What do kids wear to auditions? Both answers can't be right.

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p>I'm a bit surprised by this but less than a week before the first audition and the thought about what to wear entered her head for the first time. So she says to me -- what do they say on college confidential about what people wear? Should be simple. I’ll just go look at the thread from last year that I remember reading a long while back. </p>

<p>Uh oh, there must be two different sets of auditions going on around the country. </p>

<p>According to some, it’s all pretty casual and very few wear dresses. For example, Gwen Fairfax reported: "Having schlepped D through 7 auditions now-- everyone has been dressed very casually, mostly in nice jeans. D started in a skirt, but switched to jeans herself. At BU and NYU last weekend-- maybe 2 women in dresses and one looked overdressed and uncomfortable." She later added that unifieds were more a mix partly because of the MT crowd. A few others had similar observations. </p>

<p>However, an entirely different set of parents must have attended on the days of the week where everyone dressed differently. For example, a mother who doesn't appear to post any more commented: "Hey all, this has been a really interesting thread. My daughter has just completed her audition tour (everywhere from NYC, Virginia, DC and Pennsylvania). As a female in jeans, she would have stuck out like a sore thumb at all of them. We did see a few men in jeans, but not the norm. There was a wide variety in clothing...the fancy red party dress being the most common strange choice... Mostly girls wore comfortable dresses, skirts or dress pants in plain colors.” A few others had similar observations. </p>

<p>It was suggested in the thread that there may be some regional differences between the North and South with respect to dress. Or perhaps this is a case of a differing view of what constitutes "jeans". Maybe Gwen Fairfax and the other quoted mother attended the exact same auditions and what Gwen called “nice jeans” is what the other quoted mother called “dress patents” though I don't think Gwen's description would encompass a "fancy red party dress" as "the most common strange choice." (GlassHarmonica's comments in the thread clued me in that “nice jeans” can be more broadly understood to be something more than Levis that aren’t ripped or dirty yet -- which would have been my definition of "nice jeans")</p>

<p>So which one is right or are they both right? It just seems a bit strange to me that the observations are so different.</p>

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<p>Hahaha! I asked this question myself, seeing the differences last year! I think it’s partly North v. South, and I should say that we saw plenty of dresses at Unifieds-- simple print dresses that allowed their wearers to move well. </p>

<p>Nice jeans-- they are full of lycra spandex, and they do look adorable on the pretty young girls who wear them. You want to look well-dressed and respectful of the occasion-- with plenty of room to move freely. And of course if you can show your own style and spark that’s a plus. Mostly you want to feel as comfortable as you possibly can.</p>

<p>But hopefully others will add to this!</p>

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<p>

Haha! My daughter’s “nice jeans” came from Anthropolgie and were definitely nicer than the nicest jeans I’ve ever worn. They were spandexy and very flattering. She did wear a dress to her NYU audition, which was a few weeks before the others. It was what I guess I would call a winter sundress (aubergine colored, wintery fabric, yet sleeveless.)</p>

<p>I guess the thing is to go with a style that “is” what you “are”. Hers was urban, a little edgy, but also feminine. A preppier kid would not have been comfortable in these clothes.</p>

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<p>Thank you ActingDad for summarizing past answers. That was very helpful in reading your thread. Hopefully we will get a lot of input from previous years. Please… more…</p>

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<p>Something comfortable that does not draw attention to itself, and looks neat and respectable…with maybe a very slight bit of creative flair.</p>

<p>My son was a bit overdressed at his first audition. After studying the other male auditioners he copied the “look” he liked best. It was a pair of nicely fitting jeans that were tidy-looking, combined with a white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves and open at the collar, and a vest.</p>

<p>Not sure about girls but I’d say a dress or skirt only if she likes them a lot and often wears them.</p>

