^^I’ve been to Chicago and NY Unifieds (not LA or Vegas – not sure they will have one in Vegas this year?). Some responses in CAPS from my experience.
- Do all the same institutions (i.e., Universities, colleges, schools, academies, conservatories) attend all three Unifieds or do some of the institutions only attend one or two of them? An example of an institution or two attending less than all three would be helpful for illustrative purposes. NOT ALL SCHOOLS ATTEND ALL LOCATIONS. THE SCHOOLS CHANGE SLIGHTLY EACH YEAR
- Chicago Unifieds lasts double the length of time of Los Angeles and New York. Is that just due to the number of prospective applicants attending Chicago compared to Los Angeles or New York or due to something else [and in this latter case, what is/are the factor(s)]? THERE ARE MORE SCHOOLS ATTENDING CHICAGO UNIFIEDS THAN ATTEND LA AND NY AND GENERALLY MORE APPLICANTS THAN LA AND NY.
- If the prospective applicant has their heart set on one or two MT programs above the rest, is it better to audition at these program directly [at their location] as opposed to doing the Unifieds for them? THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION. THE PROGRAMS WILL GENERALLY TELL YOU NO (WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS; WHEN WE TOURED U MICH, THE ADMISSIONS PERSON SAID THEY LIKE TO SEE KIDS ON CAMPUS; I DON'T KNOW IF THAT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE). MY S WAS CONVINCED HE WANTED TO BE ON CAMPUS FOR HIS TOP FEW. THE BENEFIT OF BEING ON CAMPUS IS GETTING THE FEEL OF THE CAMPUS, THE FACILITIES AND THE OTHER STUDENTS. THE DOWNSIDE (OTHER THAN COST) IS FALLING IN LOVE WITH A PROGRAM THAT HAS A 5% (OR LESS) ADMIT RATE. THERE ARE MANY THREADS ON THIS TOPIC IF YOU SEARCH THE FORUM.
- For anyone having gone through Unifieds, is there something you would have preferred knowing in advance that you didn't know going into them -- if so, what is it that you learned? FOR CHICAGO, I TOOK THE ADVICE OF OTHERS AND RENTED A ROOM ON THE EXECUTIVE FLOOR OF THE PALMER HOUSE. IT GAVE MY D A PLACE TO ESCAPE THE AUDITION FLOORS; SNACKS AND DRINKS ARE AVAILABLE ALL DAY. WE ALSO PICKED UP A SMALL HUMIDIFIER AND HAVE FRIENDS THAT USED BELT BOXES (I ORDERED ONE FOR THIS SEASON). I ALSO PLANNED A FEW EVENING EXCURSIONS TO BREAK UP THE TIME. IN NY, MY S DID NOT DO MANY UNIFIED AUDITIONS BUT TALKED WITH PARENTS DURING MY S ITHACA AUDITION. UNIFORMLY, THE WORD WAS DO NOT SCHEDULE AUDITIONS TOO CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER. THE "OFFICIAL" AUDITION SPACE IS PEARL STUDIOS (35TH-ISH) AND ITHACA WAS AT REHEARSAL STUDIOS AT ABOUT 55TH - BUILD IN CAB/WALK/SUBWAY TIME. MY S YEAR, THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW ZERO. AGAIN, IF YOU SEARCH THE FORUM, YOU WILL FIND OTHER THREADS FOR UNIFIED ADVICE! BELOW IS A GREAT EXAMPLE:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1853047-unifieds-auditions.html