March 15, 2007
Dear Prospective Transfer Student:
Thank you for applying to the Theatre and Dance Department of Cal State Fullerton! We feel you have made an excellent choice. The information that follows pertains ONLY to those transfer students seeking admittance into EITHER the B.F.A degree in Musical Theatre OR B.F.A. degree in Acting. If you are interested in either area, please read on!
Note: Most transfer students enter the university as a junior (60 or more units), but the department as a sophomore because they don’t have the required course work. In fact, many who do have the course work feel that they have a better chance of being chosen for a B.F.A. program if they first prepare here for one year. Please note that from the nearly 100 sophomores who audition, only 10 Musical Theatre and 12 Acting students will be advanced to the junior level (BFA program admittance).
AUDITIONS FOR THE MUSICAL THEATRE and ACTING B.F.A. PROGRAMS OCCUR ONLY IN MAY. MUSICAL THEATRE students must audition in THREE areas: singing, dancing (tap, ballet and jazz), and acting. ACTING students must audition in one area: acting. See attached for specific audition details.
MAY IS THE ONLY TIME THAT ANY STUDENT MAY AUDITION FOR ADMITTANCE INTO B.F.A. DEGREE PROGRAMS. Once admitted to either B.F.A. program, a student must commence the junior-level coursework in the fall semester immediately following the audition; otherwise, the student’s place in the BFA program is forfeited.
Please note that students require both junior ranking and prerequisite course work before they may audition for either B.F.A. program. The prerequisite course work and audition dates are described on the attached “Audition Information Sheet.” For Musical Theatre, the additional course work listed is strongly recommended before the audition.
AUDITION INFORMATION SHEET
Musical Theatre & Acting B.F.A Programs
FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS WITH JUNIOR STANDING, FALL 2007
DATES: May 12-14, 2007 ONLY
PLACE: Department of Theatre and Dance Performing Arts Building, California State University, Fullerton.
DAY/TIME:
Saturday: VOCAL (Musical Theatre ONLY): May 12th, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. in PA 294 (appointments required:
mhanlon@fullerton.edu)
Sunday: DANCE (Musical Theatre ONLY): May 13th, 9 a.m. - noon in PA-294; you must attend all three hours, and bring tap, jazz and ballet shoes (appointments required:
wlett@fullerton.edu)
Monday: ACTING (both Musical Theatre AND Acting): May 14th, 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. in the Arena Theatre (appointments required:
jshort@fullerton.edu)
PREREQUISITE COURSE WORK
The following course work must be completed (or nearly completed) before auditioning:
Theatre 200: Play Analysis (or equivalent) with a grade of C or better – 3 units:
• Study of scripts with emphasis on dramatic analysis and cultural significance.
Theatre 141A/B: Voice/Movement for the Stage (or equivalent) with a grade of B- or better – 6 units:
• Intensive training in the integral use of the voice and body for the actor; developing skills for vocal and physical relaxation, flexibility, and strength. Study of the International Phonetic Alphabet, speech articulation and vocal anatomy required (see * at end of this Information Sheet).
Theatre 240 A/B (“263A/B” in previous catalogs): Acting II (or equivalent) with a grade of B- or better – 6 units:
• Improvisations, exercises and techniques of acting for the stage. Motivation and behavior in characterization.
Additional course work STRONGLY recommended for Musical Theatre candidates: Ballet II (212); Jazz II (232); Tap II (242); Fundamentals of Musical Theatre Performance (236A/B); Music Theory (MUS 101); and Basic Music Reading and Sight Singing (181).
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
ACTING AUDITION:
Two contrasting contemporary monologues, not to exceed 3 minutes total; OR, one 3-minute scene (chosen from a proscribed list of material) with a partner that you must provide – email John Short, the Acting Division auditions coordinator, at
jshort@fullerton.edu for appt. or information.
VOCAL AUDITION:
Preparation of 4 musical theatre songs of various styles from the musical theatre repertoire that display both vocal character and range: 2 ballads, and 2 up-tempos. An accompanist will be provided. You will sing one song of your choice first, then the audition committee may select from 1 to 3 more songs (or portions of songs) from your prepared selections. You will likely not sing all the songs on your prepared list. Please limit repeated verses (AABA is standard.) Email Mitch Hanlon, the Musical Theater Vocal Coordinator, at
mhanlon@fullerton.edu for appt. or information.
DANCE AUDITION:
Learning and performing a variety of musical theatre dance routines in styles including jazz, tap and ballet – email Bill Lett, the Musical Theater Dance Coordinator, at
wlett@fullerton.edu for appt. or information.
If you require additional B.F.A. PROGRAM information, for Acting please call Professor Larry Peters at 714-278-5083 (or
lpeters@fullerton.edu), and for Musical Theatre B.F.A., please contact Professor Eve Himmelheber (Musical Theatre BFA Coordinator) at 714-278-3063 (or
ehimmelheber@fullerton.edu).
* All students auditioning for a B.F.A. program must be interviewed by Prof. David Nevell for voice and movement proficiency assessment – this occurs on the date of your acting audition. For an appt., contact Prof. Nevell at
dnevell@fullerton.edu.
All incoming students must ALSO have their transfer credits evaluated by Prof. Larry Peters well in advance of auditioning. After applying to CSUF, immediately send your (unofficial/in progress) transcripts to:
Professor Larry Peters, Head – Undergraduate Advising
CSUF Department of Theatre & Dance
P.O. Box 6850
Fullerton, CA 92834-6850
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