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<p>At first my D dressed exactly like the books said to - nice pair of dress pants, silk shirt, small heel, no jewelry. After two disastrous auditions at Unified we regrouped and found that she was feeling very uncomfortable. She has a more bohemian vibe and she was dresses very preppy. She was not presenting the real her. After many weeks of shopping for that perfect audition outfit she ended up wearing her street clothes of black leggings with a slouchy blazer, black fringe boots and tons of jewelry. She was the poster child of what not to wear. Coincidentally or not she was accepted into 5 out of the 8 remaining schools she auditioned for after her change of attire. I really think the answer lies with the individual candidate. Be yourself - respectful of the auditors (no bare midriffs, torn jeans etc) but let the auditors see who you are. It was one of those light bulb moments when D realized her style is part of what makes her –her. If a school didn’t like that she wouldn’t be happy there anyway.</p>

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<p>Great story. The point isn’t for them to collect acceptances like notches on a belt so much as to find a great fit.</p>

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<p>My son pretty much did the same as NJTheatre!om’s son as in neat/clean/tidy jeans with collared dress shirt and a vest. Its a great look and the vest adds a little flair and style but, because it is worn “open”, doesn’t scream overdressed! At another audition he wore casual khakis and collared shirt.<br>
The most important thing is to be comfortable and be able to move. one of his monologues was quite physical, so that was important. I guessed it worked because he was accepted to all of his auditioned schools, though he stopped after ED choice came through.
Girls are harder to figure and we saw more of a mixed bag. When you throw in MT kids, the variety gets even wider and they often change clothes because they have to do a dance audition as well.
Be neat and comfortable and that will be just fine. You’ll be nervous, so worrying about clothes is the last thing you want.<br>
good Luck to all.</p>

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<p>There are no hard and fast rules about this (like most things connected with auditions) there are only guidelines.</p>

<p>And besides, if everyone dressed identically, then it really would be hard for the auditors to tell the auditioners apart, because they won’t have met any of them before.</p>

<p>(In the professional theatre, we always advise folks to wear the same clothes for the callback that they wore for the audition!)</p>

<p>You kind of want to go for a look that says “I am here to start working seriously (on the play, or in class, or whatever)”. So you do not want to look like a slob (people will think you aren’t ready to start serious work). But on the other hand, you don’t want to be dressed so finely that you look like someone who expects to be waited on instead of doing work. Also the problem with the “too fancy” clothing is that you may be asked to do something physical during your audition, even it is as simple as “Now do the same monologue while stacking up these chairs”. Don’t wear clothes that would make that impossible.</p>

<p>Don’t wear anything that will distract the auditors from your performance. So no dangly jewelry, slogans on clothes, loud patterns, or anything like that. Don’t dress to try to seduce the auditors either, that’s another type of distraction, so don’t wear clothing that is too revealing, or go without underwear or something like that.</p>

<p>Don’t wear a costume. That is to say, don’t wear something that people don’t normally wear just because you are trying to look like your character. No period clothing, or policeman’s uniforms, or evening dress, or whatever.</p>

<p>If you are auditioning for a school, you are probably doing two contrasting monologues, two very different characters. So you need to go for something like a “neutral” look. Neutral colors are best for this (and yes, this is part of the reason why you see so many theatre types wearing a lot of black!!). But be sure to put in at least a bit of color so the auditors can tell you apart from the others (think of A Chorus Line, where the auditors end up saying “Okay you in the pink, and you with the green top . . .”).</p>

<p>There may indeed be a “regional” difference, or a difference between different types of schools and their “philosophy” of how actors (or just young people in general!) are “supposed” to look.</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

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<p>I agree that there is no rule and you should dress the way you normally would to reflect your personality. If that is preppy fine, if you’re more hipster, show that too. SouthernDramaMom is absolutely right! You want to attend a school that wants YOU, not the fake you at the audition.
What my daughter wore to her auditions would not be acceptable for a formal banking interview, but it clearly was perfect for an acting audition. Particularly at the kind of schools she was interested in. Southern Methodist university might not have approved, but she would have no interest in attending there. </p>

<p>The other suggestion I have is to wear your audition outfit every time you rehearse your monologues for friends and family. Especially the shoes. That was huge!</p>

