Aspiring actors and theatre majors should not pass up the chance to work on a devised work. At Hope College, where I serve as professor and Director of Theatre, we have had the fortune of working on four devised works to date. Every single time, I’ve seen our students flourish and grow because of their experience with this type of theatre making.
Read More“While it's only been a couple of years, find myself already waxing nostalgically about my first year as a theatre major. That year was a great growing experience but also incredibly difficult, so this one is for all you baby theatre students wandering wide-eyed into the world of university theatre.”
Read More“Graduation is a daunting rite of passage no matter what one studies, but for musical theatre majors, in particular, it can be an especially nerve-wracking time.”
Read More“When live theater whitewashes, it is a systematic method of racial exclusion. “
Read MoreA play can change your life in many ways. As an actor, you may meet people in the cast or stage crew that become your new best friends. So, what do you do when it’s over? Here are some tips for how I overcome post-show blues.
Read MoreBy now, you’ve completed some auditions and may still have a few more to come. Depending on the school, you may have already received acceptances and rejections. If this process didn’t seem real to you yet, the moment is about to arrive. Don’t worry--I’ve got your back on this, parents. You and your student will survive and thrive, although you’re probably both going to have some scars to prove it.
Read MoreCollege is right around the corner! That’s right, high school seniors- I’m talking to you. In just a few months you’ll be handed a piece of paper and be sent off into the big scary world of college. Most of you probably already see yourself in your dream school- acing your classes, and living it up. News flash: you still need to get accepted! Now is not the time to be losing sight of everything you’ve been working so hard for.
Odds are, if you’re a theatre student or a music student looking to pursue your passion, your auditions are in full swing. As a long-time vocal student and performer, I thought my voice audition for colleges would be the easy part. I had been classically trained for years and it had always been my forte. Why would that change? Little did I know just how much work you really should be putting into your college vocal auditions!
Read MoreFrom universities known for their large and respected theater programs to the college theater underdogs, On Stage writers have walked you through some of the best programs in the country. But what about schools not known for their theater program? Or even schools with very small programs? Are they worth talking about? Of course it depends on what you’re looking for but sometimes you can find great experiences in surprising places and theater departments in non-theater schools are a great example.
Read MoreUnifieds. For those who have endured through these audition sessions, I tip my hat to you. It’s a stressful and hectic process which proves to be more fruitless than successful. But there are those times when the stars align that a unified audition goes so well, an offer of admission is made.
These are rare but I’ve seen them happen. More often, a student will come in, give a strong audition and that will at the very least, put them on our radar as a strong candidate for admission later on. Then there’s the flip side, when we see a student give a lackluster audition that disqualifies them from consideration. It doesn’t happen in the majority, but it does happen.
While there isn’t a sure-fire blueprint for success to get into every school you audition for, there are definitely things you can do to help your chances in that room.
Read MoreSo, you’ve spent your summer creating your balanced list of schools you will apply to, found your audition material, and worked to prepare it. Fasten your seatbelts--it’s application and audition time!
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