This is probably a good time to mention, for the benefit of new readers, the National Unified Auditions. Held in February in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles, the "Unifieds" offer prospectives the opportunity to audition for the best-known BFA programs in the country, as well as some from abroad. A link with the list of participating schools and their contact information can be found at:
http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/thr/unified.htm
Other schools, not members of the Unifieds, also hold auditions during the same days. For example, Carnegie Mellon, North Carolina School of the Arts and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, to my knowledge, will hold auditions in Chicago from February 7-9, 2005. (Juilliard, for some reason, has scheduled its Chicago auditions a week earlier.)
A word about procedure. Unlike the group auditions held at various Thespian conventions, the Unifieds are individualized. Each college is assigned to a specific meeting room, where prospectives audition for college representatives.
Arrangements for the auditions must be made separately with each school. This is awkward, obviously, but for many families the benefit of reduced travel expenses to several campuses outweighs the difficulty of juggling audition times.
Although the vast majority of students we see are interested in Acting or Musical Theatre, many colleges are also interested in interviewing prospective students of design/technology, stage management, arts administration, directing and playwriting. Check with each school.
We hope to see many of you there!