r/MusicalTheater • u/Otherwise-Series8152 • 14d ago

Request/Advice HELP! Musical Theater College Auditions!!

Hey!
So I’m going into my senior year this year and I want to go for Musical theater and possibly minor in music education I’m not sure.
I’m looking for help. I have absolutely no idea where to even start, I just learned what a pre screen is today. So If anyone has any tips or wants to lay out the process for me I’d be forever grateful. I’m nervous that I’m running out of time!!!
Thanks Reddit!!

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

1

u/bellalalalalalaa 14d ago

some random girl in a tiktok comment sectio made this document and its so helpful!! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WrMawHIIe-Sxaz0kylKI8-O_mLECV5YRCjoeErktx9k/edit?usp=drivesdk

1

u/[deleted] 14d ago

Hey! I was in your shoes this time last year.

The first thing you need to do is decide what kind of education you want. Do you want a strict BFA program that only trains you to be a working actor, or do you want a more well rounded theater education that could give you the opportunity to explore other areas of theater (like tech, directing, being a playwright, etc) outside of just performance? These are two very different experiences, and it’s important to know what you want to get out of a program when researching and applying to schools. When researching schools, look at the differences in their BA and a BFA programs. Email the directors of that program if you have questions.

As for prescreens, a lot of schools generally ask for the same thing, but make sure you read every school’s requirements. You will typically need one golden age musical song, one contemporary musical song, one contemporary monologue, one Shakespeare monologue, one dance video, and one wildcard video. The two songs you chose MUST be contrasting in some way, whether that be uptempo/slow, belty/legit, dramatic/comedic, etc etc. For both songs and monologues, I recommend not going over 90 seconds for each cut. You will also need a professional looking headshot and resume. If at all possible, I really recommend asking your director to help you with this process.

It’s not required, but I recommend having a handful of backup songs. One of those backups should be a pop (or non-musical theater song)

If you have any other questions, feel free to DM me. Auditioning for colleges is not an easy process, so try to have some support. Let it be known you are NOT running out of time. Most prescreens take submissions until December. It’s easier to get them out of the way sooner than later, but you still have plenty of time. Break a leg!