Admission and Retention Standards
Auditions/interviews are required for admittance to B.F.A. programs in acting and acting/musical theatre emphasis. The same audition/interview is used in determining Theatre Arts Talent Scholarship awards. Talent scholarships are usually awarded for one year to students in acting, dance, motion picture production, and design/technology. All majors are eligible to apply each year for Merit Scholarships. See the current Admission and Scholarship application for audition dates.
Photographs are required for all those auditioning in acting and acting/musical theatre emphasis. If unusual circumstances prevent you from keeping your appointment, please contact the Department of Theatre Arts. A VHS videotape may be submitted in lieu of a personal audition, although this is not recommended. Theatre Arts Talent Scholarship awards will be announced in March.
The auditionee must perform two contrasting monologues, each one minute in length, from plays. The presentation must be memorized and presented without costumes or properties. In addition, the auditionee must perform a one-minute portion of a song from a Broadway musical. Musical accompaniment must be recorded on cassette; the department will supply appropriate playback equipment. The total audition must not exceed three minutes.
In addition, the audition for the acting/musical theatre emphasis will also require the auditionee to take a musical theatre dance class. Appropriate dance wear is required.
The department feels a strong obligation to graduate only those acting students whose chances of attaining professional employment remain clear. The faculty feels it is unfair to graduate people who, because of lack of motivation or talent, will not achieve successful, professional careers -- or who do not seem to be growing adequately within the Professional Actor Training Program. Therefore, a process has been established to evaluate students regularly, especially through their sophomore year. At the end of the second year of training, as well as at other times when deemed necessary by the acting faculty, some students are advised to select another major. All students are urged to carefully consider their career choice and to fully understand the rigors and demands of the acting profession. There is no specific quota for the number of students in any given year of the curriculum.
Professional Acting Training Program students must maintain a grade of "C" or better in all classes required of their emphasis to be retained. Students not making satisfactory progress, even with a grade of "C" or better, may be advised by the faculty to drop the program. An overall GPA of 2.5 is required for graduation.
Last updated September 22, 2008
