EmsDad
November 21, 2016, 1:34am
2
I don’t believe that most schools, no matter how large and deep their talent pools are, would say that they feel that talent is “mostly equal.” I believe that, in general, it does come down to the audition and schools select from relatively small numbers of applicants that they feel are best qualified for their program.
Here are some comments about resumes from MT faculty members who have posted here on CC:
Well. As a rep. As a person who looks at the resumes most intently. I can say from my singular perspective (and you are going to hate this.) It doesn’t matter. Sorry. Theatre people are ridiculously sure of their own opinions regarding talent and fit. If you handed me a piece of paper that said you have done 20 shows, been in every club, and worked at the homeless shelter I would take note. But if you weren’t a good fit, or what we were looking for, we wouldn’t much care. I suppose if two people are at some plausible “same level, same look” situation, we MAY look at the resume and make some decision. But it is rather unlikely.
The resume does not carry a lot of weight in and of itself for us in the program admissions process. It does give us a sense of the kind of experiences in which an applicant has been involved, and we often use it as a jumping off point for the interview… asking questions about somethings on the resume in order to get the student to talk about their experiences.
Ultimately, at least for us, the audition itself (followed by the interview, essay, and academics) carry MUCH more weight than the resume.
It is such a difficult process for parents and students, and because it is subjective it is natural to “sweat the small stuff,” but in the end, I believe for the majority of programs it really comes down to the audition, interview, and perceived fit of a student for the program.
When I walk into the audition room, I never know for sure what I am going to see, so I don’t really have a pre-determined idea of what I expect. In my mind, the resume is a conversation starter. If I look down the list and see the name of a colleague (which happens frequently) its a great topic for conversation. Those conversations can lead to other topics and help me get to know the student. To me personally, that is the most valuable bit of information I get in a live audition. If I’m reviewing a screening video, I usually only look for people I know and if they have dance experience. If they are ok in voice and acting but have more than 4 years of dance, it says something, more than 8 says something else, and less than 1 tells me something else I need to know.
Personally I am not concerned with clubs, community service, or anything non-theatre related. For me it just clutters up the page and gets in the way of the information I would like to see. In general, less is more.
These are from this thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1253689-looking-for-input-from-college-reps.html