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<p>I have a slightly different take, or maybe it’s the same take but with caveats: I would always beware of being over-casual and choose clothes that flatter you but are professional. On our auditions we saw several young people who were dressed in poor choices. Some examples: A tiny petite girl with pixie hair in a gigantic old sweater that swam on her, and tight leggings. Several girls with short skirts and heels who looked like they were dressed in a silly attempt to seduce the panel. Old jeans and sneakers. Hair over face. Shirts that slipped off one shoulder to reveal dirty bra strap. I would say however that poor dress choices were the exception rather than the rule. Most kids dressed in a variety of casually professional clothes styles</p>

<p>My own daughter wore a dress she was comfortable in and that revealed her shape but modestly, comfortable shoes with a slight heal (she wasn’t MT). Hair pulled away from face. Some make up but not much.</p>

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<p>I’m sitting at the Ithaca auditions right now. Hardly any boys (I think 4 total, and I think my son’s the only one for acting?). Two of the other boys are wearing black pants and blue or dark colored dress shirts; two are in jeans–my son’s are fairly new, not tight (he’s not skinny), and he has a nice Oxford-cloth button down, white with a dark blue pinstripe plaid. He’s comfortable. Other guy in jeans (also a big guy) is more casual, with feed beat-up jeans and a striped long-sleeve t-shirt. My S wore khakis to a previous audition but didn’t want to this one because there was a movement warmup. The girls are dressed up if they’re MT (you an really tell which ones they are!) and seem to have lots of hair ornaments or to have deployed curling irons quite thoroughly. I am surprised to see a few girls dressed almost childishly with little-girl dresses, hair in pigtails, just looking…young (I’m a h.s. teacher so I’m used to kids this age). There are kids here auditioning for acting and MT (roughly twice as many for MT) and also interviewing for theater studies, tech, etc., so it’s a mixed bag. I like that they are having a panel of current students answering questions while the parents are waiting–very relaxing and informative way to spend what could have been a tense time. The current students are wearing jeans or black pants and casual but not messy tops (both boys and girls) except for the the one MT student, who’s wearing an exposed-shoulders oversized t-shirt (kinda 80s), very short black shorts over sheer black tights, and cowboy boots. Go figure! :slight_smile: They are an appealing, bright group.</p>

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<p>I will also vote: Tidy hair!!! </p>

<p>I have been a Forensics judge and cannot stand to see kids flipping their head back constantly. It is distracting, and frankly, rude. Sadly, it is hard to convince them of this.</p>

<p>Lots of “dress” clothes are comfy. D wore a top that was “her” and gray slacks that had some stretch to them. She also wore fun saddle shoes - she hoped to be the “girl with the saddle shoes” a la KEVP’s suggestion. Whether this worked or not, she seemed to fit in with the general dress code and felt comfortable. </p>

<p>Definitely wear the same outfit to callbacks that you wore the first time. Directors appreciate it immensely and also probably you will get more positive results.</p>

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<p>Times - so glad they have students there. D has been one of those students and has been so happy to answer questions and help assuage nervousness. Good luck your son, and to everyone!!</p>

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<p>Live-blogging audition wear. Cool! And yes, we also noticed a huge difference between straight acting and MT. My daughter did both and it was striking.</p>

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<p>Continuing on the live blogging them, this is ActingDad reporting from uArts. You can definitely spot the MTs from a mile away in high heels and extra makeup. Acting kids are much more across the board. My daughter went for something fairly basic and comfortable. I won’t describe it completely accurately but some sort of tights/leggings with high waisted shorts and a red top with flat short boots. It’s a look she wears quite often and she looks pretty much what you’d think an artsy acting student would look like.</p>

<p>Just got the call as a type this that she got a call back so the first of many stressful hurdles has been cleared. This same day call back thing has got to be tough for kids. It’s one thing to get a letter denying admission but it has to be even harder to stare at list with a room full of kids and find out it’s over at that point. The U of Arts people don’t try to sugercoat it. No call back is rejection. </p>

<p>Good luck to everyone!</p>

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<p>A big congrats to your D on the UArts callback, ActingDad!!</p>

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<p>Congrats to your girl, acting dad! :slight_smile: keeping fingers crossed!</p>

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<p>Good luck to her! Must have been the outfit :slight_smile: !</p>

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<p>Congrats to your D, ActingDad!</p>