Unified Auditions Journal (2/1/08-2/3/08)- PPU, UArts, IC, Webster, CCPA

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
1

<p>Just wanted to keep up with my audition journals. If you haven’t read my others yet, I strongly suggest you do. I’ve written them for Syracuse, Shenandoah and Elon. These were my experiences during my trip up to the NYC Unified auditions. I wrote about each day in the evenings and saved it in a Word document on my computer. Here’s what happened. I’ll post it each day, but edit the rest in the day afterwards.</p>

<p>Friday, Feb. 1st 2008</p>

<pre><code>Well wouldn’t you know that the weather sucked AGAIN. We were leaving from the Richmond airport when our flight got delayed because it was raining so hard at LaGuardia. It was delayed about an hour. So we arrived and it was raining pretty darn hard. We (my mother, sister and I) got situated in our tiny little room at the Comfort Inn on the 20th floor (mind you, I’m petrified of heights). I needed to practice my dance routine for my Uarts audition on Saturday, but I couldn’t find anywhere to practice because the rooms are waaaaaay too small.

Anywho, we went to Ellen’s Stardust Diner for dinner where the wait staff are generally aspiring Broadway actors. Walking there was treacherous, however. It was cold, rainy and windy; bad combination, right? But despite that, we arrived and had a pretty cool time. Afterwards we went to a couple stores, scoped out the AMA building, blah blah blah…

So then we were off to Spamalot! They finally opened the house and I sat and promptly took off my socks and shoes to get warm. I sat through the whole show barefoot. It was a really good show, even though Clay Aiken wasn’t that superb. It got me pumped for my auditions.
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<p>Saturday, Feb. 2nd 2008</p>

<pre><code>So I woke up at 7:00 in order to get warmed up before my 10:00 audition at Point Park. Anyways, we walk to the AMA building and get to the place where Point Park people were and I sign in and all that crap and wait around to get called in. Well my audition was at 10 AM and I had my Uarts audition at 10:40. I had tried to change it, but everyone was booked, but it was okay because I was in the mindset that I was going to be the first person auditioning, so we wouldn’t be running behind. WRONG! They had the acting prospectives going 8:30-10:00 and MT 10:00-12:00 and they were running over 35 minutes late. In my audition they just asked me to sing 16 bars of one of our songs, so I sang my ballad and did my comedic monologue. I didn’t really like the way the audition was set up. I don’t feel like 16 bars of ONE song really showcases the students’ voices and acting very well. I think I did alright, but I think one of my only downfalls was the setup of this audition. He did have me sing my ballad with a different perspective on the character. So by the time I got out of my audition it was almost 10:45 so I rushed downstairs to my Uarts audition and the girl in front of me was (luckily) still in there and it looked like she had just started, so I ran to the bathroom and got changed into my dance attire.

I went into the Uarts audition room and got all set up with my iPod and speakers. I introduced my pieces and then started off with my dance arrangement. It went pretty well except that I forgot one of the parts, but it was okay because I kinda just made it up. Then I did my monologues everything basically went really well then my songs. He had me do my ballad over again just to hear my voice again then worked on my monologue and gave me a different way of thinking about how my character in my dramatic monologue is consoling the person he’s talking to. Afterwards he told me to pull up a seat and we chatted about why I think I will benefit from Uarts and why I like it. He also asked me a little bit about what was going on in my dramatic monologue and about the character as a whole. Overall, I think that was my best audition I’ve had so far. He seemed very complimentary by saying “Good job” or “Very good” etc…

I had my Point Park dance audition at 1:30 so I had a little bit of time to kill. I went to McDonalds for lunch then did some shopping for gifts for my friends. I went upstairs and called some people while eating my BigMac (mmmm). So I got dressed for my dance audition and went in the room to warm up. There were 19 people at that particular dance audition including 4 other guys. The dance instructor taught us one of the ballet dances from A Chorus Line in which we performed in groups of 3. I was surprised that I could keep up with it, but I did alright.

