#68: Dear Julie… junior prep for MT college auditions?
Wednesday 10/2/24
DEAR JULIE: I’m a junior now and want to go to school for musical theatre. What should I do now to get ready?
CONGRATS! You’ve made the important decision that theatre will not be a hobby any longer and instead it will be a profession. This is very exciting and just know, it will be a tough, chaotic, life questioning 18 months. BUT, never fear. I can compartmentalize for you.
The good news is that in about 1 year from now, the hardest and most time consuming activities related to the college audition process will be done. You will have your common app, essay, supplemental essays, letters of rec, and the filming of your prescreens all done by the end of October - 1 year from now.
Are you a decent or weak dancer, or struggle vocally? Run towards your weakness.
COST BUDGET
Get into class. Ask a friend to help you or use youtube tutorials
Save MONEY or have the MONEY convo with family! And I don’t just mean tuition. Audition for musical theatre college takes a TON of money.
Applying to schools. Yes, there is usually a cost to do this PER SCHOOL! I assume $50 per application. Some may be $0 and some may be $150. So, you’ll need a budget for this.
You’ll need some kind of help or coach
Travel to and from auditions - gas, flights, ubers, rental cars, hotels, time off from work, meals
Various tools and equipment
Other costs that arise
If you are on a really strict budget and need to apply to less than 10 schools and can’t get to auditions live, you’ll need to be really strategic in your school list when deciding where to apply. I’d recommend maybe 1 VERY tough school if that is something you want, but then you should have a mix of non-audition and not very competitive programs.
Be aware of timelines.
In the spring you’ll want to get your essay done (the prompts usually arrive in the early spring), solidifying your school list (usually 20-25 depending on your needs and the types of programs you are looking at), and brain storm material. You will also have to dance in your prescreens, so find a dance you want to learn (45-60 seconds max) and start learning it so you can film it over the summer and be done with it!
There is a lot to do, but the more you can accomplish before school goes back in session for your senior year - the better. There will be things you cannot do before then, but there is so much you CAN do early. Trust me on this ok? It’s NUTS. Good luck :)
Dreams Don’t Die
Julie