<p>Over the summer, I was unsure if I wanted to audition for programs this year or take a gap year and wait. I'm a very motivated person and I enjoy learning a lot. Naturally, I did not want to wait a year to go to college but I felt that might be best because I did not have a shot talent wise at the programs that I wanted to be in. A few months later, after talking with my counselor, she told me that it would be best to apply this year while I can still get help with apps and it would be better than applying next year after a year of no schooling at all (though she is not familiar with the MT app process). I decided to apply and have applied to a few schools but I still feel like I do not have a shot. I have never been "the lead" in a show and I am not the "star" of my high school or anything like that. I know that I can sing, act, and dance well enough but not necessarily at the level of the kids at these schools that I really want to go to. I've already applied to some schools but now I'm sort of regretting it and thinking I should take the year off like I originally planned. I applied to my top choice and I feel like if I don't get accepted past the prescreen audition it may not be worth it to continue applying this year. What should I do? Musical theater is what I know I want to do in life the only thing that discourages me is that I am not as talented as I should be at my age.</p>
<p>I’m glad you’ve talked to your guidance counselor - but how about having a heart-to-heart with your theatre teacher or whoever it is that directs your school’s plays. Let them know how you are feeling as see what they say.</p>
<p>You will never get someone to come right out and tell you your talent level, because everyone will have a different perception of you. But theatre isn’t about pleasing others, or impressing others . . . it is about the joy YOU get from performing. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>A few thoughts, but soul searching is really what you need to do most…</p>
<p>Have you spoken with your parents who probably know you better than most? Will they be morally and financially supportive regardless of when you start school? And which major you choose?</p>
<p>Do you have a plan for the gap year if you decide to take it? If you are certain you want to pursue MT, will you be taking classes to improve your skills? Working with an MT college admissions coach? Do you think that after the year you will become a good candidate for the audition programs? What have you done so far to prepare? </p>
<p>What sort of help do you need from your school for applications? As you said, your counselor doesn’t understand the MT admissions process, so carefully consider whether his/her advice is valid. Although high school acting teachers CAN be helpful, just remember it is only ONE person’s opinion. Sometimes they get an impression of you when you enter high school and have trouble adjusting it when you grow. My D has a great relationship with her high school acting teacher and he swears he finds her talented, but has not cast her in a lead role. She has been cast in many lead roles in community theater and camp programs and was cast in a college film that won awards, so she has plenty of outside validation, but if she were to judge her chances and talent level just by her high school teacher, she would probably be in doubt.</p>
<p>Have you looked into non-audition MT programs at colleges that are good academic fits? Perhaps you can get training that way. If a career in MT is meant to be for you, and you don’t feel the training in a non-audition college program was intensive enough, you could either pursue a graduate degree or a 2-year certificate program after that. At least you will have a college degree at that point.</p>
<p>There is a thread on here called Big List of MT programs by Type. It lists the non-audition programs, both BA and BFA. Some programs you can get into without an audition, then you audition for the BFA program after a year or two.</p>
<p>If you don’t make a decision soon, the decision will have been made for you because of deadlines. Some deadlines have already passed. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>Marbleheader gives great advice! There is no hard and fast indicator of “talent level”…and especially not at your age. Do not take one pre-screening “no” as a sign of anything at all. You’ve sent in some applications-- audition at those places if you have the chance. If nothing comes of it, you can apply with greater force next year, after getting more training and just more maturity.</p>
<p>If I were your adviser I’d want to have a nice easy conversation with you about your goals-- what you really love about theater, and about life, what your resources are-- and then I’d consider what feels right for you to try for. There are nonauditioned programs that offer good training, and there are ways to put together a gap year full of the training you need to be able to give a solid audition. </p>
<p>I saw Chicago on Broadway a while back and one of the characters really stood out to me-- he was an amazing dancer and just full of the energy that rivets an audience. I googled him later–he had a BA in Business management. Had decided to start studying theater in his early 20’s. And there he was, outshining the stars of the show. Don’t count yourself out of anything at age 18.</p>
