Saturday, October 18, 2014

A Comprehensive List of College Audition Resources

When I was first looking at the MT audition process, there were so many little places I gathered info from. I thought I would put them all in one place.

BOOKS:

I Got In by Mary Anna Dennard
This book is pretty classic for MT auditions! It outlines the process really well. There are newer editions, but I have the first one. Nonetheless, Mary Anna spills everything. This book is the Bible. I pretty much memorized it.

Admit One: Ten Steps to Choosing Your Acting or Musical Theatre College Program by Chelsea Cipolla and John West
This book is very, very helpful in figuring out what it is you want/need in a college. By the time I read it, I was pretty much set on a BFA ("or really intense BA") but it still helped me to discover a lot of "hidden gem" colleges and decide what I was looking for.

I know of a book on Amazon that someone wrote about their daughter's personal process. But I can't find it because I am an idiot.

#SOBLESSED: The Annoying Actor Friend's Guide to Werking in Show Business by Annoying Actor Friend @Actor_Friend
Although there is only a chapter dedicated to college auditions, this book is hilarious and so real about what "the business" is like. Some of the humor in the college audition chapter....well, you kind of have to do your research before you understand it 100%. Which brings me to...

ONLINE RESOURCES:

 The internet is really really great.......for learning about MT college auditions!! Seriously. It is a fantastic resource that I would have known NOTHING without. Here are some of the best places to gather info and intel:

Forums and Social Media:

College Confidential
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/
AH, the great and terrible College Confidential aka CC! I discovered it several years ago because of a link in a comment on some article about MT colleges on broadwayspotted.com. I have spent hours--perhaps days--of my life on here. The great thing about it is that you get real, firsthand information from real people (mostly parents) who have been through, or better yet, are currently going through the process. (Sometimes if you're really good (read: A REALLY GOOD STALKER aka me) you can figure out who the kids in question are.) The terrible thing is that it's extremely addictive. I would advise NOT to go on once you have actually submitted apps, unless you have a burning, specific question. I started feeling bad about myself once I heard about kids passing prescreens when I hadn't even submitted mine yet! So I left until I had finished all of my auditions. Make sure you check out the drama major section of CC as well.
Here are a couple of threads that are especially helpful (most now have class of 2019 and 2020 counterparts which you can find pretty easily):
Facebook
Good old Facebook is actually a fantastic resource for MT college info, if you know where to look. I highly suggest joining each MT class's facebook group and scrolling back through posts. The ones I know of are: The Collective, The Allied (2017), The Unified (2018), The Ensemble (2019) and The Troupe (2020). All the groups have lists of school reps that you can talk to if you're interested in the schools they represent or their experience with the college audition process in general. People are really nice. I've gotten fantastic advice from sooo many students in the years above me, and commiserated with students in my class!

Twitter
First, follow Annoying Actor Friend and BFA Problems @BFAproblems! Both are hilarious. If you want to go deeper, check out @BFAMTAcceptance and @BFAMTRejected. If you want to go REALLY deep, stalk the people who tweet at both those pages and see what else they've said in their personal tweets. I'm kidding, don't do this. Please. Don't be a stalker like me. I have a problem.

BLOGS AND BLOG POSTS
Blogs are the greatest thing ever and there are SOOOOO many out there! Here are just the ones I know of:

Schools

 http://tada.fredonia.edu/
SUNY Fredonia's Dept. of Theatre and Dance blog is one I literally discovered 5 minutes ago. I haven't had the chance to look through everything but it seems like it can offer serious insight into life in a BFA or BA program.

Most schools have a Tumblr account where prospective students ask questions! Just search the school's name.

Teachers

auditioningforcollege.com
Matthew Edwards, who is a voice professor at Shenandoah Conservatory, runs this blog which offers advice about all aspects of college auditions (for Vocal Performance as well as MT!). I particularly love what he says about type and age appropriate material. There is also a fantastic overdone list on this site. You will want to go to ShenCo after spending 10 minutes on this site. You just will.

 http://contemporarymusicaltheatre.wordpress.com/author/contemporarymusicaltheatre/
Contemporarymusicaltheatre.com is another great resource. In particular, author (and Marymount Manhattan MT voice teacher!) David Sisco writes some articles including anecdotes about his students. It is an easy way to see what voice lessons in an MT program are like.