So then I had to rush over to Ithaca a few blocks away. Ithaca was supposed to start at 1:45, but I didn’t get out of my Point Park dance audition until 2:30, so I really had to book it over to Ithaca. I knew I was going to be late to the audition, so I emailed Ithaca and they said that it was alright because I was just missing the warm-up and the info session, but I had sent my mom to be my “representative”. I didn’t get the chance to change out of my dance attire, so I was walking in NYC with a big jacket and dance pants. I got to 250 W 54th St and I had to go up a couple flights of stairs to try to find the studio Ithaca was at. I finally got to a floor that had working elevator buttons, so I took the elevator to the top floor because, obviously, its easier to go down stairs than up stairs. I got to the top floor and there was a studio with a bunch of Broadway posters up, so I went inside and asked if they knew about Ithaca auditions. They said they didn’t know anything, nor did they know where the Nola Studio is (where Ithaca was supposed to be). They told me that Nola wasn’t in the building and I asked if this was 250 W 54th and they said “Nope, it’s 244” and I was like “No, the doorway said that it was 250” and then she asked her manager and it turns out that the building was both 244 AND 250 :confused: So she looked up Nola Studios and found out that they were on the 11th floor- the floor below me… Way to go, Robert! So I went downstairs and found my mom then filled out some of the paperwork for the audition. My mom had signed me up for the 4th MT audition of the day, so I had very little time because they had JUST started auditions when I walked in. I did a speed change in the dressing room. It turned out they had called my name while I was changing, but I was able to go after the next person. I got called to go to my singing audition. I did my songs, blah blah blah… and the adjudicator asked me how I found out and came to like Ithaca and I had mentioned Youtube so he and I talked about You tube completely randomly for a little bit. I got shipped off to the monologue room where there was a man and lady sitting in this tiny room. I did my comedic monologue which required a chair. The only chair that they had available there was a broken little thing and it almost collapsed when I sat down in it. So I said my one line “I’m going to tell my grandmother that you are an epileptic. Yeah, that you were having a seizure and I was trying to keep you from swallowing your tongue.” and the lady there laughed hysterically. I was ALMOST at my last line when they guy called “time”. I did my last monologue but made sure to speed it up because that one generally is longer than the first. But they didn’t call time, luckily. It was really cool because I was just in and out of the audition really quickly. They really moved everyone through.

My mom and I walked over to the half-price ticket place and got 3 tickets to go see Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening. So I’m sitting in my hotel room, watching Akeelah and the Spelling Bee, getting ready to go to dinner at a pizza place across the street, then going to the theater.

Hooray! Only 2 more auditions left!
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2

<p>i just read this (killing time before going out to dinner), and I must say you really entertained me. With all the stress that these schools bring you
you seem to have a good sense of humor and determination.<br>
After going through this last yr.with my D (also NY unifieds) my only advice to you would be to keep on keeping on! You rock! GOOD LUCK today AND tomorrow!! :-)</p>

3

<p>Thanks for being willing to share in such rich detail! It really helps those of us who haven’t been to a unified audition yet know what we’re in for! Keep up the great attitude and great work!! WAY TO GO!</p>

4

<p>Oh my goodness, that sounds so nerve-wracking! Thanks so much for posting this, accounts from others is really helpful.</p>

5

<p>Awesome journal!</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the compliments guys. Although it sounds like it was kinda stressful, it was only MY situation that was nerve-racking because all of my auditions today overlapped :/</p>

<p>Its really not all that bad. I had a lot of fun today. I have 2 more auditions tomorrow then home to Virginia… :(</p>

7

<p>For those reading this and making decisions about future unified auditions, I would comment that it seems in Chicago at unified auditions that the great majority of schools are right in the one hotel (Palmer House). After the above description of running a few blocks to get from one to another audition, I wonder if Chicago might be a little bit more manageable. Just a thought!</p>

8

<p>Ericsmom, you are correct in thinking that Chicago is more manageable because most of the schools are in the Palmer House… There is a main floor one can go to and see the schedule for all the schools. Then you can go to the various floors and find the schools and talk to those reps and even get on some waitlists( leave a note in an envelope with tape on the door if no one is there - just make sure your cell works in the hotel). At the very least a parent can go and try to find a school rep while their child is having an audition… There were a few schools that were off site last year but I do not think the travel time was that great to get to them and get back. Hope this helps.</p>

9

<p>Actually we LOVED the NY unifieds. The only school out of the way was Ithaca, and even they were only a few walking blocks away (took a cab there worrying about time then walked back probably 5 short blocks?). We didn’t experience any overlaps as we scheduled it not to happen. Walk-in’s were very doable. If we had to compare flying to all the locations vs. the NY unifieds, we would say the unifieds were the MOST relaxing and fun auditions. It was also very organized. Having to do it again (aside from visiting the actual campus, but that’s something you can do once in) maybe do NY and Chicago?? :slight_smile: :-)</p>

10

<p>like Mainstage said, the only school (that I know of) that was off the main site was Ithaca.</p>

<p>Why?</p>

<p>I don’t know…</p>

11

<p>Day 3 has been written. I can’t find out how to edit my post to add it, so if a moderator could help me out… :D</p>

