@alwaysamom - Tisch still interviews - my D was a student helper at auditions this year.
@theaterwork - I bet most of us wish that the auditors could really get to know our fabulous kids, their potential, their dedication and work ethic. And I’m also reasonably certain that most kids did not experience any sort of true sit-down interview in a traditional sense. There just isn’t enough time. But I do hear you, and I understand. At some point, we have to throw our hands up and trust the process, even when we don’t. I’m so glad your daughter found her 4 year home, and hope she is thriving there.
Theaterwork, I agree I wish there was more to the process. But the process is more involved than what you think. That’s why I posted the fact that you are being evaluated the entire time you are at an audition. And folks who have not gone through the process need to know that.
The program that my D graduated from always makes a point to kids interested in the field that they are going to audition perhaps a thousand kids for maybe 40 spots a year. They know they are going to get talented kids. What they look for are good kids. Kids they know they can work with over 4 years. And to find them they are looking at more than what they see in the 5 min audition. They are looking for what goes on all day. I’d love it if they took 20 minutes with every kid. But that’s unfortunately not how the system works, either for college or beyond.
This is where I swear by the value of the thank you note after the audition. It’s one more way for the program director or audition auditors to get to know a little bit more about the student. They can be as simple as “thank you, great meeting you” or as involved as “I really liked what you said in the audition room about X and now that I’ve thought more about it, I have Y to contribute to the discussion,” and so on.
Amen @heliobike! D has been doing just that. Trying to mention something unique about each audition and what she liked about it, etc.
Correct @theaterwork Any theatre kid who has been doing shows for 12 years is used to rejection. At this point, they just want to get into a college, not build character. They are very aware of how much rejection is involved in the business.
My D wasn’t interviewed anywhere. I guess it is time to worry? @theaterwork
@fancytheatrekid don’t fret over the interview thing.i am not trying to add to the burden I know you are already carrying being in the thick of the process by making one start worrying about one more thing. I can only speak to our experience. My D was not interviewed anywhere. She did not engage nor was she asked to engage with any auditors at any of her schools to any degree. At one school she got some direction in the room which was positive. That was after singing. She only had very brief chats elsewhere , like “oh you’re from so & so” etc. i would call it small talk.
At no time was she asked about her goals, essay, etc. I think that’s great that some schools interviewed students and had great discussions but that was just not our experience.
some backstory, my D was accepted to 5 schools for MT. All BFA programs except for one was BA. She was waitlisted at one. She auditioned at 10. I would consider the schools to be mid tier schools. Less competitive then the heavy hitters obviously . More regional draws. She was glad to have choices but a few got nixed after visiting or ended up too expensive. She did have a non audition school also. Just telling you this since she wasn’t interviewed & still got accepted.
Don’t read anything into not being interviewed.
I think the most basic rule of the entire BFA audition process is - don’t read anything into anything!
^ what she said! Amen.
This discussion is giving me flashbacks to a few years back when my younger D was working on a project with a faculty member at a local school that has MT and acting; since she was too young to drive herself I took her, brought along a book, and figured I’d hang out in the lobby. And, OOPS, it was an on-campus audition day, so the place was swamped.
At some point I realized that the kids auditioning thought I was A Significant Person, so they were being careful to be very nice to me, even though I was mostly trying to stay out of the way in a back hallway and read my book. Some of the seniors from the school were also circulating around, chatting with the auditioners, by the way.
I later told my faculty friend that I felt sort of guilty about the whole thing, not that I’d done anything wrong, but that these kids apparently thought they needed to behave a certain way around me; and, by the way, they were all either really REALLY nice, or else AMAZING actors. She commented that years ago the student body tended to have an attitude that wasn’t that pleasant to teach, but that in recent years they’d really made a concerted effort to recruit students who … I forget her exact words, but had better people skills, including the type of kids who would be kind to a random mom in a back hallway.
@fancytheatrekid I would not ready ANY thing into ANY part of this journey. I hear your concern and frustration, and I’m sorry that you and your kiddo are in the thick of what can be a very difficult process. An additional thought - the term “interview” might conjures up a picture that is likely not accurate. Those who have offers in hand should be grateful, and I’m sure most are. When you get to this level of talent, all bets are off and most of our children could be in each other’s shoes. Hope that you get some peace, and some great options, soon!!
I was in a hurry this morning when I wrote this…I think what I was also trying to say, along the lines of the audition is the interview - is be mindful of what you say in the room. Of course be polite and respectful, etc. but what I mean is use your time well. The auditors may ask you some questions based on what’s on your resume. They may ask about parts you’ve played and how you felt about them. Be prepared to give an intelligent answer. They may ask about your monologue and why you chose it. My daughter for example is a big reader. One member of a panel asked her what she had been reading and she answered 'well I read a lot of plays" (good answer and it was true!) He asked what she had been reading and she mentioned “Oleanna” by David Mamet and proceeded to tell them all her issues with the play and why she doesn’t like Mamet. Then they talked a bit about what she did like and why she chose Stephen Adly Guirgis for her monologue. She has a friend who auditioned for a school and didn’t bother to read the play he selected his monologue from - they asked him about it -he did not get in. (Yes my daughter did get in to the above mentioned school). I tell this story to illustrate that every question is an opportunity.
Anyway I’m writing this to be helpful - our experience seems to differ from @theaterwork - maybe we just had different schools? I believe every panel asked my daughter a few questions regarding resume, monologues, song selection etc. - you’ve got to take those opportunities to talk and run with it! Hope that helps!! And enjoy the process!!
@alwaysamom @toowonderful I must say when my daughter auditioned at Tisch this year she absolutely loved the interview and the auditor. That is what made her say"I have found my people and place!" Now we wait.
@MI3rdClosingAct I hope your D gets a yes from Tisch! My D graduated this past May.
My S left one top tier audition at NY Unified and said it was the worst ever. After his audition they asked him a question and he froze up. They asked him to sing another random contemporary song and he forgot the words. And yet… he was just accepted into the program. Don’t read anything into the audition.