Excitement building around here for Chicago and first auditions next weekend. So helpful to hear everyone’s experiences so far, both positive and negative, for advance preparation. My daughter is in the MT zone where all other areas of life are ignored for MT-related youtubes and researching attire. She plans to live in a plastic bubble and bathe in hand sanitizer to stave off the inevitable audition cold. 8+ auditions over the week. CanaMom is taking her, CanaDad is not considered reliable enough to make sure she gets where she needs to be without causing tears?
Best wishes to all your kids!
@CanaDad – my DH is definitely cast in the same light re: “not considered reliable enough.” 
When it was time for my DS’15 to go to his New Student Conference at Texas A&M (four years ago - wow, time flies), I did everything I could to snag NSC duty over staying home and taking our DD’20 (auditioning/interviewing next year for BFA - Tech Theatre programs) to her theater camp that week, knowing the huge list of things that needed to be achieved during the NSC and that my DH would never manage it all. At the end of Day 2, as we were checking off everything on the list, S said, “you know, I’m glad you came with me instead of Father – we wouldn’t have managed to do any of this stuff.” Uh, yes, son, I’m well aware of that after 20+ years of marriage – that’s why I’m here. 
BAL to your D next weekend!!
The discussion of audition outfits reminded me of a funny memory. When my daughter auditioned for BFA Acting at Montclair, they were doing MT and acting auditions on the same day. As I sat in the waiting room with all the other parents and students, my daughter and I were laughing, because it was SO obvious which girls were there for acting and which for MT! The acting girls, including my daughter, wore subdued colors like black or brown or navy blue, and tended to be somewhat casually dressed, like a nice pair of jeans or very basic short black skirt, a top with maybe a vest or jacket, and almost all of them were wearing boots, including my daughter! The MT girls were all wearing bright, colorful dresses and looking very feminine and of course hose and heels. It was just funny to me how obvious it was who was who!
With regard to dressing for auditions, my personal feeling for my D (last year) was to dress more like a job interview. Dress, hose (or tan tights if there was a dance call immediately following), sensible heel, hair and make up done. But my D is perfectly comfortable like that…that’s who she is. Received great acceptances dressed like that. There was that one time that she did wear olive green skinny jeans, riding boots and a nice sweater, hair and make up done…(and I nearly fainted when I noticed a stain on the jeans!)…got an acceptance on that day too… so there you have it! Be comfortable and show who you are!! If you know a school tends to lean toward “young, scrappy and hungry” (like CMU) then I’d say roll with it…as long as they’re comfortable. Being uncomfortable will only distract them. Too cold and shivering…? I can’t imagine the energy that would take when one has to conserve all energy for the actual audition! Lol. Anyway my two cents for what it’s worth! (We saw someone in a cocktail dress…so you will see a great variety!)
@KaMaMom - if I could “love” your signature ala Facebook, I would!
@NewToThis13 - last year at LA Unifieds there were so many solid jewel-toned dresses, neutral pumps and long hair curled and pulled back slightly that some girls saw themselves coming out of audition rooms they were entering. My D wore dark pants and a sweater with flats because it’s what she knew she’d be comfortable and able to move/act/sing in regardless of the climate control. Have your D wear what makes her feel good as long as that isn’t a look that is super-distracting. The auditors want to see her, not her clothes.
@NewToThis13 your D should absolutely wear what she is most comfortable in. My D wore pants to all of hers, a couple were even jeans. In several of the rooms it was stressed that they aren’t looking at what you are wearing, they are looking at them for their talent.
@ZukAndSowash - hang in there! BAL to your son this weekend!
@CaMom13 thanks! Strangely feeling really good. All of the support here helps.
@ZukAndSowash - on the thin envelope - when was the audition - at NY Unifieds or before?
BAL to anyone auditioning at Hartt today!
@NewMTDad There are some BFA programs with amazing training that don’t even do a dance call. If you’re going to unifieds and haven’t already, check out Molloy/CAP21. They have historically done walkins- no dance call, have amazing training, and were highlighted in onstage blog in December as a program to keep an eye on. LIU post also did not have a dance call last year. I’m sure there were others too, but I can’t think of them off the top of my head.
Leggings are not pants. While they show your positives, they also show all your negatives. I’ve seen more girls with rocky roads and camel toes that, IMO, look awful. On some campuses you will not see girls in leggings.
Not everything in this process follows a pattern. Just so you know, the year my daughter was accepted to Ithaca’s program, it was February, and we were in NYC for another audition, and her dad said a thin envelope arrived from Ithaca back home, and my D told him to open it, and it was an acceptance, her first. Nothing is all that predictable in this process!
Weird! I don’t think there’s any place on the west coast where you wouldn’t see girls in leggings. When it’s too cold for shorts it’s what the girls wear. I don’t really understand the level on animosity people express towards that form of clothing but then again I don’t really feel strongly about what other people wear. I feel like clothing and hair is a personal choice - but that’s part of being a westerner, I think! We don’t change our shoes after Labor Day either.
@CaMom13 We don’t even WEAR shoes after Labor Day! Or is that Memorial Day? Darn, I’m getting old. Arbor Day?
FWIW, as a working actor out of college, one of my favourite audition bottoms (I’ve definitely booked jobs wearing them!) are a pair of brown leggings–I think their appropriateness for an audition all has to do with the thickness of the fabric and what kind of undergarments you’re wearing. I love them because they’re great for movement but don’t look like workout wear–which is great when I’m going in for devised work or something that’s grounded in physical theatre, but I’m still going to be expected to read sides or sing and want to look polished and not like I’ve come from the gym. Viva la legging!
I would say that the amount of campuses that you see leggings FAR outweigh the schools were you don’t.
Also … meh. I typically don’t give a cats pajamas what other people wear. (Unless my husband puts on his stupid Newsies hat … then I care.)
@NYAndOne - with the wacky seasons we’ve had lately maybe the official summer clothing season should end closer to Indigenous Peoples Day! @KaMaMom - is that a stupid “hat like the Newsies wore on stage” or a stupid “hat he got because he loved Newsies so much”?
@CaMom13 … the newspaper boy hat … like the Newsies wore on stage. I HATE THOSE HATS. HATE HATE HATE HATE.
EDIT: hate on my husband. he looks dumb. he knows I think he looks dumb. and he wears it anyway. wears it BECAUSE he knows i hate it.
26 years of marriage in a nutshell there, folks. =))
Lets not forget Ben Platt was enrolled at Columbia University. Not a BFA:) Granted we know he had his Dad but still…