<p>Sunday, Feb. 3rd 2008</p>

<pre><code>So today was a bit (actually a lot) less stressful. I woke up at 8 and got ready then went to the AMA building for my 10:52 audition for Roosevelt University. I got there around 10:20 and went into one of the designated warm-up rooms and did the obvious: warmed up. So I go chill outside the audition room with my mommy and my sister and strike up a conversation with a lady from Maine who’s daughter was auditioning as we spoke. Her daughter rushed out of the room looking all nervous and flush and asked me if she could borrow my iPod dock because her CD wasn’t working. Of course I gave it to her and Professor Kelley, the adjudicator stepped out and made a joke to me saying that he will keep her from stealing the dock. Anyways, I didn’t get into the audition room until about 11:10 and when I got in we chatted for a hot second and told me that he was running late and he had to catch his flight, so he told me to cut my audition short. It turns out that I was his last audition in NYC. But that’s beside the point. He only had me do one monologue and both of my songs. He laughed all throughout my monologue and he was very complimentary about the monologue. Next I did my ballad and near the end I have a sustained legato line and in the midst of it, my throat dried out and kinda went a little raspy/off pitch and I saw that he took note of it. Then I did my uptempo which I was very confident with. EXCEPT that I had pressed pause after the first note of the song which is in 2/4 time, so I was behind a half a measure. I stopped right in the middle of the song sensing that I was off and I said that I was sorry and explained what must have happened. So I started over again and everything went almost flawlessly, despite being a little flustered about my mistakes. After my songs he seemed much less complimentary. In retrospect I should have asked him if he wanted a CD of me singing my songs and told him, “I promise I don’t ALWAYS sound like this :D”.

So after shedding a quick tear (just kidding), I went over to the Webster audition room for my audition at 12:00. I sat there for maybe 2 minutes then got called in at about 11:35, except for the adjudicator called me Raymond. I told him “no, I’m Robert” and he was like “oh, well I was looking for you”. I walk into the room with him and he asks me if I was from somewhere in Wisconsin, and I looked at his paper and was like “no, that’s for Raymond, I’m from Virginia”. It turns out that I accidentally took Raymond’s audition slot :/. But he had me sign something saying that Freshmen at Webster aren’t allowed to do ANY theater performance at all, whether with the school, summer stock, or even youth theater. After that, all of the aforementioned are fine, but that’s a big no-no for freshmen. We chatted for a while about why I liked Webster and how I found out about it. Then did my songs and monologues. All went well. He said that no one is going to find out until the 1st or 2nd week in April. I was like “???”, but whatever. Afterwards I got changed into street clothes, made a leap of joy that my auditions were done (just kidding again) and left NYC.

I’d tell you about all the crap we did afterwards, but that wouldn’t interest you. Basically, in a nutshell, Mom and my sister dragged me around fashion district (AHHH!) and then we went to the airport and flew home. So here I sit writing this on my drive home (my mom’s actually driving, I am much too safe of a driver to be typing while I write :D).
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<p>Well this is the end of my audition journals. I hope I have helped or inspired people when it comes to the audition process by providing a prospective student’s view on the going-on’s of the auditions. I also hope that I have eased everyone’s minds by giving everyone a little laugh about my stress and misfortunes.</p>

<p>If anyone has any questions about the Unified processes or the schools’ audition processes in specific, don’t hesitate to ask.</p>

<p>Good luck to everyone!</p>

<p>Robert</p>

12

<p>Had to look for my Robert fix to complete the saga.
That “Raymond” episode was priceless - LOL - perhaps you should minor in Creative Writing as well. :slight_smile:
Congrats on finishing!</p>

13

<p>Robert, you are adorable and deserve to be admitted on “personality” alone. </p>

<p>What a whirlwind weekend you and your family experienced. It was a lovely, warm February weekend in NYC. Glad you all had fun. We had fun sharing your adventures.</p>

<p>All our hopes for you are high!</p>

14

<p>:D</p>

<p>I officially like all of you</p>

15

<p>Robert, I love these audition journals! You managed to convey your personality as well as a lot of information. Bravo!
Sorry we did not manage to run into you in New York this weekend. We were there, but apparently not in the same hallways as were you. Glad to hear that you felt it went well. Keep us all posted on what transpires next, OK? And as someone else said: think about pursuing writing as a sideline. You kept me amused the entire time! :)</p>

16

<p>I just had my Webster! FINALLY a piano player that can PLAY MY SONGS! So exciting. I’m not sure if other schools have a pianist there, but it is SUCH a relief to not have to depend on a CD.</p>

<p>Did anyone do scales for Webster? I didn’t, and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I really liked the people there, and I’m hoping I get in!</p>

17

<p>Chicago Unifieds were AMAZING!! I met some of the nicest and coolest people there! If there’s one school I can encourage anyone to audition for it’s Emerson! They treat you like normal people and encourage individuality and don’t want you to be like everyone else. You audition for the head of the musical theater department and he is the nicest guy in the world! He had our group of 15 kids stand up and tell everyone where we’re from and one thing that’s interesting about us, and why we thought Emerson would be a good fit. All of the students who auditioned for Emerson were so down to earth and it was great to just have normal ENTHUSIASTIC theater conversations without being “cut-throat”. There were absolutely no egos amongst the facutly and students. AND the accompanist was incredible and sooo friendly. Overall it was the most welcoming, warm, and encouraging audition possible and my best by far!!!</p>

<p>~Nate Leeson 19th floor lol</p>

<p>P.S. Cosmo I hope you get into BoCo so that way I can call you BoCo Cosmo!</p>

18

<p>Lucky for Cosmo, he DID get in! Accepted at his audition.</p>

19

<p>Got rejected from Point Park.</p>

<p>Thought you might be interested</p>

20

<p>Sorry to hear that, Robert. Keep on keepin’ on!</p>