<p>laurel:</p>
<p>My impression is that most of us will accept video auditions in exceptional circumstances, and I have no doubt that your situation qualifies.</p>
<p>While schools will differ in their requirements, most of us are reasonable people, and won't demand that you make a dozen different DVDs. I would suggest making a single DVD with the following things on it:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>An introduction in which you look at the camera, tell us who you are and where you are, thank us for allowing you to audition this way, and tell us the names of the pieces we're about to see. The shot should be a close-up.</p></li>
<li><p>Your best musical piece, either up-tempo or ballad. Under the circumstances, it doesn't necessarily need to be as short as schools normally require in a live audition, but it shouldn't be longer than about two to two and a half minutes. Do a complete verse and chorus. Your accompaniment should be live, if possible, off camera, and far enough away from the microphone that it doesn't cover your singing. Do a couple of trial takes to make sure that the balance is good before you do the actual taping. </p></li>
<li><p>Do a contemporary monologue. Again, no more than two minutes, and a minute and a half is probably fine. It should be a piece that you're very secure with.</p></li>
<li><p>Do your second song.</p></li>
<li><p>If you have a second monologue, and especially if you have a Shakespeare or other classical piece, do it. Again, keep it short. The second one should be shorter than the first.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>With the songs and the monologues, the camera should begin with a half-body shot (waist up) pull back during the song to let us see your body, follow your movements, and finish back at a half-body shot. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Demonstrate whatever dance techniques you have--ballet, modern, jazz and/or tap. Begin with your strongest technique and end with your second strongest. We don't need to see more than about 20 seconds of each technique. Here the camera should be a some distance and show us your entire body all the time.</p></li>
<li><p>Finally, with the camera on your face in a close-up, tell us about yourself: where you live, what you're doing there, how you got started in theatre, the training you've had and the roles you've played, your interests other than theatre, why you want to major in musical theatre, and anything else about yourself you'd like us to know. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Send e-mail to the appropriate contact person at each school and tell them that you have (or will have) a DVD with the above content, and ask if you can send it to them. Some of them may ask for some additional material. Send them the DVD along with a complete resume and a cover letter telling them why you're applying to their school (something you can't do on one DVD, obviously.) </p>
<p>Something like this will be taken seriously by most schools. It doesn't make up for seeing you in person and getting to work with you, and I won't pretend to you that it does. But under the circumstances, it's the very best you can do, and we will respect that.</p>
<p>Good luck and best wishes.</p>