 |
| Photo by David Mark |
I get it. The college process for a prospective musical theatre or theatre/acting student can be super challenging. As you're getting ready to submit tons of essays to colleges and get good grades in your first semester, you have college auditions to worry about. I’m here to tell you that there’s nothing to worry about.
I decided that I wanted to share my college audition process with you in hopes to ease your mind and give you an idea of what to expect at an on-campus audition. Before I went in for my auditions there was this sense of mystery I had about how that day would be; I wasn't sure what to expect. Needless to say, I had an exciting day on campus. In this post, I'll share my experience for my musical theatre audition day on campus.
I submitted my prescreens to this school in December and they invited me for an on campus audition in January. There were other slots open in February but I had an acting audition in early February and I wanted to get my feet wet with this audition first so I scheduled pretty early.
Traveling
Ok so since we're still getting to know each other I should tell you that I have a procrastinating problem haha. As we left home to drive an hour and a half away to this campus, I stopped by Walgreens to pick up my printed headshots. Your headshots should be printed days (maybe even weeks) before. Anywaaayyyys I was fortunate enough to have my dad support me and drive me on this trip. In the car, I silently went over my monologue over and over again.
Check-In
Upon arrival, the building we were directed to go to was a little hard to find, which was ok because we arrived early! I checked in and the school gave me a tool kit for the day: a water bottle, backpack, and lanyard. So sweet. We were escorted into another room nearby where there were drinks and bagels and fruits galore! It was a great day so far, free food and good travel.Presentation
After food and talking with other people who were auditioning, the presentation began. In summary, they talked in great detail about their fine arts department; what makes them stand out as a school and program, and what kind of students they were looking for. One of my favorite parts was their slideshow of pictures of their past productions (anybody else love looking at production pictures?).
Next, we as the prospective students and parents were able to ask a myriad of questions about the school and the program. Really great questions were asked and they included really great answers. Next was the hard part: Auditioning (gasp).
Dance Call
Everyone auditioning for Musical theatre began with their dance call. We walked to a different building where the dance studios were and we were given a chance to change out of our current attire and into our dance clothes. As we filed into the room we were greeted by 3 current students and the dance instructor of the program. The session began with a warm-up, followed by a ballet sequence. I have little to no experience in ballet (working on it during my renaissance year heeey) so I struggled a little bit, but not horribly. Then the dance instructor for the program taught a jazz combo, and we were able to then separate into groups to practice with one of the students. Finally, we performed in separate groups and I felt much more comfortable because it was Jazz and the piece had a lot of room to add character.Waiting
For the acting and singing portion, each student had their own slot starting in the morning to the afternoon. My slot was around noon so I had some time to rehearse and relax. While I waited I went over my monologues in a little corner of the room. I also talked to this mom and her daughter, the daughter being interested in the acting program.Side note, one of my favorite parts of auditioning is the people you meet. I love hearing about what shows they've been in, how they got into theatre, and just talking about all things art! Seriously recommended getting to know people when you are able to.
Voice and Acting Audition
Yikes. It was my turn. I was given 15 minutes to sing in a practice room privately, then I sat down with a current musical theatre student right outside of the room I was going to audition in. Talking with him definitely helped to ease my nerves. As the last auditionee walked out of the room, I knew it was my turn to audition. I walked in and said hello to everyone. The vocal mentor (s), Dance instructor, and acting coach were all there to observe my audition. They asked how to pronounce my name because it's kind of a mouthful. I did monologues first. Forgot the words to the first one (bloop!) and then I performed the second one.During my first song the vocal coach from the program pulled me away to the piano and asked me to pick a gospel song. She wanted more volume and power from me and it was nice that she invested that time in me. The second song there was a misunderstanding with the piano and that can happen so just be nice and go with the flow!
Interview
After all the singing and acting I was pulled aside in the same room for a brief interview. We discussed song choices, how I did in the dance call, the program and what to expect. Then it was over. It was the longest audition of my life and I mean that in a good way. So often you audition and then you're done and you don’t even remember what it was like. But this whole process felt like an experience, one I could remember and I valued that. The dance instructor said I looked very intimidated during the dance call, which is funny because it was the most calm I had ever felt for a dance audition. Seriously, I felt this overwhelming sense of calm that I’m not used to in dance auditions. I’m not sure what it was but I was able to forgive myself for not having ballet training and I was able to have fun and enjoy the experience regardless.After this whole process, my dad and I took a tour of the campus and ate lunch with the theatre and musical theatre students. They were all really nice, good spirited people and I enjoyed my food (and my dad enjoyed his salad too). It was a memorable day for me; my first ever college audition. I had waited for that moment for years. In the end, I was contacted I think a month or two later and I was chosen as a BFA in Musical Theatre! In my next post, I will share my experience auditioning for an acting only program. Till then, keep working on your craft and believe you can do it no matter how much experience you have.
Sincerely,
Shaheen