@daughtersdream that’s what’s happening in some cases right now. The one audition that she has on Monday her agent said she’s a little old for the part but she really wants this particular casting agent to see her knowing that he may want her for something else in the future.
Hmm @marg928 that’s interesting from an agent. I mean yeah your goal is to get representation & obviously audition for work/parts but I feel like an agent shouldnt tell a girl of 18 that they’re ready for just taking on auditioning outright without any additional training or schooling. Like wouldnt they think you’re too inexperienced or wouldn’t be competitive with others that are entering NYC auditions etc fresh from a college training program? I guess I wouldn’t send my D to just start auditioning and bag college. Lol . I mean I know of instances of girls that have already been on Broadway as younger teens (that obviously have representation) who still entered BFA or BA theatre programs upon graduation from high school.
@theaterwork. We live in a NYC suburb and over the years have had several students who had Broadway leads from our community. Those same students, when not working professionally, were in our town’s drama, choir and accapella programs. So we saw them as performers over many years. They often used the same voice and dance teachers as non-professional students who later went on to BFA programs.
To be honest, I did not see amazing growth before or after BFA programs–even for the students who were highly trained, but non-professional. For students who had talent and good training before college, there was some obvious maturity and growth, but less of a change than you’d think.
Some students with Broadway experience took a hiatus and went to top schools as non-theatre majors. And post - college they are back auditioning and performing.
That said, the best thing that came with college was the education they received. And the experience of living on their own and experiencing campus life.
Marge it seems like your miles ahead of us. It sounds like your daughter has some great options. Either way I’m sure the universe will help her choose her path. Honestly, if we had a straight path to the top we would surely take it! Break a leg!!!
We did Chicago Unifieds it was def worth the trip and expense we had a wonderful week D auditioned for 10 schools had nothing but a positive experience and so much fun! We also got to see Hamilton and Body Guard which was the icing on the cake to end the week! We were able to walk into Rider and Monclair saving ourselves a trip to NJ! We are off to Elon this weekend and then Wagner I think waiting for March letters will be stressful! I am really enjoying this time spent with my D I know its precious!
I love reading everyone’s comments. It’s helpful to hear about such a variety of experiences, journeys, and perspectives and goals. Thank you CC community!
has anyone’s high school ever performed Spring Awakening?
@marg929, I know that Interlochen Arts Academy (the arts boarding high school) did it a few years ago. My D isn’t a student there, but I read an article about it. 
I’ve never seen the play so I knew nothing about it…one of my D’s pilot auditions is a show that centers around a high school performing Spring Awakening. It’s really a great script but I became more interested in learning more about Spring Awakening. I was wondering how many schools had the guts to perform it. I’m also addicted to a song from it that my D has to sing for the audition, Mama Who Bore Me…Lea Michele is just amazing (she originated the role on Broadway)
(*Please don’t read anything into my user name! It’s a joke with my daughter.)
I just wanted to let you know Spring Awakening is a beautiful musical - so powerful and important. More high schools should do it because kids want to talk about these things and it can lead to some great discussions. With that said I know of only two high schools that have done it and the way they handled the controversial scenes has been weird to say the least. I know of one high school that had someone come out and do an interpretive dance in front of the sex scene. My daughter played Wendla in a local production last spring. She was only 16 and all other kids roles were cast from an area university. Someone reported us (and the director) to child protective services and we ended up in the middle of craziness with the local DA’s office. It ended with a bunch of lawyers sitting around watching different versions of Spring Awakening which is amusing (now) but not at the time!
But honestly it is an absolutely amazing musical and I felt very proud to have my child in it (they held lots of talk-back sessions with the audience after the production).
(I should mention…my girl is a senior now going through auditions and just did Unifieds in NY and Chicago - which is why I have been reading this thread!)
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@singoutlouise OMG that is a crazy story! and the pilot does center around the controversy when a new theater director decides to put on the show. Our HS put on American Idiot last year so I know they’re fairly open-minded. I was thinking of whispering in his ear with the suggestion…
I cannot imagine a public HS allowing students to sing “bich of living” or “totally fcked” (and I really hope I don’t get in trouble with moderators for typing those names - even in a modified way)…
It was done here at a local public high school. EXTREMELY edited. I was surprised the authors approved.
The Beacon School on the Upper West Side did an uncensored version, other than the nudity, several years ago.
A couple of years ago I found a playbill online of a middle school doing the show, with kids as young as 9 in it… I still have no idea how it was even possible…
Middles school!!??
My S was in it as a high schooler, but it was with a private acting studio for mostly juniors and seniors. S had the “pleasure” of dealing with the music teacher’s “apples”. As his parent, it was a little odd being in the audience - in a VERY small black box type theater. But I love the musical and feel it it beautifully handles several issues that teenagers deal with. Can’t imagine a HS theater department being allowed to do it justice.
That said, S’s previous HS was the first in the country to produce Rent - complete with input from Anthony Rapp. They did the full version beautifully and I don’t recall hearing about any pushback (the girl who played Maureen wore a body suit for the bare b**t scene. Incidentally, she’s going gangbusters in NYC a few years post-BFA).
Has anyone had their D/S audition at Marymount Manhattan for MT or BFA Acting? My D did today and found the audition experience to be very different than any other she’s done. Just wondering about others’ experience.
Yes, Marymount is very different in that the kids audition in front of each other. I didn’t bother my D, although I know some others were not comfortable.
It was not that aspect that I am wondering about. It was the way they did the monologue portion. They not only did them in the same room with the other students, they did at the SAME TIME. They were told to move and walk around among each other, saying their monologues out loud - everyone all at once.
The exercise was done three times with the direction for first time “say it as if you were speaking to yourself”, second time “as if you were speaking to the other character in your scene” and third time, “as if you were speaking it to the world” I can understand wanting to see how an actor would do these changes. But how could the auditor assess 16 kids, wandering around the room, all speaking at the same time?