<p>PS-- The question is really-- how much do you want to do this? It’s not an easy education, nor business. Can you imagine yourself just as happily curled up on a library windowseat, reading philosophy while the snow falls outside? Then maybe that would be a better plan. But it’s about your own commitment, not an outside opinion.</p>
<p>All fantastic advice given here. I especially love the questions that shaun is asking you to answer for yourself. </p>
<p>Too add to the discussion though, I disagree with your counselor. MT is not a traditional academic field and it would not be at all detrimental to you to take a gap year. True, you have advisors in your high school currently that would be able to help you with your applications, but the biggest part of your MT application is the audition, and it doesn’t sound like you have anyone there that is a strong resource for you. </p>
<p>I also agree that you should have a conversation with your theatre instructor. S/he should have enough industry or educational experience with theatre that would provide them with helping to give you insight as to what you might be able to do to improve your odds of getting into a college program. Just because you’re not getting leads doesn’t mean you’re not talented, so don’t let that get you down. Consider too, that if you’re applying to your “top choice,” it is very likely that it’s 1000 other kids’ top choice, so your odds of getting in, even if you’re supremely talented, are limited. </p>
<p>Should you go through with the auditions at this point? Sure. You can only gain experience from them, and should you not like the outcome, take it as one of the many disappointments you are likely to encounter in this industry (it happens to everyone!), and keep working. If you take a gap year, have a plan. Plan what you’re financially able to do and enlist the proper people to allow you to best achieve your goals. Research, research, research: research schools, research different types of programs, research the industry, research your type, research material. At this stage in the game, you don’t really have time for this, but you will for the next audition year. </p>
<p>Lastly, when embarking on this journey, please go forth with confidence! You say that it gets you down that you’re not as talented as you should be. You are what you believe you are. I think that Henry Ford said: whether you think you can or cannot, you are probably right. Believe that the element that makes you the most interesting performer is that there is no person in this world just like you. And when you’re auditioning for schools, believe that every one of your auditors wants you to succeed. Be open to feedback, be open to rejection, be open to allowing others to see who you really are. </p>
<p>All best to you throughout this process :)</p>
<p>My advice to you is to go through the audition process this year as if you’re going to college next year. I’m currently taking a gap year myself, and I’m SO glad I decided to get my auditions over with last year. If you apply and get in to one of your top picks the first time-great! Then you maybe don’t even need to take a year off. But if you don’t, you will have a whole year to refine and hone your craft AND have the whole college audition experience already under your belt.
I can’t tell you how much I learned just researching, applying, and auditioning for these programs. Not only about the schools, but more about myself and what type of education is really the most suitable for me. The programs I thought I would love ended up being some of the ones that I hated, and one of my bottom 3 ended up being my first choice by the end of auditions-and the school I will be attending next fall.
There’s just so much that goes into it, and so many details that have to be thought out; it takes a lot of time and TOUGH decisions to find a place that really fits you! I know plenty of people that didn’t get into where they wanted (or anywhere at all!) their first go, but ended up with acceptances to top tier schools their second shot. I guess the real point I’m trying to get across to you is to just GO FOR IT and audition this year because there is really nothing that can go wrong! You’re going to hit a lot of rough patches but believe me when I say there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
If you have any more questions about taking a gap year, feel free to PM me! I love answering questions (obviously.)</p>
<p>I would like to add one other consideration. How strong a program does your high school have and how reputable/knowledgeable are the people making decisions about who gets casts as leads in shows? My daughter never got a decent part in a high school show. We found the process to be very political and the casting decision made on all sorts of criteria unrelated to talent. Fortunately, in our case, my daughter had external feedback including landling leads at Frenchwoods, in community theater productions and many other data points to lead us to believe she’d be competitive from a talent standpoint for acting auditions.</p>
<p>So to summarize – I wouldn’t base any final conclusion over high school casting. It also may make sense to try to get some external feedback by someone involved in assiting kids with college auditions to see where you stand.</p>