Audition Tips and Suggestions

• If you have a quirky email address (wassupbro23@gmail.com, superfunmusicgirl@hotmail.com), consider creating an email address that contains your name in a clear format (johnsmith1999@gmail.com).
• If you have a quirky message on your voicemail, consider creating a message that clearly identifies you by name and politely asks people to leave a message.
• Think about how your social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) reflects you. If a program is interested in you, they will likely search you on social media.

• Deadlines: Meet them! Better yet, beat them!
• Carefully review the audition and application requirements. Much of the information that you’ll need is already listed on our website. 
• Pay attention to the order in which information is requested. 
• Don’t forget to list all of your extracurricular activities, fine arts and otherwise.

• The audition begins the moment you arrive on campus, and it ends when you leave campus.
• Dress appropriately for your audition/interview. Even if your art is cutting-edge, you can still dress up for the interview or audition. Err on the side of modesty.
• Engage the whole body in the audition; don’t perform from the neck up.
• Treat other students who are auditioning with respect; they might end up being your classmates for the next four years.
• Treat student workers at the auditions with respect. The faculty value first impressions and input from their student workers.
• Assume that the faculty will know the play or opera/score/oratorio from which your pieces originate. There is no need to summarize the plot of the play or opera before you begin.
• Parents should not enter the audition room.

Monologue Preparation

• You might want to research the “do not” lists on the internet for audition material to avoid.
• As a general rule, avoid “monologue books” for your monologue material. 
• Read the entire play from which your monologue is taken. You should be able to talk to the audition panel about why you made a particular choice for that character at that point in the play. 
• Don’t select a monologue laden with profanity or sexual themes just because you think it will shock us or show us that you’re mature.
• Choose pieces/characters that are close to you, for which you feel something, that speak to your own humanity.
• Avoid using the members of the audition panel as your scene partners. Select a focal point above their heads, and visualize your scene partner there. Face front.
• Don’t bring props; choose pieces that are prop-free.
• Don’t throw furniture in the audition. (It happens, and it’s frightening.)

Musical Theatre Preparation

• If an accompanist is provided, treat that person with courtesy and thank her/him afterward. She/he may very well be one of the faculty members evaluating you for the program.
• Have your sheet music hole-punched and neatly placed in a folder for the accompanist-- no loose sheets of music.
• Be sure you sing what you do well.  Don't choose a song that stretches you beyond your capabilities at your age.  We would rather hear a simpler song done superbly.
• Sing with your eyes open, in character. 

• Pay attention to digital details! Choose file names that are clear and concise.
• Make sure that you upload the correct audition for the correct school. Don’t say, “Hi, Chapman!” when you’re uploading the video to Pepperdine.
• Dress appropriately. Just because this audition is recorded does not mean that gym shorts and a tank top are acceptable. 
• Select your filming location carefully. If you are filming in your bedroom or in your house, think about an area that has a neutral backdrop. You want the viewer to focus on you, not the poster or family photographs behind you.
• Check the audio levels before you submit the video.
• The camera doesn’t need to zoom in and out.
• Allow the camera to capture your whole body, not just your face. Engage your whole body in the performance.
• Remember to breathe.

• If you are interviewing for production and design, create a portfolio that is a reflection of who you are; use it to show what you’re passionate about and what experiences you’ve had so far. Be sure to save photos of projects you work on: scenery, props, costumes, scenic painting, etc., as well as related creative work like sculptures, collages, drawings, or videos.