BWW College Guide - Tips From 25 Major Universities About College Program Auditions
By: Linnae Medeiros Nov. 04, 2019
With college theatre program auditions just around the corner, we're taking a closer at some of the most prestigious theatre programs from all across the country and learning about everything from from the audition process to real world experience and more thanks to the schools' faculty. Today we're looking at what advice from twenty-five different major universities about auditioning for their programs. Hear what schools from AMDA, University of Michigan, and more had to say with the answers below!
AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts
Preparation is key. This is your moment to demonstrate that you are ready for an intense performing arts education experience. Read all of the audition information carefully, prepare accordingly and seek out the support and guidance of your teachers and coaches. Pick material that you feel connected to. We want to understand more about you through your work. We want to see your personal artistry and connection in addition to technique and skill. Be prepared to articulate why you want to audition and why you want to pursue the performing arts. This is your moment, own it! The day of your audition, try to relax. Remember, we are on your side and want you to succeed. Don't be intimidated by your adjudicator, they are there to help facilitate you doing your best work. If they recommend any adjustments, accept it openly and graciously. This is an opportunity for us to see what it is like to work with you. We are looking for aptitude, not perfection.
Auburn University
Attend Scholarship Day. Scholarship Day is a chance for prospective to apply for departmental scholarship and/or audition for the music theatre program, if they plan on attending Auburn for the next fall semester. This is a chance for students to also tour the campus and theatre facility, meet with department faculty/staff and students, and speak with admission, financial aids, and other campus representatives. This gives students a chance to really get a 'feel' of what it means to be an auburn student. If students are unable to attend scholarship, they should still submit an application, prescreening material can be considered for scholarship and/or their audition.
Baldwin Wallace University
Find material that shows your personality and artistry.
Boston University
You don't have to give us perfection, the mess is what's interesting and reveals the humanity. We are auditioning you to see if we want to spend 4 years together, we are not looking for a fully polished performance of what you think we want to see.
James Madison University
Specific tips for each major can be found in the audition/interview guidelines that can be found and downloaded on the apply page for each major. However, the common theme across all majors in the School of Theatre and Dance is for prospective students to share themselves honestly throught the audition, interview, and application process. We are looking for young people who are excited about collaboration, artistic growth, and about becoming both well informed artists and citizens.
Kean University
Know your material well. Make clear choices in regard to character, objective, intention. Read the play and understand how this moment fits within the larger picture. Select material that suits you. Material from published plays is preferred. Try to leave your nerves at the door and allow us to get to know you.
Loyola Marymount University
Choose pieces that you love doing and that help us know who you are as a person and a performer. The characters you choose should be relatively close to your age. The video should be more about you than any kind of production value. Above all have some fun with it.
Marymount Manhattan College
Be yourself and have fun! It is important to understand that while yes, you are auditioning for a college theatre program you are also auditioning us in a sense - after all, you are trying to determine where you would most like to spend the next four years of your education. This process is all about finding out "the right fit." We are looking to get a glimpse of who you are as a theatre artist at this stage in your education/training. This shines through in the material you choose to bring in and how open and receptive you are to the entire audition process. So pick material that you are comfortable with! Our auditions are run in a classroom environment, which means that you will have the opportunity to work hands-on with our faculty in the audition and interview room. This format will give you a glimpse into our process and model for training the next generation of theatre-makers. Use this setting as an opportunity to play and create - we are not only looking for what you have prepared, but also how open you are to feedback and collaboration.
Millikin University
We are interested in a wide variety of performers, each of whom have something unique to bring to their work. Don't try to guess what we are looking for because we often don't know until we see it. Be your most authentic self in the work you present to us.
Pace University
Follow directions and use the resources available (school's website, staff, current students, campus tours, etc.). Avoid falling into the trap of trying to be someone you think WE want you to be instead of being your wonderful, human self.
Roosevelt University
Be yourself! We want to get to know YOU and your unique talents through the audition process, so pick audition pieces that you relate to and enjoy performing. Don't be afraid to bring your authentic self into the audition room. That's what will make you stand out.
Shenandoah Conservatory
Perform material that you do well RIGHT NOW. Do not try to be something you are not. You go to College to learn, so you don't have to show everything at once. Preparation is so important. You should know the material inside and out. Most importantly, have fun and be yourself.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Find material that speaks to you and shares who you are - since we're making a four-year investment in each other, we're interested in seeing students' personalities and heart.
University of California, Los Angeles
We are looking for students who are excited to undertake a liberal arts education and pre-professional training in a comprehensive program that combines study of the arts, humanities and sciences with exploration of principle areas of theater practice. See the UCLA Department of Theater Interview/Audition site for more information and a schedule of dates. Applicants should review the specific Interview/Audition Requirements to prepare for their area of interest (Acting, Design/Production, Directing, Musical Theater, Playwriting, Integrated Studies) in the event that they are contacted for an Interview/Audition.
University of Cincinnati
Choose age-appropriate material and material that you enjoy and want to share with us. We want to see who you are.
University of Michigan
Think of your audition as your time to share where you are in your development as a young artist rather than a time to impress.
University of North Carolina
Pick material that you love, and is a good reflection of who you are. Be simple in your classical monologue, don't act "Shakespearean"
University of Southern California
Be genuine and thoughtful with your pieces. Highlight your skillset, while at the same time be clear of why you are looking to pursue a conservatory-style program. Do research on the school to see if the curricular grid matches your interest and if you submit a video - watch it before you submit it.
University of Texas at Arlington
Show us you! Be your unique self!
Viterbo University
Be authentic and let us meet you. The audition process is a two way street and we want to meet you in the middle.
Wright State University
Do material you love, you do really well, and that speaks to you and helps us understand who you are as an artist.
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