psucat

The weird thing is that some of the kids accepted from Chicago and other places where Unifieds were held in previous years did not have to come to campus for a "callback". So its not always the case...I am not exactly sure why they have a student come on campus after the Unified audition...it is something that only the faculty can answer, I guess. I wish I had a better answer!

I will do my best this weekend, as I try to do every audition weekend, to calm auditioner's nerves! After all, I know how it feels to be on the other side...it feels as if it all happened yesterday. Oy...I can't believe I'm graduating in a little over a year. Once you find the program that fits, time flies!! :-)

soozievt

I will vouch for that PSUCAT is fantastic and was a big part of my D's enjoyment of the visit/audition at PSU. She can answer any questions and is there to encourage you. As she says, she was in your shoes not too long ago. My own D, now a freshman at college, and my other D, now a soph in college, enjoy hosting other students and answering email contacts because it is their turn to pass it on and to give back because others helped them when they were in applicants in this same way. So, I hope you guys meet PSUCat and when you are in college next year, you pay it forward to the next crop. You guys all will have been through it...a common bond.

Break a leg!
Susan

psucat

Ahh you make me blush Susan! Your D is so wonderful and talented, and I loved getting to meet you at her audition last year. What never seems to fail are the amazing connections you make with people through the theatre )

ThespianDreams

I'll be driving up to PSU at the crack of dawn tomorrow with my dad, ThespianDad, to get to the q&a session and the afternoon part of the orientation. Then we head to The Boyfriend at night, then the audition on Saturday. Here we go!

See you guys there! If you see a girl with curly, short-ish brown hair with a really tall dad... thats me! Come say hi!

PSUdad

Good luck thespianD on your audition! And all the rest of you auditioning Saturday at PSU! I hope you enjoy "The Boyfriend". The cast is fantastic!

My junior daughter, who teaches and demonstrates the dance combinations at the audition, is Polly Browne in "The Boyfriend".

As psucat has written, all the kids and faculty all hope you all do well, and wish for your success!

TheatreJock

question about the dance portion of the audition..is it for admission purposes or for placement purposes??

soozievt

I believe it is for admissions, not placement.

psucat

TheatreJock-
it's for admission purposes...its not very difficult--it focuses more on acting through dance rather than hard dance steps. The ballet is more for technique whereas the jazz combo's purpose is to have fun and let loose!

*I will be signing you in on Saturday, as will my boyfriend...so come say hi and introduce yourself to me! My name is Casey and I have brown hair--I'll probably be making some announcements before the audition starts, so look for me!

TheatreJock

psucat...thanks for all your help again at the audition..it wasnt the easiest thing to be sitting in the waiting room and watching kids come out knowing that they got an interview or that they didnt. BUT it wasnt as bad as it was described on this thread...they told you in a private room and it was your choice whether or not to share it with others or not. yes, you could figure it out for yourself but that was after the person was long gone and you realized they had left..so there was no "public humiliation"...grannit, it is hard to keep in your emotions in when news like that is given to you,especially when it is bad. but there was no list that was posted for everyone to look at, to see who got an interview or who didnt. but to those who didnt get in..i feel for you..i was dead set on ccm..it was my first audition..and i got the rejection letter before my second audition even happened..and i was crushed going into my other auditions...so all of you are talented..you will fit in some place..and from there, go for the stars..good luck everyone

actrss100

I did not get an interview either...it was sad, because I really wanted to go to penn state. But i will keep my head high and hope that another program will be a good fit for me. I felt so bad for everyone who did not get interviews. It's hard seeing people crying, but we have to remember that there will always be another program, and another place we are meant to end up.

psucat

Actrss100--
You have a great attitude about it all-keep your head high and another program WILL be a good fit for you. I strongly believe that all things happen for a reason. Good luck!!

Mary Anna

I just heard from my student who was at recent audition at PSU.

She had an absolutely wonderful experience on all levels and thought the auditions were very well run. She was one of 11 final call-backs out of 60 who were there for undergrad. Of those, 6 were girls.

She loved their production of Boyfriend and thought it was every bit as good as the UM shows which she has seen.

Apparently, there was one girl who had been at Chicago UNIFIEDS who was asked to attend these on-campus auditions in order to dance. (and stayed for the call-back) My student understood that she was available easily as she lives in the area.

Good luck,
xxx,Mary Anna

Momsinger

My D was one who did not make the callback at PSU this past weekend, and we both felt it was because her voice doesn't fit their profile. But that's another story.
There were students sitting in on the auditions there. We've been to one other place that has allowed student/s to sit in. I am quite uncomfortable with that concept and wonder what others' take on it is. I don't feel it's appropriate.

soozievt

Hi Momsinger...I'm glad you joined in here on the forum and I hope you will continue to participate. I am sorry for your D's disappointment this past weekend at PSU. This process is very difficult and nobody likes seeing their child disappointed. This one just wasn't the one for her but I am hoping another school comes through.

I am a bit curious about what is PSU's voice type. I didn't know they had a type. I am not sure I knew the "type" at hardly any schools my D auditioned at. What is their type? I am interested in learning more.

