10 Steps to Navigating Musical Theatre College Auditions

Dear auditionees, 

Hi! My name is Sabrina. I will be earning my BFA in Musical Theatre at Pace University starting in the fall! I had a really great audition experience, and I thought it would be helpful to share the tips that I picked up along the way. 

Before you read any further, I want to make one thing clear: this process is HARD--and it is not for the faint of heart. It is an emotional roller coaster in the truest sense of the phrase. It is heartbreaking and thrilling and exhausting. The strength that it takes to be in this profession is incredible; you are opening yourself up to rejection, and there is no guarantee that you will receive good news. 

With that said, this experience was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. It was an incredible bonding experience--I have never felt closer to my mom (my audition buddy!). I have never felt more in touch with myself than I do now, coming out of audition season. 

I am going to try my hardest to make sure this handbook is as detailed as possible. Think of this as a guide from someone who has been through the process. I definitely learned the most from hearing about various experiences from veterans of this process. Everyone’s path and process is unique and this is simply my experience, so please take everything with a grain of salt. Trust your path. 

My reason for writing this is not only to reflect on my personal audition season, but to try and give you an idea of what this process will be like--the good, the bad, the ugly. But through all of this, do not lose sight of why you decided to do this in the first place. You love this beautiful art form and you cannot live without it. Why do you love it so much? Think long and hard about your answer and never let this out of your head. Come back to this often.

Break legs,

Sabrina Shah

P.S. If you have ANY questions, please do not hesitate to ask me! My instagram is @sabrinaxshah if you ever want to reach out!

#1: Get your applications done ASAP

It is insanely relieving once you get all of your applications out of the way. Get the academic part done so you can focus on what you love—the artistic part. I know that for some schools, you cannot submit your prescreens until you have applied to the university academically. You want your pick of audition dates because slots fill up fast. Basically, the earlier you get your applications in, the earlier you can turn prescreens in, and the more freedom you have with scheduling your auditions. 

#2: Spreadsheets, spreadsheets, spreadsheets… 

This process is truly mind-numbing in terms of all of the little details you must remember, so keeping yourself organized is absolutely essential. This will vary from person to person, but I found the following structure very helpful: 

• a page for academic related things only 

  • Do they use the common app? Do they require any supplemental essays? How many letters of recommendation are required? Who is writing them? Have I sent my test scores yet? Has my application been submitted? 

• a page for prescreens 

  • What are their prescreen requirements? When are they due? Do they use getacceptd.com? If not, what do they use?

• an in-person audition preliminary page 

  • Do they require something different than the prescreens? Do they require the same thing as prescreens? What are the requirements? In a perfect world, when would I audition?

• a confirmed in-person audition page

  • Am I auditioning on campus? If so, where on campus? Address? When? 

  • If you decide to attend, make a separate page for NYC, CHI, and LA Unifieds. (More on that later.) 

    • Which building am I auditioning in? Address? Which studio am I auditioning in? What time? 

• a page for travel info

  • Hotel reservation confirmations, flight confirmation numbers, and addresses all live here.

• a page for tracking how much you have spent 

  • Record application fees, test score fees, prescreen fees, in-person audition fees, plane tickets, hotel reservations here.

**NOTE: This is simply a guideline. Add or delete pages as you see fit. 

#3: Make your prescreens count

This one should be obvious. Do not rush them and submit them early just to say you got it done. Just because you submit them early does not necessarily mean that you’ll hear back early. But do not wait until the last minute. The material you pick for prescreens should show you off, be contrasting, and you should love it. It is very obvious when someone does not enjoy the material they are presenting. These videos are really important—they’re the first thing that these programs see, and this is what determines if you will get a live audition. Also keep in mind that when these programs are making final decisions, they will come back to your prescreens and rewatch them. If you're like me, you are going to pick apart these videos because you are your own worst critic. DON’T. It does nothing but drive you crazy. The beauty of a video is that you can redo it as many times as necessary--but do not abuse that. But remember that they are not expecting perfection. You are going to college because you still have a lot to learn.

#4: Passes and rejections

It’s fun getting results back. If it is a rejection, acknowledge that it isn’t what you hoped for, know that everything happens for a reason, and understand that you will end up where you are meant to be. But, passing prescreens is a bit more exciting. This is absolutely something worth celebrating, but do not forget that you are only halfway there. Remember that with every result you get back, you are one step closer to knowing where you’ll end up. 

#5: Scheduling 

In my experience, my most packed audition day was at Chicago Unifieds. I had three singing/acting auditions, and three dance calls. I was totally exhausted at the end of the day, but I knew that I was able to handle it. A lot of this process is about knowing yourself really well—if you know that you cannot handle doing 3 or 4 auditions in a day at Unifieds, DON'T DO IT. It may seem like common sense, but if you’re beyond exhausted, you’ll be disappointed that you didn’t do as well as you could have. The pure shock value of saying “I did 4 auditions in a day!” is not worth it, I promise. Do not bite off more than you can chew.

#6: Live auditions!

The most fun part! One huge thing that I took away from this experience is that auditioning is FUN. Yes, there’s a certain element of stress to it, (isn’t that true for everything?) but if you cannot find ways to enjoy auditioning this experience, you’ll be miserable. Wear what you feel amazing in. I got so many compliments on my audition outfits, and I think that was because not only did they make me stand out, but I felt confident in it and people could tell. Sometimes, after you present your work in your auditions, you will be interviewed. This is the time to show them who you are, and show them that in addition to being a great performer, you're a pretty awesome person too! Be yourself. I’m aware of how cheesy this sounds but I cannot stress this enough. You do not want a program who does not want the real you. 

