<p>Okay, so not every school is looking for exactly the same thing, obviously. But I think we can agree that 80% of schools that offer BFA Acting programs look for talent that comes from a set of concrete circumstances.</p>
<p>In other words, for those of you replying… if you have a daughter/son who has been accepted into one or more BFA Acting programs, what experiences do YOU believe gave them the extra punch to gain acceptance? Please answer in any way you like! If you’re here to tell me to read more threads, do not reply. I’ve read lots and I can’t find a concise one with this kind of info on it.</p>
<p>Well, I have 2 children who have been accepted into different programs as BFA acting majors so I will give it a try. I think they threw themselves into this world, and while we did not allow them to go beyond our hometown, they searched for every opportunity to act. They did children’s theatre, school theatre, community theatre, adults shows, musicals and Shakespeare, they did not limit themselves. They were used to auditioning, I am not sure you ever really get comfortable with the process but it was something they were quite familiar with. </p>
<p>Is this the type of info you are looking for? This is such a subjective process, it is impossible to know what the “thing” is the auditors are looking for that differentiates one talented kid from another.</p>
<p>I agree with photomom that it is important for the student be diligent in seeking out every opportunity to gain experience. It is best if he or she is able to act in other productions in addition to the ones at their school, for breadth of experience. If at any time they are not cast in a play, they should volunteer to work on a production in some other capacity. BFA programs love it when BFA candidates show an interest in various aspects of theatre.</p>
<p>Students should also attend as many theatre performances as they possibly can, and read lots of plays.</p>
<p>Many, many of the students admitted to BFA programs have done one or more of the following:
Attended a performing arts high school.
Attended a pre-college summer program.
Worked with a professional audition coach who has experience at preparing students for college auditions.</p>
<p>My son applied to six BFA programs and was accepted at three. He did not attend a PA high school or a pre-college program, but he was fortunate in being able to work with an excellent coach.</p>
<p>Preparation and knowledge are important to get in, but after you’re in you MUST have work ethic. I see a lot of kids around here who attended PA high schools and all that jazz and have no work ethic whatsoever: they don’t show up for rehearsals, they are late to class (or show up 1 minute before class starts), they don’t do homework, drink/smoke pot all the time, miss class because they were sleeping, are always present in person but have their minds somewhere else, etc.</p>
<p>In the end, you can be the most talented person around, if you don’t have work ethic you won’t get any work and might even get kicked out of the program.</p>
<p>For the record, I also see some people here that had pretty much no experience in theater but are so in love with the art and so committed to it that they’re becoming better than those who had lots of experience but no work ethic.</p>
<p>bisouu… your D will do just fine. My S comes from the most academic school in the state. It just so happens they have an incredible, dynamic drama teacher. You definitely have to learn a work ethic and miraculous organizational skills to be into performing arts at his HS. My S reads plays all the time, goes to tons of plays, and has done a lot of intensive summer programs, but will have no outside help with his audition material other than his drama teacher. One of the things that I think BFA’s are looking for is authenticity and honesty. You can’t teach that. I have no way of knowing how my S will do, but I know he will be himself, and that is all that he can do.</p>
<p>Second what 5boys says about authenticity and honesty–also the comment from milkshakespeare about work ethic, but that’s hard to judge from an audition. The auditors are looking for truth, not gimmicks. I do think that the pre-college programs, PA schools, and coaches help nurture those qualities, and they also help high-school kids discover and hone their own commitment to the process and the prospect of 4 years in a BFA, which requires endurance and genuine passion–you can’t get through it otherwise, in my observation. But of course it’s very possible to nurture those qualities in other ways, and many kids get in without pre-college or special coaching. Many of the BFA programs offer very clear descriptions of what they’re looking for right on their websites, and a discerning student will be able to internalize those guidelines.</p>
<p>Thank you-- excellent points and I’ll be sure to put all of them to the best use I can! I’m coming in with less experience than I should have, but I do have a great respect and passion for the craft of acting, and I hope that that can be honed (perhaps with a coach) to show my dedication. I guess we’ll just have to see!</p>
