@proudcalidad and @soozievt and anyone else who might know this who is in the PROFESSIONal theater/film/broadway business re: casting and auditions. Is it true that a person may be called for an audition based on where they went to school (the school on their resume)? One of the guides at ELON told a story that he has gotten auditions for MT just because ELON is on his resume. My D took that to heart, and since ELON is ranked in the top 10 on some of the ranking online profiles, but IWU is not, she wants to know if it will hurt her chances after school to show up at auditions NATIONALLY (like in NYC or LA) if she has IWU as her BFA-Acting (with cross-over MT training) rather than ELON BFA-ACTING (with cross-over MT training)?
Because, right now, the schools are both so likable in her mind that it seems like the tie-breaker is going to be money if all else is equal – and right now it doesn’t seem equal if its true that the name of the school on the resume matters. She gets that “connections” matter (a LOT), but she is thinking about going for an MFA in one of her other areas of interest after the BFA (if she can get out of the BFA without spending much money or going into debt) to make her “connections” if she needs them – at a point in time when she can declare financial independence and therefore qualify for more financial aid than she is currently going to get as our dependent.
She just has this nagging feeling that “prestige” matters even if her heart is telling her something different about which school may be best for “her” overall (academics, location, money etc.).
@DramaQueen219 Your story is why I think we are warned never to read anything into any audition experience ever. It is so impossible to heed that warning, but wow. just wow. That really must hurt.
@Noreplays2018 NO…casting directors do not care where you went to school or even if you went to school at all. It;s all about the audition. Good friend who never went to college is a famous Broadway actress. I can PM you if you want more info on her.
@bisouu CDs don’t care where you went to school AFTER you audition but it is certainly a factor in getting the audition in the first place. As a parent of a D who has been working since she was a kid I do believe that the name of the school can help you get an agent after graduation and yes, get into the audition room. For people without connections and having not grown up in the biz in Ny and LA I do think the name of the school will garner some attention.
respectfully disagree The question was about getting into the room because of your school, not because of an agent you acquired because of the school you attended. I see a big difference. When you go on an audition and you hand them your resume and headshot you did not get into that room because of your school. If your agent sent you then that is completely different. And I still don’t think you got your agent because of the school you went to but that is my humble opinion.
To those who are still waiting for that first acceptance…my D was rejected from schools that are way down on most lists and accepted at one of the top 5 with late notifications of acceptance. It was the VERY last day of notifications. It was a rough two months to get to that point. There is no way to figure out what the reasons are. Maybe the top school needed her type or the auditors just felt a connection. Maybe the lower ranked schools felt she was too developed to adapt to their program. Who knows. She ended up at a mid-range school that suited what SHE needed and rejected the top 5 school.
@bisouu Agents get hundreds of submissions every day. Of course are going to call someone in for an interview from Elon over a less known school. You still have to impress them and give a great interview but the name of the school will help open that door. There are certainly performers that never went to college or never majored in MT who have found success through hard work. You can shorten the time pounding the pavement with an impressive resume and that includes the school.
@DramaQueen219 Thank you. So CC family, we are trying to debunk or validate a myth. Has anyone’s S or D been accepted to CMU and did NOT see more than one auditor? Hmmmm…
@BeBop1 thank you -that was so helpful. I hope the same thing happens for my D. This has been the roughest few weeks…I keep hoping because honestly I cant make any sense if it. May I ask where your D chose?
Congrats to all the PPU and any JMU acceptances from today too.
Roosevelt tomorrow ? Syracuse Friday? I need to prepare myself. :-S
@BeBop1 i would imagine that they would contact someone through a connected agent vs the school. I don’t know but I look for specific schools for their training, i dont believe a school name alone will get you interviews but your training from your school gets you the best agents who get you through the door
@BeBop1 - I think you misunderstood the original question @Noreplays2018 was asking. I also have a D who has been working professionally since she was young and I work in (Principal) Casting. @Noreplays2018 - NO. What school you attended does not matter and will not get you called into a casting room specifically based on the school you attended. If you are unrepresented, casting will not call you in based on your school. For theatre, you will be non-equity and wait in line with everyone else and the audition is what matters. Or we will see you on AA/LA Casting/etc and invite you to audition based on your past work and type (looks). We care about the audition. We really never look at the school someone attended. Now as BeBop1 said, getting an agent “may” be easier if you attend certain “name” schools but usually only a few of the tippy tops. But in my experience casting never cares where you went. It all matters what you do in the room.
