I really want to major in musical theatre…lately I’ve been rejected from a LOT of teen theatre productions I auditioned for and prepared for like crazy, as well as theatre classes at school and school musicals. I’m starting to realize that I’m really not talented enough to succeed in this path although it’s my strongest passion.
I also have very little dance training and the classes I take are such an embarrassment because of how hard it is for me to pick up steps. I am working on improving in this area but I am not naturally gifted with dance and learning the basics as a high schooler has been challenging.
I know it sounds like at this point I’m pretty hopeless but I’ve been interested in MT for so long and I do believe that I am a strong singer and actor, just not special or trained enough to compete with others locally, or make it into a school and find success.
Again, it’s my biggest passion and I’ve had some of the best times of my life performing in shows and I love the community I’ve met. I can’t imagine doing anything other than rehearsing, going to voice and dance lessons, learning about theatre history, and auditioning when I’m in college.
Should I keep trying or leave it to the people who are more experienced and talented?
Edit: I’ve also been rejected from theatre classes at school I wanted to take and school musicals this year.
Choose a school that does not require an audition. There are several listed. Sometimes it just takes some longer than others to blossom. Hang in there.
There are also many paths to being a part of MT that don’t involve performing. Have you ever tried any aspect of technical theater? We have a family friend who had similar experiences to yours, and ended going into costume design, and loves it
I wouldn’t give up based on high school experiences, which can be political and cliquey. If you can afford it, even for a few sessions, get a coach and ask for an honest assessment. But even if it turns out that performing is not how you make your living professionally (even graduates of the top programs struggle to make that happen), there is community theater, teaching, and technical as toowonderful said. If it truly is your passion, you can find a way to be involved.
I think you have gotten great advice from @bisouu and @wonderful. You can pursue theater in college in non-audition based programs (BA degrees). Study what you love! On top of that, there is extracurricular theater in college. Then, try to embrace that even some of the most talented MT actors/singers/dancers, have difficulty getting professional work on stage and many of them go into related careers in theater. Their background ON STAGE is very beneficial to these other jobs such as stage management, directing, casting, producing, etc. I know many who attended BFA in MT programs who are doing such kind of work now. So, keep an open mind. Meanwhile, even if you are not cast in shows locally, keep training in voice, acting, and dance. Get involved in theater in some capacity at school or in your community now, even if not cast. Major in theater or MT in college in a BA degree program, and it can open all sorts of doors for you career wise.
Don’t base your future success on the failings of your high school career.
Decisions are made in high school productions that sometimes have absolutely nothing to do with talent.
Case in point: a local theatre production that had well over a hundred people audition, from 3 states, some w/ professional credits, cast a high school girl as the lead. That same girl was just cast as an ensemble role (blink and you’d miss her) in her senior high school show.
@cactus3 - sorry if I missed something, but can you tell us a little about your training? What year are you in HS? You say you have been rejected from productions you “prepared for like crazy” - what does that mean exactly? Are you taking private voice? Acting lessons/classes outside of school? Do you study an instrument? What kinds of dance classes have you tried? For many people dance is difficult until they’ve worked through MANY hours of practice/class work (you just don’t see them until they’ve overcome the “two left feet” stage, which can last a LONG time). If you are “older”, you will need to do dance more than one class a week. Are any of these things accessible to you in both scheduling/transportation and funding? If not, there may be some creative options available to you. From what you wrote, it sounds like you have only tried to get into school theater classes and have auditioned for “tons” of productions and have “lately” been rejected. I am just curious what else you have tried. Many kids who want to pursue MT/Acting/Singing are spending many hours a week in studios/lessons/classes for at least 1-2 years, and some much more. “Natural talent” only gets a person so far, the rest is accomplished through hard work. Are you already doing this? Is it possible for you to do that in the future? You are getting terrific advice from the posters above if you are a rising senior and have already put forth the work I’m suggesting - or the best that has been available to you and your circumstances. If you are younger than that and have relied only on what you can get from school classes you might want to explore other avenues for training before you judge yourself “not talented enough to succeed”. And yes, there are many people who did not find their strides in theater until they were in college - whether on stage/in front of the camera, or elsewhere on the theater/film team.
Yes, definitely try to look into training opportunities and even production opportunities outside of school (if you haven’t already).
Okay. I was you. I kind of still am. I do NOT have natural singing or dancing OR acting talent the way a lot of my friends do. There is hope, I promise you. Voice lessons can be a miracle worker if you have the right teacher. Dance classes as well. But with college auditions, SO much of what they want to see is that they can teach you and that you’re interesting and passionate, which it sounds like you are! If you’re really committed to auditioning for college, get a coach and take a gap year just to work on skills. I didn’t really start dancing until high school, and I would place myself in the middle of the pack at most college auditions—just a year of ballet can make a huge difference. You can go so, so far with training. And a LOT of auditioning is your attitude! Be confident in yourself! I actually told an auditor “I know I’m not ready to work professionally and that’s why I’m 200% committed to training.” And as for being rejected from local shows, I’ve been there as well! High school casting can be based on your age, parental involvement, whether you fit the costumes they already have…as my voice teacher says, “never walk into an audition thinking it is fair.” I went to a dance class with Clay Thomson last summer and he said he was never cast in his high school musicals and was told that he would never succeed in MT, so his motivation was always to prove those people wrong. And not only did he get into Penn State, he left to be in a Broadway show! I think of all my rejections from local shows as gifts, because they prepared me for college rejections incredibly well
Atta Girl, @MTVT2015!
In 8th grade we used to ask everyone to sign our yearbooks. I loved to sing and I was heartbroken that my yearbook was signed with a ton of nasty comments about how ugly my voice was and how bad I was at singing. When I went to high school, my choral director was very unsupportive and so I was left on my own to pursue my passion. He didn’t like my singing so I was never cast in the leading male roles because he didn’t want to work with me. I worked and worked and worked some more. I refused to give up. My dad was a factory worker and I was the first one on his side of the family to go to college - failure was not an option. By the time I was 22, things were finally starting to come together and I started booking some really nice gigs. My voice was finally able to compete at a high level around the age of 25. It took 12 years to get to that point! In order to succeed in this business you have to want this more than anything and you have to be willing to make a lot of sacrifices. If you are scared by the prospects of such a competitive business, there are plenty of other ways to earn a living in the arts and still feel fulfilled. Music therapy is an incredible field where you will sing every day and touch thousands of lives. Music education is an option as is music industry. You could also get a degree in communication disorders and become a singing voice specialist who works with musical theatre performers who have damaged their voices. If this is what you REALLY want, keep fighting and go after it with all that you have. It will be hard, but if you believe in yourself I would not be surprised at all if you were successful. Maybe you will be writing on this forum several years from now so you can inspire others.
~VT
@voiceteacher ^ <3 <3 <3 !
@voiceteacher Best thing I have EVER read on here <3
Wow. @voiceteacher
=D>
@VoiceTeacher and @MTVT2015 - Lovely posts… thanks so much for sharing them! You’ve almost convinced me to start voice lessons. 
@MomCares it is never too late!
Accidentally posted that twice!
Voice lessons with a good teacher can do absolute wonders. I didn’t take voice lessons until May of junior year and I have three acceptances so far and a waitlist to an extremely selective school.
Haha… You can only say that because you have never heard me sing. Happily D inherited her dad’s vocal cords. 