Coaching Services, Etc.

 http://www.mycollegeaudition.com/mca-blog
My College Audition is founded by the same people who wrote Admit One! Their blog is chock full (chalk full? Where does that expression even come from?) of good advice. I haven't visited in a while and I think I need to spend some hours....

 http://collegeauditionpro.blogspot.com/
This one is really old, but still has relevant info. Check out her post on using your summer!

 http://getacceptd.com/blog/
The infamous prescreen upload site getacceptd has a blog as well! And it's wonderful! Not just about prescreens either :)

 http://artsbridge.com/artblog/
ArtsBridge, which is a college audition specific summer program, also has a blog. They feature certain theatre schools every once in a while, and have general advice about auditions. 

Students!

 http://survivingccm.blogspot.com/
She has 2 posts, but they are AMAZING POSTS. READ THEM. BASK IN THEIR GLORY. SLEEP WITH THEM UNDER YOUR PILLOW.

 http://shencomt2017.blogspot.com/
A girl at Shenandoah Conservatory created this blog to document her freshman year, and it is fantastic! Lots of pictures which I adore.

 http://divasguidetocollegeauditions.com/
DIVA'S GUIDE IS SO COMPREHENSIVE. Current MT students give advice on topics like headshots, prescreens, and making a balanced list of schools. I'm obsessed with this blog and I think it's insanely useful. Watch for new posts every weekend!
Edit: I will be guest blogging at Diva's Guide in the fall! Stay tuned and I'll post a link to whatever I write :)

 http://justinec-bfa-mt.tumblr.com/
This girl is a freshman at SUNY Fredonia and is detailing her experiences at the school and in the BFA MT program so far. Plus, she posted a really handy MT college audition checklist, which you can also see if you are in The Ensemble!

 http://helloemilyd6298.tumblr.com/
I love this blog because the author is so candid about her experiences auditioning for college. She talks a lot about MTCA so if you're considering coaching you should definitely read it!

 auditionhorrorstories.tumblr.com
I actually made this blog with a couple people I met in one of the facebook groups! There was this giant post in The Unified (you can still find it if you search "audition horror stories") that has even more. It's pretty hilarious. Add your horror stories if you have some!

https://collegetheatrestudent.wordpress.com
There is only one article on here, but it's so helpful and so true.

VIDEOS
A lot of people say not to use youtube to look up possible audition songs...BUT, if you search "musical theatre college audition/prescreen" you can find a lot of what songs NOT to do! A lot of people post their audition videos on youtube and...some of those videos aren't fantastically done. Nevertheless, there are good examples of prescreens out there! But that's not all youtube has in store for MT auditioners. Many college audition veterans have made videos about their experiences:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GuZLgWw-JE
You should watch this before you make any decisions about anything. I actually sat down and did it which was very wise.

http://www.1and16.com/ A new reality show/web series about college audition prep. It's very cool!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovy2ndqj7nA
This video details this girl's experience at LA Unifieds. It is incredibly helpful and I think I have it memorized. I sometimes watch the background to see what people were wearing.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiJ_ZMNygJ0
This one is great too! She really talks you through the entire audition process and seems like a fantastic human being. I learned a lot and I feel like I made a friend! Ha!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfbQ-qHEyIY These videos are very informative. And funny! A super convenient way to get a lot of info.

 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU6aFYgj7on0nd2wHeSjlUUP_hLlRzXSk More audition tips, specific to dance/voice/acting...I actually met her at one of my auditions and she was very nice. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj1xTYVwomo Here is a Class of 2020er's new vlog. She's just started her process and you'll be able to follow it through this year! It could also give you some organizational ideas and whatnot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgUD92O-WEU  This is a documentary she made as her senior project. It takes you through her entire college audition process, featuring explanations as well as in-the-moment videos. The vocal health stuff at the beginning is particularly interesting!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPsnexJkbYo
This is just a bunch of video footage she compiled during her auditions. It's really cool because it feels like you are going through the whole travel process with her!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axwoIT2LfKQ
This one is basically everything from her process, and includes great advice (from MTCA) as well as footage from actual auditions.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q4iwfE4Bzs&index=50&list=PL8A3B21081D4B0314
Don't watch Stages. You will want to go to Baldwin Wallace. And die.
Actually, watch it. Watch it watch it. It's so perfect. It's a good kind of dying. I swear. You must get to go to Heaven aka get workshopped by Vicky Bussert. Sorry I just have a lot of feelings.
There is also this video where the faculty gives audition tips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRTjUqE4DmU

