Performance Audition Requirements: Auditions must be solo presentations--other students may not perform with you. You will begin your audition with only an introduction: name, school, title of selection(s), playwright/composer/lyricist. You are allowed a maximum of three minutes (not including the introduction) for your performance. Colleges are budgeting their viewing time accordingly and may choose for themselves whether to reject applicants who ignore the time requirement. In the performance category you may perform for a max of 3 minutes of material. Either two contrasting monologue selections or a musical theatre song or one song and a monologue. If doing two selections, please film the entire audition as one continuous video with a pause to transition between the pieces.
Musical auditions must have accompaniment—a cappella singing will not be accepted. Your accompanist may be live in the room with you during filming or you may sing along with a recording. It is strongly advised that you arrange for a pianist to provide you with accompaniment--recorded or live. Do not sing over a cast album.
When choosing your performance piece, please avoid selections with dialects, accents, and any classical material unless you have been specifically trained in these areas. Costumes, scenery, and hand props are not permitted. Dress neatly—it makes a good impression.
Tech/Production Portfolio Presentation Requirements: Your portfolio itself should be converted to a PDF document and could include production photos, links to videos, original documents, writing samples, drawings etc. The colleges will scroll through this on their own to get a closer look at your work.
In addition to uploading your PDF portfolio, Tech/Production Portfolio applicants such as theatre technicians, designers, stage managers, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, theatre educators, marketers etc. will be allowed a maximum of four minutes to present their portfolios on video. Colleges are budgeting their viewing time accordingly and may choose for themselves whether to reject applicants who ignore the time requirement.
You will begin your presentation with an introduction: name, school, and intended area(s) of study or interest. Dress neatly—it makes a good impression.
The auditors would like to see YOU guiding them through your material and sharing any reflections or anecdotes not captured in the portfolio document itself. Remember, you will also upload a PDF of your portfolio for them to scroll through on their own.
The video is a chance to capture your energy and personality as a theatre artist and to highlight the most impactful parts of your work:
If your portfolio is an all-digital slide show, consider taping yourself in “presenter view” like you would on a Zoom call, where the document and cursor are visible as well as your face speaking.
If your portfolio has physical materials such as set design models or costume/hand prop construction samples, you may want to display those in the frame and give the camera a closer look.
Clips from actual performances that feature your technical work can be great supporting resources but are not required and may burn through your four minutes. Including links in your PDF may be a better choice.