<p>The three things NJTheatreMom listed are definitely relevant for kids who get into BFAs. I doubt she meant they were a secret key. The summer intensives and coaches definitely can give a student a lot of help crafting an excellent set of audition monologues. We’ve heard various pros and cons here of PA HSs. Presumably they have more than an average amount of teachers who can help with audition prep, and they probably give more performance experience. The very well-known PA boarding schools (like Interlochen) have very high rates of admission to BFAs, but that just makes sense, for lots of reasons.</p>
<p>My D didn’t do any of the 3, either. She did try to get as much experience and advice as she possibly could. And she’s the type who is always reading and going to plays. She cared. She definitely had to bank on her honesty, on their seeing her passion and potential. She did not get into the super-selective BFAs she applied to, but she got into a couple of slightly less selective programs and has done very well. Just as with other college admissions, not every can -or has to - get into the tippy-top schools to be happy or successful. If you work hard and try your best, you will end up at a place that is right for you.</p>
<p>I do recommend a coach of some kind, to give you some feedback and a good reality check on what you’re doing - even though we couldn’t find a seasoned college audition coach, my D had several mentors who were very helpful.</p>
<p>The ideal candidate? Hrmmm … I’m envisioning a tall, conventionally gorgeous white guy with undeniable talent and a pleasing personality who’s been acting his whole life, has at least a couple of years of solid pre-professional training under his belt, and some professional theatre experience plus has maintained an ‘A’ average throughout high school along with scoring high on the SAT and has a few national artistic, academic and leadership awards to his credit. Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. ;)</p>
<p>But who knows? There might be a couple of guys like that out there although it would be sheer mind taffy to worry about them. Just do the best you can with what you have. Besides, they might actually get a couple of rejections from schools that want to keep their yields high because they know they won’t attend. I went to one of the better arts high schools and saw several people get accepted to places like Juilliard and CMU but also get rejections from schools that would generally be considered a ways down the food chain.</p>
<p>FYI…my daughter did go to a performing arts high school, my son did not, neither worked with professional coaches but did work with drama teachers and directors locally and neither attended a summer program.</p>
<p>I would say the most important experience for my son was that our local community youth theatre company maintained a very professional approach to the process - even with the very youngest kids. Auditions, callbacks, rehearsals, shows all very professional.</p>
<p>I would think that in some programs an ideal candidate does have a certain look. One of my favorite actors is Adam Driver from the tv show Girls, who got his BFA from Juilliard.</p>
<p>I’ve wondered if Juilliard looks for unique looking individuals with sex appeal and the IT factor.</p>
<p>I saw the people who were at Juilliard callbacks last year and I have to say many of the boys were similar looking. All were good looking. The girls were also nice looking in their own style. They seem to put together the group that do look different from each other. They also seem to put together a group with different acting styles. I know my daughter was wait listed behind someone with a similar acting style but who looked totally different. They told her to come back next year if she didn’t get off the wait list. But my daughter told them she had chosen a different path. So you never know what they are looking for in a given year.</p>
<p>Are you referring to acting majors when you describe students with no work ethic? When you gave us your CalArts update a few weeks ago you mentioned a very clear attendance policy.
<p>No work ethic doesn’t always mean not going to class. That would be really bad but I think it means not growing as an artist or even realizing that you need to work and grow. It happens a lot with kids who always had everything come fairly easily and they don’t even realize that they have a lot left to learn. Sometimes, in high school just showing up is enough.</p>
<p>My undergraduate program had a very strict attendance policy (which worked well for me). Nevertheless, I can remember at least two students who managed to mess up just from missing too many classes, thus having the attendance policy come down on their heads. Those two didn’t seem to have much of a “work ethic.”</p>
<p>I think it’s all about the audition and preparation. I immediately thought of this when I read your post. These are not my words, but Dr. Stefano’s from Otterbein University: </p>
<p>Although I agree with you milkshakespeare regarding the fact that work ethic is critical to be a successful student and working actor, I also agree with Times3, work ethic cannot be judged in an audition.</p>