Thanks for sharing your experience @lifeincolor I was at the 2/21 on campus audition. You inspired me to share my audition experience as well! So here goes:
It was snowing naturally, so everyone raced inside to warmness and I sat in the holding room with 50 other quiet kids and their parents. The seniors and sophomores helping out with the auditions were very accommodating. They all took our individual Polaroid and collected our headshot and resume, and then pass this off to listen to Barbara and Gary give their introductory speech. I had a 4 PM flight that day and so I was the first to go for singing in front of Gary. I was quickly ushered into his office to sing! He let me do both cuts and I sang “gorgeous” and he commented on the high D I hit in it and proceeded to tell me that they had to “voice over” that note in the original broadway recording. And then he said “well great, we are an acting school, so go nail your acting audition now!” I quickly raced down the hall to find the other CMU students helping out with the auditions, and they got me in to see Barbara within the next two people that went, which is very accommodating according to the tight time schedule I was on. I got to chat with one of them and he said he got expected also to CCM and Millikin university and that he chose CMU because they’re acting training is unparalleled with any other university and went on to describe how he loves the Shakespeare workshops they do.
Barbara came out and shook my hand and welcomed me in the door which surprised me, because most schools do not just come up and shake your hand before you audition. She also told me to take off my heels and run around the room and do whatever I can to warm up. She then asked me if I was a dancer and said she “could bet I was” and I laughed and said yes. I then started my monologues and she said there was no reason to slate for either of them so I just went right into the next one after my first one. She then asked me to sing, and then asked me to sit down and had a formal interview with her where she asked what other schools I applied to said I had “talent” and we talked about a few other things. I thanked her and she thanked me and it was wonderful! Then I left and went on my 4pm plane back to AZ. No expectations at all, it was just totally a bucket list experience for me and I’m glad it went well and I’ll always remember it! 