(First-year applicants only)
When you apply for admission to the BFA in Musical Theatre you must audition and submit a theatrical résumé to the Department of Performing Arts. You will be able to schedule your audition and upload your résumé using StageDoor once you have received your Emerson ID.
Students living outside the United States who may have difficulty auditioning in person should contact the Performing Arts Admission Coordinator at stagedoor@emerson.edu.
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Audition |
Résumé |
Notes |
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Early Action |
Must choose an Early Action audition date |
Prior to your audition |
Early Action applicants who do not complete an Early Action audition will automatically be deferred to Regular Action. |
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Regular Action |
May choose any of the offered audition dates |
Prior to your audition |
Regular Action applicants who do not complete an audition will not be admitted to Performing Arts. |
All performing arts applicants must submit a theatrical résumé which may include, but is not limited to, your experience in:
The audition plays an important role in the admission decision. It gives us the opportunity to evaluate your talent and potential, and determine if you would be compatible with our program.
The Musical Theatre audition is comprised of three separate components: monologue, voice selection, and basic dance audition.
Please prepare a single two-to-three-minute monologue from a contemporary play. We are not assessing your performance for range or versatility, but rather, looking for honesty and a strong commitment to what you are doing. Choose something that is important to you and try to make us feel and understand what you are sharing with us. At the audition itself, you may be asked to work on this piece improvisationally, so be sure to have memorized your monologue through exploration rather than by rote.
For the voice portion of your audition, prepare 32 bars each from two contrasting musical theatre songs of your choice. You may not be required to sing both selections, but be prepared to do so. We will provide an accompanist at every audition in every location, so please provide easy-to-read, easy-to-handle sheet music in the proper key. No taped accompaniment will be accepted.
For the dance portion of the audition, come prepared to perform in a classroom situation and bring practical clothes, including one of the following types of footwear: jazz shoes, jazz sneakers, character shoes, or any lightweight sneakers suitable for dancing.
Applicants that are required to complete a musical theatre audition (BFA Musical Theatre) book themselves into a four-hour audition period. Please arrive twenty to twenty-five minutes prior to the audition start time. You will be directed to the check-in room where audition staff will confirm your arrival and take a photo of you. This photo will be the headshot associated with your record and audition and it will only be used internally at Emerson College for the audition process. We will not accept alternative headshot photographs in any form.
Anyone accompanying you to the audition will be directed to the Parent Waiting Room. On most audition days in Boston the Performing Arts Admission Coordinator will conduct an information session for parents in the Parent Waiting Room during the audition (exact time TBA).
The auditions will begin with a brief question and answer period with the audition’s faculty evaluators, after which applicants booked into the four-hour time period will be split up into two groups. One group will complete the dance component of the audition while the other completes the acting and voice components. The two groups will then switch and the process will repeat until every applicant has completed every portion of the audition. You will be given ample time to change into appropriate clothes.
For the acting and voice components all applicants will be brought into the audition rooms individually. As stated above, you may be asked to work on your pieces in a manner that is different than how you prepared. Also, the evaluator might take an opportunity to ask you some questions about your understanding or interpretation of the piece, as well as a few questions about you. Our goal is to understand who you are and how you work.
Once your audition is complete you must check out with the audition staff in the check-in room. After that, you are free to leave. Although you might be finished early in the allotted time slot, please be prepared to stay for the full four hours.
There are two minor differences between an audition in Boston and another city. First, parents and applicants share the same waiting room and that waiting room is staffed with an Admission Counselor. Second, one evaluator sees all three musical theatre audition components. This means that you will perform both your monologue and vocal piece in the same sitting with the same evaluator.
We recommend that you select a contemporary monologue (written 1950-present); something you can easily relate to and is appropriate for your age. Generally speaking, these plays will be in the mode of realism, but this should not be considered an exclusive limitation. You may also opt for magical realism, absurdism, or expressionism; however, we caution you to be certain that the piece you select makes sense on its own. Should you be drawn to a 19th century European play, please consider a contemporary translation. We prefer that you avoid verse plays as the language often becomes more of a barrier than a window.
We do not recommend pieces from films or original material. If you choose your piece from a monologue book, please be aware that many other actors will also. As a result, your choice is likely to be overdone. Make sure you know the whole play from which you choose your monologue - we may wish to discuss the play with you.
For the voice component, select pieces that will best show your strengths as a musical theatre performer. Due to time restrictions, you may only be asked to sing one song. Please prepare two and perform your strongest one first.
The focus of the dance component is to see how quickly and how well you can learn a small amount of choreography demonstrated for you by an instructor. Be ready to listen, and be ready to move.
Finally, remember we are most interested in seeing who you are in the audition. We want to see you reflected through the character you play and the piece you perform. Pick good material for yourself, prepare it, and do it well. We want to see skill and potential, so play to your strengths.
Audition Dates for Early Action Applicants:
Boston
The Emerson College Walker Building
120 Boylston Street,
Boston, MA, 02116
Audition Dates for Regular Action Applicants:
Boston
The Emerson College Walker Building
120 Boylston Street
Boston, MA, 02116
Atlanta
Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts at Pebblebrook High School
991 Old Alabama Road
Mableton, GA 30126
New York City
Chelsea Studios
151 West 26th Street
NY, NY, 10001
New York City
American Management Association - this location is the site of the National Unified Auditions
1601 Broadway
NY, NY, 10019
Chicago
The Palmer House Hilton - this location is the site of the National Unified Auditions
17 East Monroe Street
Chicago, IL, 60603
San Francisco
Hilton San Francisco
333 O'Farrell Street
San Francisco, CA, 94102
Los Angeles
The Westin LAX - this location is the site of the National Unified Auditions
5400 West Century Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA, 90045
Houston
HITS Theatre
311 W. 18th Street
Houston, TX, 77008