<p>Hello: My D is auditioning for both MT and Acting/drama programs this audition cycle. She is likely going to Chicago Unifieds. I asked this on the MT board as well....... I am wondering if folks who have done this before can tell us, in their experience, who allowed walk - ins? </p>
<p>thank you!</p>
<p>The two I remember are Montclair State and University of Miami. I know there are others.</p>
<p>Took my son to Chicago Unifieds last year. (Straight theatre, not MT) He had several auditions pre-arranged, but just in the process of circulating through the hotel, he was able to do a couple of walk-ins. Clearly the less-well-known schools had not filled up their schedules, and were advertising for walk-ins. Northern Illinois and Utah - two schools he had not considered - gave him great feedback on his monologues and gave him a chance to get his energy and confidence up, with no pressure. Certainly worth an extra $20-$25, considering what was at stake.</p>
<p>That’s great to hear, because my D wants to be sure she does at least one audition as a warmup before her higher-ranked schools. Walk-ins look like good way to accomplish that - and maybe find an option she hadn’t considered yet.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t count on doing this necessarily. The schools that had walk-in times often had openings after they finished auditioning the students who signed up. Your plan might work, but it also might not. Good luck!</p>
<p>I have known students to do walk ins for Penn State (MT) and for U of Miami (both MT and Acting).</p>
<p>We’re definitely scheduling all of the schools that D has applied to and wants to attend. If she adds any walk-ins she would do it spontaneously. We’re not counting on it, just realizing that if she does find some, she could use them as warm-ups. Most of her scheduled auditions are late in the day, so she wouldn’t be looking for a walk-in first thing in the morning.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses! I called a few schools directly and found that most said they would accept walk-ins, if there was space/time. There are definitely those programs that require pre-planning like Michigan and Ithaca, who definitely don’t take walk-ins and i am sure there are others.</p>
<p>I definitely don’t think this is something to count on. My D’s list of schools is complete, but there were a few schools that she kept going back and forth on, until we finally had to make a decision. The walk-in option allows her the possibility of adding them later if she really feels she wants to, and it works out logistically.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your help. This forum has made this crazy process so much more doable! I am grateful!</p>
<p>emmyBet - your strategy sounds exactly like our plan last year. We did hear comments that it was less crowded than the previous years - that may have helped open up the walk-in opportunities. I figure these schools spend a lot of money sending their faculty to Unifieds - they don’t want any open spots in their schedule. Different subject - the best advice we got was to stay somewhere besides the Palmer House. We stayed 8 blocks North at the Hilton Garden Inn - nice, quiet, big breakfast - cheaper too. My son worked on his monologues at night by the rooftop pool - no one else there. PPH was a 5 minute cab ride away, so we only went there for auditions - it was nice to be away from the madness and noise. Good Luck!
P.S. Both schools where my son did walk-ins ended up accepting him - I think it was because he was very relaxed for the auditions.</p>
<p>Thank you! And for the hotel suggestion!</p>
<p>We stayed at the Palmer House, and didn’t feel that it was too overwhelming, even though the hotel is quite large. Our room was huge and quiet, and they offered a very good deal (if I remember correctly, it included breakfast). Also, it was very close to the train, and we flew in at night and took the L right to the hotel. Really not a bad experience at all.</p>