Another important thing to keep in mind: your top schools may change following your live auditions. You may realize that a school you loved on paper, isn’t really the place you are meant to be. This is normal and okay. I really found it comforting once I came out of live auditions, because I could tell immediately if this was somewhere I could see myself going. Unfortunately, this isn’t always obvious for everyone. Remember, they are auditioning you, but, more importantly, you are auditioning them. 

#6.1: Unified auditions 

New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles. My experience with Unifieds was great, but it very much depends on the person. There is no disadvantage of auditioning at Unifieds versus on-campus--meaning, you are not more or less likely to get into a school if you go to Unifieds. The main reason I went to Unifieds was because I applied to a lot of schools and I had too many auditions to go to each one individually. I am a fan of Unifieds because they are worlds more cost efficient, and I missed a lot less school. I went to both New York and Chicago. It is definitely an environment to get used to--it’s crowded, cold, and very chaotic. After the first day in New York, I was comfortable. Chicago was a bit more manageable for me, because it was less crowded (it was in a bigger building to begin with), and I already had New York under my belt. We stayed at the Palmer House in Chicago, which is where Unifieds are held.  I recommended it if it’s in your budget--the convenience of having all of your auditions in the same building you stay in is worth it. 

#6.2: On-campus auditions 

While there are students helping out at unifieds, sometimes it’s hard to understand what a school/program is really like until you are physically there. If you are able to, sign up for a campus tour while you are there for your audition. I auditioned for Pace on campus and the feeling I got was what made me realize I needed to be there. I got to talk to the students, and obviously see the campus. Do not hesitate to ask the students questions! Ask them the tough stuff—they won’t give you sugar coated answers. 

#7: Sickness

A scary thought during audition season. Knowing how to sing through sickness is a super useful skill, but not being sick in the first place is even better. Wash your hands constantly (this is starting to sound like a CDC announcement), and if you know of someone who is sick, STAY AWAY. Getting sick not only physically drains you, but mentally too. All of this on top of auditions will lead to extreme exhaustion. Getting a cold during audition season will take you out of commission for a long time. Avoid it. And if you can’t? Vitamins, water, good food, medicine and most importantly, rest. And if you truly feel that you cannot sing/act/dance while you are sick? Reschedule your audition--most schools are understanding. 

#8: The waiting game  

In my opinion, this is the worst part. You replay every single audition in your head one thousand times, over-analyzing every word the auditors said to you. DON’T. There is nothing you can do to change what has already happened--it is a waste of time and energy to keep thinking about it. What they said or didn’t say in the audition means nothing.  Don’t read into it.  Distract yourself; find hobbies outside of theatre and do the things you haven’t had time to do during audition season. Reward yourself! You’ve made it through audition season!  I was really glad I decided to do my spring musical as rehearsals were a nice distraction from the waiting game.

#9: Acceptances and rejections

This can be really exciting and also very painful. It is just a school. A rejection does not mean you are not talented. This process is selective, but everyone ends up where they belong. I can tell you all of this one million times, but in order to really be okay, you need to truly believe it. Receiving acceptances is one of the best feelings. Celebrate--you’ve earned it. But, like anything, it comes with its own challenges: which school do I choose?

#10: Final Decisions

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end. For me, I got a very specific feeling that told me where I was meant to be. Unfortunately, it is not that easy for most. I'll include a list of some factors to help you decide. Again, these are simply a guide--decide what matters the most to you. If you are a numbers person, put these in a chart and give each school a score out of ten in these categories. Flip a coin--it will tell you where you want to be, one way or the other. And as cheesy as it may be, follow your gut. 

• Location

• Price

• Did I connect with the students or professors?

• Campus size

• MT/Acting class size

• How much room do I have to explore other things?

• Do they allow you to audition for work outside of school?

• How academically fulfilling will the program be?

• Are their alumni still actively working?

Final thoughts… 

• Have something mindless to do when you come home from an audition. Let your brain relax. My personal ritual was journaling. Spend a substantial amount of time thinking about what relaxes you. What do you look forward to after a long day?

• Delete social media for the duration of audition season. It’s distracting, and it can cause you to compare yourself--which is especially unhelpful during auditions. 

• Eating well is incredibly important. Make time to eat during auditions. Forgetting to eat is a real thing, so make it a priority. Your work suffers when you are not properly fed. No one wants a hangry auditionee.

• Tell your parent/guardian what you need. They cannot read minds. If you need some space, politely ask. I met someone during Unifieds who used a safe word whenever her mom got to be...too stage-mommy. 

• Be present. But take pictures--you’ll want to look back on this.

• I used a coach and I found it TREMENDOUSLY helpful. Do what works for you and your budget. Personally I used MTCA, because it is easy to pick and choose what you need from them. But, I know people who haven’t used a coach and have been very successful. 

Most importantly: say THANK YOU to your parent/guardian/whoever is taking you to auditions. They have invested insane amounts of time, money, and energy into this process. They are your biggest fans. Say thank you to the people that love you enough to do this for you.

---

Sabrina Shah is a freshman BFA Musical Theatre major at Pace University minoring in Graphic Design. Since the age of nine, she has been taking voice lessons and performing in community, school, and regional productions. With film, stage, concert, and competition experience, she is well-versed in these mediums. As a lover of both visual and performing arts, she is passionate about storytelling in all forms, and is committed to changing the world through art. @sabrinaxshah

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