical, you will have little time to adequately prepare your audition material for Unifieds. It's SO important to do that; I've seen many students face disappointment because of lack of preparation. The timing of Into the Woods is unfortunate; for what it's worth, I suggest you make the auditions your focus this year.</p>
<p>What is your alternative to Unifieds? It would seem, as a parent, your folks would be thrilled for the saved expenses by doing Unifieds. Weigh those options carefully. You could do a different Unifeds, but the next best choice is probably NYCat that is the weekend of your show. I would be less concerned about actual illness than I would about voice abuse. Into the Woods is a tough vocal show and you may not be in your best voice right after your run. My D's voice teacher is convinced some of his students didn't do well because they "blew out their voices" doing their Senior show. Even the best trained singer can go a bit overboard when they're on stage in front of all their peers. Do you know what role you would be considered for? Certain roles in that show are less strenuous. Just keep in mind, as others have said above, one high school show pales in comparison to a good 4 year college program.</p>
<p>Another option might be to work on the show in another, less strenuous capacity -- backstage, lights, sound, -- that will allow you more free time to spend preparing for your auditions.</p>
<p>I really do want do to the musical, I'm also told it would look good on my resume because I've really only been in a few musicals. I would love to be the witch or baker's wife. But I'm still very unsure if I want to do it or not. I'm trying to make a list of pros and cons.
As of now I don't have an alternative to unifieds. I am doing north texas auditions which still leaves some schools off that i want to audition for. I chose to do them in Chicago because I hear that is the easiest and less hectic way for Unifieds. But theres always the thought of possibly getting sick whether or not i participate in the show! I just don't know :</p>
<p>To be honest, having one musical more or less on your resume will not be a deciding factor in admission to college. So if you were my daughter, I would tell you not to make that a factor in your decision.</p>
<p>Rubies: it's nice to have a resume with lots of credits on it; but NMR is right: it's not going to make the difference in getting into a program. Admission is based primarily on your audition. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU ARE REALLY SOLID AT YOUR AUDITION -- every year there are plenty of students with great resumes who don't pass the audition because they didn't prepare properly. You need to realistically think about whether you can get ready for auditions, stay healthy, and also do the musical.</p>