If you’re a senior, it’s likely that you’re already watching the mailbox for the “fat” envelope saying you’ve been accepted to your dream school. Maybe you applied to 3-5 top universities and already know where you’re going. Student athletes are starting to make verbal commitments, and the mad rush to get everything in by the November 1st deadline is behind us. It’s all smooth sailing from here.
Well, not for all of us. In fact, if you’re an aspiring musical theatre student, you’re just getting started. And chances are, you might not even know where you’ll be going to school until sometime in late April or May. I’m now two months into the process, and I can safely say that it isn’t for the faint of heart. Not many people outside of musical theatre understand just how difficult the process is. Even if the school itself has an average acceptance rate, the acceptance rate into the musical theatre program is usually unbelievably low. For example, Ithaca, whose academic acceptance rate is about 75%, has a musical theatre program acceptance rate which is reported to be only 3.5%.
A prospective musical theatre student must successfully complete several steps before they receive their “fat” envelope, and the steps are not necessarily in order. The student must be admitted into the school academically. The student must usually pass a pre-screen audition (a series of five or more videos that showcase dancing, acting, and singing abilities) PLUS write additional essays. If a prescreen is passed, the student must then travel either to the school or to a unified audition location, and audition and interview in person. Then, if all the stars align and the student is exactly the “type” the school is looking for, they may receive an offer. Top programs only accept a handful of students out of thousands who audition.
Where a typical student might apply to 5-6 schools, a student seeking a BFA in musical theatre might apply to 15 or more. Sometimes 30 or more. It’s a numbers game. No matter how much you love a particular school, there may not be room for you there. The colleges and universities are “casting” their next class, and they avoid duplication of type. Not everyone can be a 5’7 soprano. Rejection is a common part of the process. We must tell ourselves it isn’t personal even when it feels like it is.
So, when do you know if you pass a pre-screen? Good question. Sometimes you know in days, but sometimes it takes months. It’s a waiting game. Even if you are academically accepted to the school, if you don’t pass the prescreen, the process is over. The pre-screen decision is the fine line between staying the course, or dropping off the ledge, and starting all over again.
There’s one more major difference between a typical college application experience and a BFA musical theatre application experience. If you are sick during your audition, you don’t get another chance. Your voice is part of your package, and if you can’t perform well, you could lose the opportunity to attend the school. For most people, getting sick isn’t such a big deal. Many of you come to school sick and think nothing of it. But even if it’s just something as minor as a cold, and I catch it, the result could potentially make or break whether I’m getting into college or not. For musical theatre students, our voice is our instrument. And if we can’t sing, because we have done something to our voice, like catch a cold, where does that leave us? I always take extra precautions, but I still ended up sick during my last performance audition. I won’t know for a few months if my opportunities were compromised, but I learned my lesson. Going forward, I will now be masking days before any audition. It just isn’t worth the risk.
At this point in my journey, I’ve heard from a handful of schools, and I’ve attended two workshops/auditions with more scheduled for January and February. Overall, they were incredible experiences. It felt great to be working alongside people who were in their element, doing what they love. I was surrounded by people who understood me and my passion and supported me throughout the process. I’m looking forward to seeing what the next few weeks bring. Stay tuned.
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