Hey @Noreplays2018 – I went into this in a bit more detail on the other board, but:
I’m a film/tv producer, not musical theatre, so I can’t speak to that specifically, but
When I’m casting someone for a project, the program where someone went for their training matters 0% to me. I’ve cast actors who went to Juilliard and actors who went to the University of Florida and actors who went to community college and one of my favorite casting decisions ever was a guy who didn’t go to college at all and hit the bricks right outta high school – and I’m going to cast him in every damned thing I can 'cause he’s so good, so professional, and so entertaining.
If they kill it in the audition room, if they fit the character, if they make me sit up and take notice – that’s all that matters.
Now, will I notice a specific standout school on a resume? Sure I will. Might make me perk up a bit in the beginning. But I have seen a TON of actors from VERY prestigious schools who just didn’t fit the bill. What can you do on the day? That’s all that matters. So:
I’ve never met and can’t imagine a single producer/director/casting agent who would say “ohhh you went to IWU… NEXT!” And if they did, I wouldn’t work with 'em. And half the time I’m just scouring a resume to see if there’s anything interesting to get them talking, get a sense of who they are. I’m just as likely to grab onto a show they were in or a special skill as I am their training – in fact, moreso. Maybe someone perks up at Elon, maybe a casting agent somewhere likes to open doors wide for Elon students – but I can’t quite imagine that’s a thing.
I’d tell your daughter to go with her heart – or, if it’s financial, go with that, if all other things truly are equal. Put everything you’ve got into everything you’re doing and go out there and make it happen. Then it’s just rinse and repeat: refuse to give up, then refuse to give up again, then once you break down and decide it’s all over, refuse once more – and eventually the waves will break and the tide will turn.
@proudcalidad Awesome! Showing this to her as soon as I can! And, btw, she has had audition invitations for film through her backstage account and one to Cali over the summer for a family show, so I keep thinking in the back of my head that she may just end up working in the business based on these smaller little connections she is making with student film directors and in the Cali case with an emerging production company just starting out. It definitely helps to hear you say that it doesn’t matter. I know the AGENT can matter, but even then, the Jenna Fischer Book seems to indicate that isn’t the only step in the ladder. I totally believe in perseverance and tenacity too. Thanks!
@stagedoormama Awesome! Thank you thank you thank you! My D will really really appreciate this coming from you. It will permit her to follow her heart and look at the training classes and the student body and the faculty (and the money) to see where she wants to spend 4 years without worrying about that question!
@nanamama My S got into Carnegie for BFA Acting (redirected from MT). He was passed on to other auditors including Barbara. I have yet to hear of anyone getting in that hadn’t seen Barbara.
@nanamama My daughter was accepted to Loyola Chicago for theatre but feels like it may not be a “strong enough” acting program probably because it isn’t well known or audition. I love the campus and academics but we’ve had a hard time getting info on theatre program. If you have any more input on the program, I’d love to hear about it. Thanks!!
@0827NJ Sooooo, I called before my daughter applied, and she too was accepted. I also had her audition for the artistic scholarship/grant. They will not release the results until April 1st. I always planned to have some BA backups because as we read auditions are subjective. Loyola is a strong academic university (#103 national rank) and in Chicago. After speaking with the staff I felt good about their connections. Like many of the “top” BFA programs, the professors are working professionals. One is on the Aladdin tour now! I think Loyola would be great for my D. She wants a minor or two, a traditional college experience, civic engagement, and a notable program. Sadly, like many of our children they are mesmerized by the BIG names and rankings. So, it is hard d because with Merit today without the artistic scholarship, it is way more affordable than her other schools. It is tough, but Loyola students are working, interning, and building a network from day one in a vibrant town…Chicago!
@nanamama just putting it out there - it is a known thing that yes you must be passed from room to room and seen by multiple people (of course including BMW) in order to be considered. If that does not happen you are not being considered. You can look back at multiple years for evidence of this. So it is not really a mystery. That said just because you are passed from room to room multiple times doesn’t mean you will be accepted. It just means they were interested - which you can take as a compliment! They are only taking 12 kids out of 3,000 - so no one should be surprised if their child isn’t accepted!! With that said it is worth the experience of auditioning - they are lovely people and quite nice and encouraging to the kids!
The question was about getting into the room because of your school, not because of an agent you acquired because of the school you attended. I see a big difference. When you go on an audition and you hand them your resume and headshot you did not get into that room because of your school. If your agent sent you then that is completely different. And I still don’t think you got your agent because of the school you went to but that is my humble opinion.