<p>As my first audition is approaching, I was thinking if what I'll wear is right. I'm planning on wearing a very long skirt, and a simple t-shirt or sweater on top. Do I need to wear sweatpants???...</p>
<p>Definitely not sweatpants. Dress appropriately; a skirt is nice. You want to be comfortable with what you are wearing but look your best.</p>
<p>I would suggest picking up a copy of the book “I Got In”, by Mary Anna Dennard, a well-known college audition coach. In the book, she gives great advise about what to wear to auditions, as well as many other aspects of the BFA application/audition process. Her recommendations are based on years and years of very successful audition coaching, as well as her experience as an oscar-winning casting director. BTW, I have no connection to Ms. Dennard…we just found the book very helpful. It’s an easy read, too.</p>
<p>^Agreed with MTguyMom
For girls, you should wear something form fitting to show your figure (but not inappropriate). A dress is usually preferable. No patterns or stripes. Something nice and basic. And try bright colors. And wear ballet flats. And pantyhose. Don’t have bear legs. No jewelry.</p>
<p>Thats basically what I Got In says on audition outfits.</p>
<p>I used to work with Mary Anna (or Moo as we called her). She really, REALLY knows what she’s talking about. She can train kids to audition so well that sometimes I would see her less-than-great students get into really nice schools.</p>
<p>And I can’t say this enough: HAIR CUT OR PULLED BACK AWAY FROM YOUR FACE (boys as well as girls). Many people don’t realize that they flip their head to get bangs out of their eyes - or worse, fiddle with their hair with their hands - constantly. Get your hair in order so your whole face can be seen and be done with it.</p>
<p>I am a Forensics judge and sometimes want to attack the kids with a handful of bobby pins.</p>
<p>When it comes to wearing skirts, does that still work even though most colleges recommend “comfortable clothing that is suitable for physical movement?” Has anyone run into any exercises or requests during auditions that would have been hard to do in a skirt?</p>
<p>Agreed on the hair. Out of place hair can ruin everything; as petty as that sounds; it can be so distracting. </p>
<p>and as far as the comfortable movement thing; for my NYU audition, we were told it would begin with a warmup for which we were to wear “comfortable clothing, easy to move in” etc.
What I did, along with most of the other people there I noticed, was we came in our comfortable clothing, and then they let us change after the warm up into our audition clothes. THere was no requirement to change, but they gave us the ability to. Each school is different though, so I would check.</p>
<p>^^ Same at Syracuse – except it was almost impossible to change so everyone ended up auditioning in their comfortable clothing. Which I’m sure was fine but that more professional look went out the window! After that D decided she was comfortable enough to do a warmup in her audition clothes.</p>
<p>BRING DANCE CLOTHES! Even if you are not a dancer (my mistake I made).</p>
<p>lol should we bring a luggage of various clothes?</p>
<p>this nyu thing confused me. so no heels or skirts? what were you guys doing in warm up, jumping and running around?</p>
<p>Is there usually a coatroom or something at these auditions? There’s a big difference between wearing something “comfortable to move in” and wearing something comfortable for Chicago/New York/San Francisco in the dead of winter at Unifieds…</p>
<p>I’m having a hard time picturing your outfit from your description. A skirt might be a problem if there is “movement” involved in the audition (as others have said). </p>
<p>Don’t wear anything that will distract the people evaluating your audition from your acting. No slogans on the T-shirt, probably no artwork at all (maybe just a simple pattern). No “dangly” jewelry. And as someone else said, pull your hair back from your face. And–umm–I have seen an actress make this mistake–be sure to wear a brassiere.</p>
<p>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. The warm-ups have been easy to do in jeans. (I’m sure MT is different.) I did think some were too casually dressed-- it’s probably better to look like you didn’t just roll out of bed. There has never been any place to change, to warm up in private, to put coats. Either use a parent as a coat-rack or leave it on a chair (if you got lucky and had a chair). And I’m assuming Unifieds will not be roomier!</p>
<p>Wow Gwen, that totally surprises me that people are wearing jeans…In professional & semi-professional auditions, I don’t think I’ve ever once seen an auditioning woman in jeans. It would definitely be frowned on. (Men occasionally do wear jeans, but usually they’re teens or kids. Adult men usually will wear slacks.) But maybe college auditions are different? </p>
<p>Auditions are a job interview. Even for a college program, I don’t think it would hurt to think of it as a job interview. </p>
<p>When my son was auditioning at college programs a few years ago - for straight acting - the biggest dressing mistake I saw were girls dressed - I’ll be blunt - as though they were trying to seduce the panel. Mini skirts, tight shirts revealing cleavage, hair down, very high heels. NEVER NEVER do this. </p>
<p>As far as jeans, I don’t know. Personally, I would think it would be less risky to dress a little more professionally. DEFINITELY not sweat pants! In my opinion, a dress is safest, but nice slacks are good. What I see in professional and semi professional auditions are mostly: fairly form-fitting dresses (not too short and not ‘sluttish’), heels but not too high, color but no pattern, hair pulled away from the face, some make up but not much. </p>
<p>If you are dressing for musical theatre, then you will need an outfit you can dance in too. Many people have a leotard they wear underneath their dresses, and extra dance shoes. Or they change. </p>
<p>These are just my thoughts. And of course, if you’ve already gone in and auditioned in jeans, and most people are in jeans, maybe no one minds anymore? Make sure they’re good quality jeans though, no rips or tears! And definitely NO sweatpants! :-)</p>
<p>There are jeans and then there are jeans. Perhaps the young women wearing jeans are wearing something dressier than the typical idea that comes to mind when we think of denim. My daughter is also trying to decide what to wear. She does not think she will feel comfortable in a dress for her audition. So she needs to come up with pants that are dressy enough, have enough stretch, etc…</p>
<p>Yes, glassharmonica, you must be right. I guess if everyone is wearing jeans now it can’t hurt! 
And of course Gwen, if you see everyone wearing the jeans, then I guess that’s acceptable now. I guess I was just surprised. But absolutely it would have to be dressy/classy jeans, definitely not with holes or tears and definitely not super-tight or super-low (you don’t want your undies/butt crack showing if you squat or bend or your bare belly revealed if you stretch–this may sound obvious, but based on the jeans I see, it’s not!). For musical theatre, most people don’t wear jeans for dance because you can’t really move in them.</p>
<p>We noticed a big difference between acting and MT kids dress. Daughter had some of each on her list and at some schools they all started together. The acting group was without fail much more casual.</p>
<p>hoveringmom, [glassharmonica puts on quivering faux-elderly voice] Nowadays, the young 'uns have a newfangled garment called “jeggings”, which are leggings made to look like jeans. They have a lot of stretch in them and you can actually move very well in them. It is also possible to buy regular “dressy” jeans with a lot of stretch in the fabric. I’m not advocating that people wear them for auditions, but on a recent shopping expedition my daughter bought a pair of extremely stretchy, dark, “dress” jeans that she is considering wearing because they are flattering and easy to move in. Still no decision on what to wear, though. First audition coming up on Thursday!</p>
<p>glassharmonica, tell your daughter to break a leg (in her stretchy jeans!). Let us know what she decided to wear and how it went.</p>
<p>And I’m sorry if I came across as judgmental. Gwen, I’m sure your D was fine; I’m sure she has really good judgment. It’s just I had really never heard of wearing jeans, stretchy or otherwise, but it’s been 4 years since I’ve done this college audition business and my D doesn’t start for a couple of weeks.</p>