You all are so helpful & informative! I have a couple question about walk-ins. Do u need to apply to schools beforehand? We are going to NY Unifieds- is there anyway if knowing who will be putting a sign up?
Hi @zippy1616 - applying to a school is the only way to get a reserved audition slot so yes you “need to” apply if you want for sure to audition. Some schools will have walk-in slots but those are only available if they don’t have enough applicants auditioning at that location. You don’t know until you get there who will have slots. If there are schools you truly know are fits in terms of location, admission requirements and finances, I would urge you to consider applying vs trying for a walk in. You could show up at to Unifieds and be locked out of auditions for those schools otherwise.
@zippy1616 No - you don’t need to apply beforehand. Some schools may ask you to apply on the spot. Some will need you to apply after the walk-in to be fully considered for admission. There isn’t really any way to know who will put a sign up. Some schools that do walk-ins won’t necessarily have a sign either. I would check the main “lobby” areas on each floor and then have your child check in at the table for the school(s) they’re interested in doing a walk-in for and see if they have any available. There is a thread on here about schools that often have walk-ins at unifieds if you want to search that out.
@zippy1616 here’s the thread that talked about schools that often do walk-ins…
@speezagmom - wouldn’t Chicago have a different number of walk-ins since it’s 4 days rather than 2? The OP was asking about NY Unifieds. We only did LA so I don’t know but my assumption is that last minute slots would be less likely at NY. Maybe someone who has been to both can comment.
Speaking of Unifieds, does anyone know how long the Montclair dance call in Chicago typically is? I have the Montclair dance call scheduled for 12 and my Syracuse audition (which is a whole 4 hour time block) at 1 and am trying to decide if I should try and change Montclair or not…
@CaMom13 I think your advice was good - if you definitely want to audition for a certain school during Unifieds at any location, go ahead and apply and secure an actual audition slot. Walk-ins are wonderful opportunities to supplement your scheduled auditions if time allows. But there is no guarantee certain schools or times will be available. Nobody can say beforehand. So again, if you want to be assured of auditioning for a certain school, do not leave it to chance. Go ahead apply and schedule an audition. That is the only way to guarantee you will be seen.
Oops - sorry! I didn’t read the question closely enough, I would guess that schools that do walkins in Chicago will do them in NYC if they have slots available. That said - I think more schools attend Chicago than NYC, and you’re right - more days means there are likely more opportunities for a walk-in.
Is there a more comprehensive list of schools at Unifieds,other than the same one that been listed on the unifieds webpage (that hasn’t changed for years…lol) If not, maybe we can list them here?
@lithpool - I think maybe a new thread should be created for this and a moderator can pin it. It does seem like this is information everyone wants moving forward so it’s better to have its own thread. I’ll create one with the information I know (which isn’t much) and hopefully everyone can add on.
@OrangeFish - We still haven’t heard back from the university admissions, but I went ahead and sent in the application for an on-campus audition and we have that lined up for January. The theatre department was actually very quick to respond, and then we received another communication from them this morning asking us to go in and change his application to show his preference for the Musical Theatre BFA. So it looks like things are finally rolling with OU. My son just has then and Xavier left for auditions in January. He is closing a show this week and rehearsing two others, so the “down time” without auditions will be welcome!
@CaMom13 Great idea, thank you. Perhaps as schools are added we can indicate locations (NY, Chi, LA)…
This is long tread so maybe this was already asked and answered. Can you do a walk-in at unifieds for a school that said no to a prescreen submission?
@MThopeful99 I have the Montclair dance call down as 12-1 in Chicago, but I’m not sure if they will use that whole time or not (or if they might go over). I think I would try to schedule for a different day if Syracuse starts at 1pm if you have room in your schedule.
@FROG65 According to Leo Ash Evens at MTCA, it’s not recommended to do a walk-in if the school has rejected your prescreen. He suggests you move on and do walk-ins at other schools in this case.
Great news @Mark80 ! Thanks for the update and best wishes to your son as he wraps up his show.
FYI, I was just on the Point Park website checking the date for the start of the spring semester (my D is an MT junior), and for yucks I decided to check this year’s audition schedule. The only slots left for MT are at LA Unifieds, and there weren’t very many left. So if anyone was looking to apply, I’d get that audition scheduled soon.
Does anyone know if Syracuse does walk-ins? My S passed prescreen, but no slots available at Chicago unifieds and now on-campus full as well. I know he can do a video audition, but prefer live audition. Thanks!
@Mom2jnes there’s another thread here about Unifieds and has a pretty comprehensive list of who does walk-ins and who doesn’t.
As a side note (not your situation since you passed the prescreen and are looking for an open spot), I’d be seriously annoyed with any school that requires a prescreen but also allows walk-ins.
I’d be equally perturbed if I passed a prescreen and could not find a slot for a live audition. Outside of schedule conflicts that don’t allow you to be in two places at once, does this happen often?