I had an interesting conversation with a competitive college that auditioned my child. In their small, close-knit program (think 8-12 students per MT class), they evaluate the kids in an effort to form a cohesive unit per stage of development .In other words, while they realize that most kids are not triple threats, and that prospective students come with strengths and weaknesses; they are looking for kids at similar levels of development and maturity, NOT necessarily talent. Their philosophy is to create a class that are all in “the same grade”, not just “all in middle school”. This particular school’s MT programming works best if everyone is at least proficient in all 3 disciplines, and if they are not proficient, then they have enough natural ability in a particular discipline to easily catch up with some early remedial work. She said that this is NOT the case for every program. And she said that they have to turn kids down every year, even if they have a high chance of professional success and even if they fit their casting needs… IF they don’t fit the “grade level” metaphor mentioned above. Her words, not mine - “powerhouses have been turned down if they don’t match with the class we are creating each year”. I found this to be pretty remarkable, and a good reminder of why your kid might get a yes or a no from certain programs.
That’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Very interesting! So in addition to type - here’s another thing outside of the candidate’s control. This is such a complicated process!
Is it just me or at some point is there TOO much thought, micro management, etc being put into these class selections ? Lol I mean good Lord. For a job where there is like a 3% employment rate…sorry just annoyed by just ONE more factor !
Yes!!! These students just want good training. It is mind boggling to me that it’s harder to get into these programs than it is to an Ivy League school.
Saw a thing today that said the average actors equity member made less than $25k last year.
Your numbers are correct…most of our kids won’t earn a living wage BUT they will be fulfilled and their souls will be nourished with the arts that they so dearly require. This is one of the reasons my daughter turned down a BFA and decided on a BA. She KNEW she couldn’t see herself doing anything outside of the arts, so she wanted to have as many options as possible. So she is now a trained actor, carpenter, lighting design, stage manager etc. She is auditioning currently for different theatre ensembles but also has been hired professionally as an SM. She knew being a 6’ redhead was not going to afford her a ton of roles but she still wanted to be in the arts in some fashion. This business is crazy hard and takes every ounce of their self esteem if they aren’t careful.
Love this @bisouu! Considering a BA program as well. 
(Posted in wrong thread, sorry!)
This path is hard, no doubt. And that includes the present for those auditioning, those in the midst of training, and those who are trying to carve out a spot in the professional world of performance. But I don’t think their methods of selection is wrong. We want our kids to be poised for success, all of us. And if that means that our children don’t fit into a class/teaching philosophy/school environment/college cast/etc - we’d rather them weed it out. At least IMHO. The fit between a prospective student and a program is mutual. Hope I’m not coming across in any way that seems controversial. BAL to all of our determined peeps!
I’m not necessarily saying this method of choosing a class is wrong in general I’m just saying that i do think it would maybe be hard to determine that from what they see in such a short time frame. I mean i guess it’s possible but then they would have to go by more resume too then to see what the level of training the person has had etc.
tbh I think that the kids should be at least interviewed. Of course there are too many kids to do this with that apply but maybe just interview the ones who make the final cut at the end . I mean if it’s SO important to get a cohesive class wouldn’t you want to actually TALK to the person you are taking on? I mean no one at any audition TALKED to my kid. At least nothing substantial. If it’s SO Important to get the right “fit” for everyone involved ( school, student) why wouldn’t you try to at least incorporate this in? I mean if i had a dollar for every time i heard THAT FIT comment at parent sessions I would have enough money for the hotel bills I’m still paying off
In 2015, my S only had one school “interview” him, but others talked to him. The schools that knew they were interested slowed down and had a little more conversation before he left the room. I know we ran into schools who were behind several times. I’m inclined to believe they were behind because they took more time with certain students. My S has his time run over at two school.
Maybe I’m naive, but I think a lot can be deduced from a greeting, a handshake, slating, etc. In my professional life, when I walk into a meeting I learn a lot from greetings, body posture, etc. While the process is new/scary to us, many of the adjudicators have been doing this over and over. I think they know what they are looking for (not perfect science). Every school we visited had a different culture or vibe. Some just did not match my S at all. They instantly came off his list. He’s extremely emotive and emotive people need to feel good, so I knew that had to be a big factor in his selection. I guess I want to believe the programs understand their own culture and what works. That seems to me what the OP is describing.
@theaterwork I don’t think there’s ever a lot of talking in any audition my daughter has gone to whether for college or otherwise. I think the hope is to get called backed or be asked to dance. As we’ve all said before this business is not for the faint of heart. That being said I believe some of the top tier programs do have connections that others don’t.
Just my opinion on the interview thing, since the process for mt college admission is so intense & crazy & expensive & normally makes no sense. (I’m not referring to talking to someone in an audition in reference to a job or post graduation work. )
It just seems like if MT college admissions are THAT involved that there’d be more to it. There is so much more to my D then 16 bars, a monologue & a dance combo. Everyone says you won’t make it in this business if you don’t have a good work ethic, aren’t good to work with or aren’t motivated , so it just seems to me you may want to at least try to determine some more personality traits by consistently speaking w/ the student who has made it down to the final reviews.
In the real world of auditions post-college, our kiddos are going to have to get used to showcasing their uniqueness in 16 or 32 bars, and sometimes only 8. A sad but true fact of this tough business.
My S just did MWTA. He had 90 seconds… no conversation. I don’t know the answer to making it better, but I do know it’s standard.
Ok lol NM. I am not talking about real life auditions for jobs during school or post graduation. I’m talking about college MT admissions auditions for high school seniors only.
@theatrework 100% agree - it’s different comparing spending 4 years to train, where we are spending the money to send them to a home for 4 years…it’s a different animal and a different part of their journey. We noticed when programs said they were looking for the right people with good personalities and then didn’t talk at all. One program said they interviewed and didn’t ask a single question. We walked away with an “ick” vibe because that was not what they sold us in the parent meeting and it made it feel like a sales pitch. We had mostly positive experiences, but I understand what you are saying and I do agree. It made us appreciate the schools who did talk and did interview - they didn’t just use it as a sales pitch, they actually did it. There is a whole lot of judging a book by its cover here.
There is no way to know all about these applicants in such a short time frame. They are obviously ok with that. I believe Michigan said they turned down Sutton Foster and Josh Groban. They do miss some really cool and talented people in the process.
@theaterwork My point was that this is the life they are preparing them for. And it starts with the college audition process.
I think the colleges know what they are doing, and what they are looking for pretty quickly. I also think they do talk to the ones they are interested in. The audition process is not perfect and is always criticized, but it is here to stay.
@theaterwork @notforthefaintofheart I understand your sentiments, and agree with some of your point(s). The college I was referencing in the OP stated that they choose to let go of kids who feel they feel are “powerhouses” and “will-be success stories” because those kids do not fit that metaphorical grade level of the cohesive class that they are building. Maybe Michigan is the same way, and they willingly gave up Groban and SF? I’m not sure. How the school in question evaluated fit was pretty specific, in keeping with what @Notmath1 stated above - they know their method. It doesn’t mean that your kid is not exceptional or that your kid isn’t going to be a success - it simply means that your kid did not fit into their philosophy with how they cast a class.I wish that the schools had a longer period of time to evaluate and get to know these prospective students, but I don’t know if that will ever be a reality.