As far as current students sitting in at auditions....this was the only place that my D auditioned at where this was the case. Sometimes there were a couple current students in a dance audition some place (demonstrating or helping out) but I think PSU was the only one with a group of current students watching the singing/monologue auditions. It's true it is different. It did not bother my daughter at all but I can see how another kid may feel differently. I think she saw it as having an audience. There are plusses to that and I suppose there are minusses as well. Some may like it because it is more like a performance on stage with an audience and less the feeling of a panel of judges. Some might feel more intimidated that other youth are watching. There could be a good feeling that the students wanted everyone to do well. My D also just liked that she got to meet lots of PSU kids and she enjoyed the atmosphere that day. While not so much with college auditions, but in other auditions, she has been in situations where many were watching, not just the people judging. It can be the case in an audition situation. I guess each person feels differently in these various situations.

As an aside.....about ten days after my D got accepted to PSU, she was hospitalized with severe injuries sufered in a car crash. I was VERY touched that I received an email from a graduate student in the MFA program in Directing at PSU whom I have never met, who apparently had been one of those students watching the PSU auditions. He had heard about my D's accident and got a hold of my email (perhaps through PSUCat, I'm not sure) and there was a computer in my D's hospital room and one night I signed on (I was living in her room the whole time) and this guy wrote to say he heard about her and was sending his thoughts that she'd recover and commented about her audition and how he'd love to see her come but just wished her well wherever she chose to go to college. He didn't have to do that. We are just strangers. I think those students in the audience have a kinship to those auditioning. They have all been through it and are rooting for those who are auditioning. This guy really went above and beyond. PSUCAT, if that graduate student is still at PSU, I hope he knows what it meant (I replied to him at the time).

Anyway, it is definitely set up differently at PSU with regard to the audition process.....both the "audience" of current students and the callbacks situation. As with anything, there are pros and cons to it all. My D thought the audition day was a good one but I undersstand if others felt differently.

dancersmom

Momsinger,

My D did two college auditions two years ago in which current students sat in: Penn State and Florida State. Several of her teachers had told her that some schools encourage current students to observe auditions. I'm sure that Florida State and Penn State are not the only schools that do this. My D was not the least bothered by the idea, though I can see that some students would find it uncomfortable. My D is now a sophomore at Florida State and sits in on the auditions. All MT students at FSU are welcome to sit in on both the vocal/acting auditions and the dance auditions. My D, in fact, often assists at the dance auditions by demonstrating the combinations.

The reason that current students are allowed to observe the auditions is because it is a learning experience for them. It is another opportunity for them to see first hand what works and what does not at auditions. The faculty sometimes ask the current students to comment on what they have observed after the H.S. auditioners have left the room. I believe that the analysis is very beneficial. I would venture to say that students in any theatre program are going to be asked to critique each other's work. Analysis of peers' work and feedback regarding one's own work is an important part of the learning process.

Of course, I realize that the college auditions are a bit different situation. The high school students are experiencing a different sort of pressure than that which they will experience in a college acting class or a studio voice class. I can understand that for some, the additional number of people in the room could add to the pressure. I think it's a situation that students need to be aware of. I think that for most of us, if we know what to expect, it's easier to cope.

I must add that my D found the Penn State auditions to be very friendly. The students were welcoming and very friendly. I enjoyed the fact that Department chair, Cary Libkin, took time to talk with the parents while the students were learning the dance combination. I felt that he gave us parents more information about his program than any other school representative we had contact with. At some schools, we were told virtually nothing.

I was a bit surprised to hear some posters talking about a "walk of shame" after the PSU auditions. I suppose my husband, D, and I were a little confused about exactly what getting called back for an interview meant. D was asked to stay and interview 2 years ago, as were several other students. I recall hearing some other students telling their parents that they had been asked to return for an interview. I heard other kids tell their parents they were finished with the audition process. No one seemed to know exactly what any of it meant. ( I do recall that the callback announcements were not done publicly. I think the kids were either asked at the conclusion of their acting/vocal audition to stay for an interview or they were thanked and told that they were free to go.) All of us there that day seemed to be a little uncertain of whether or not geting called back for an interview was significant or not. In my case, it may be because my D's vocal coach, who was associated with CCM for 10 years, drummed into our heads that we could not attach any meaning to whether or not auditors chatted with our D, asked her to sing additional material, change the way she performed a monologue, or not. We thought maybe D's getting called back to interview was a sign that PSU was still interested in her, but we weren't sure. From the conversations I heard around us, many others were unsure also.

I understand that those of us who read CC, know what the callbacks at Penn State mean. At the time D auditioned, CC was still pretty new. I think I was the 1st poster to describe an audition day at the school. I can certainly understand that armed with the knowledge that no callback means the faculty is no longer interested, the PSU experience can be tough. I can see both pros and cons to their methods. My D enjoyed her audition at the school a great deal and was one of the lucky kids to get an acceptance from them. She has told me that she had a much better feel for the MT faculty at Penn State because of her interview. She did speak with faculty at other schools during her auditions, but not at the same length as at PSU. We felt that the interviews were a good way for the faculty and the auditioning student to begin to sense how they might work together.