Just had an event at Ds Performing Arts high school to cover this topic. It’s very involved but doable. Big take away was to cast a wide net and include BA programs (non audition). MT Director (former Broadway) assured us you can get great training and show experience at BA programs and that casting directors really don’t care about your background, they care about your audition. He also said that lessor known BFA programs are excellent. The big difference between the name brands and the lesser known are showcases. The big brands attend annual showcases in NYC or LA so their kids get some additional exposure. Director definitely emphasized knowing the audition requirements per school. He said some require ballet for dance. He used that as an example and flat out said, “if you’re not strong in ballet, don’t bother. Just a waste of time and money”. He said others will have very little emphasis on dance; just want to see how you move so they can teach you.
He suggested creating a spreadsheet that included application and audition dates, type of program, unifieds, pre screenscreen, etc. Easy to track what’s going on.