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWS6M4iETA0
This is a "day in the life" sort of video, made by students at Florida State University. It is super informative and makes me wish I was in college already! (There used to be a whole vlog made by Hartt MT majors but I can't find it anywhere?? It must have been taken down.)
EDIT: When I auditioned at Hartt one of the guys from that vlog was helping with the dance call. It was pretty much exactly like meeting a celebrity.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-IUUl0ipVw&feature=youtu.be/ CMU students tell you how to manage when you're actually in a college theatre program!

ARTICLES
There are various articles around the internet that contain awesome advice about college theatre schools. Just beware the lists of "top schools"...the rankings are very subjective, and they are often written by someone outside of theatre!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-anna-dennard/ Mary Anna Dennard has written some excellent articles on Huffington Post. You can see them all here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-josephson/note-to-self-4-reminders-_b_6504348.html
This is a great one for parents to read as well.

 http://media.wix.com/ugd/6a667b_7e6d1c6c63a84af5be14281c716d4696.pdf This is done by faculty from Shenandoah Conservatory and it's VERY helpful. Information you might not find anywhere else. Also check out the other article on Jonathan Flom's web site!

 http://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-advice/campus-visits/blog/lights-camera-college-audition/
A Q&A with one of the authors of Admit One and founder of My College Audition!

 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/education/edlife/theater.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 A very long NY Times article about Unifieds.

 http://www.examiner.com/article/22-audition-tips-for-college-theatre-and-music-program-admissions
An ArtsBridge person wrote this article! It's in the Buzzfeedesque numerical format everyone and their dog is crazy about. :)

http://theatre.cah.ucf.edu/files/Preparing_for_Musical_Theatre_Auditions.pdf Great advice from MT faculty at UCF!

 https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/SCHOOLTHEATRE/dec00%20audition.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJH5D4I4FWRALBOUA&Expires=1422987297&Signature=jNWSrdBLx2Tmcf6scDdFSMe%2BjuM%3D An article originally published in Dramatics magazine.

http://majoringinmusic.com/is-musical-theatre-your-calling/ This is great! Just remember that if you want to do theatre, and you know it's your calling, you shouldn't stress over whether you fit someone else's "should I be an actor" criteria. That said, these are excellent criteria. It's a very thought-provoking article.

Playbill is full of wonderful articles, although they're more informational and less instructional. Here are a few articles I found on there:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/whats-the-best-choice-for-a-performing-arts-education-college-or-conservatory-333470 About choosing a performing arts college, from Playbill.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/the-secrets-you-need-to-know-to-have-a-successful-performing-arts-college-audition-332618 Again, not specific to theatre. But check it out anyway! Most of the info is still relevant.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/everything-performing-arts-students-need-to-know-about-getting-federal-financial-aid-338621 Oh, the great and terrible FAFSA. This is so important. You finish apps and you're like, "I'm done! No more deadlines! Now comes the fun part!" but OH NO. You still have to submit the FAFSA if you want to be able to actually afford college. And it's a nightmare, but if it gets you money in the end, it's worth it.

Backstage.com is a fantastic resource! They have a college guide, but also there are some articles that might be specifically helpful:
http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/resources/10-theater-colleges-kick-start-your-career/ You may have overlooked some of these colleges. Make sure you don't fall in to the BFA MT trap! These are a lot of straight acting programs at liberal arts colleges that are just as strong.
http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/resources/3-things-know-nail-your-college-audition/ Read this! Anything you can find that is from people who are actually behind the table in audition rooms is invaluable.
http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/9-tips-high-school-students-applying-acting-programs/ Important. Especially the starting early stuff.
http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/6-questions-ask-about-your-potential-theater-program/ A list of questions to ask college reps and current students! They're different than the list I posted, so make sure to read both.
http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/7-college-essay-writing-tips-borrowed-broadway/ THE CUTEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN AND MAKE SURE YOU DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ESSAYS



That's all for now! I'm sure I'll keep finding great resources and putting them on here.

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