#prescreens

Although we’re right in the middle of college audition season - I figured that since the school year is nearing toward the end, I’d make a list of tips for those starting to figure out what schools they want to apply for or those who are beginning their college audition journey, especially because I literally knew nothing about prescreens when I started applying for schools. So here you go!

1. Start researching schools before/during the summer: School searching for theatre majors is a bit different from other majors because you have to take into account the various audition dates/prescreen deadlines you’ll need to prepare for. One of the biggest mistakes I made when I was looking for schools was that I started looking during the fall, and ended up running around like a maniac to get my prescreens together. The earlier you prepare, the easier it will be.

2. Pick material that fits the requirements, but also fits you: Sure there are tons of golden age ballads with a nice 16 bar cut, but don’t stop there. Remember that even with a short 16 bar cut, you’re still trying to tell a story. Pick songs that showcase you really well. If you have a voice teacher, they’ll definitely be able to help you with this. This also applies to monologues, a big part of the audition is to showcase who you are.

3. Film the dance portion in a dance studio/rehearsal place: I know this might be difficult for those who don’t take dance classes, but if your school has a dance room/ rehearsal room - that is always acceptable. My friend used a dance room at her community center for her prescreens. One of the mistakes I made when making my dance video was filming in my garage. The lighting wasn’t good and there were too many distractions in the background. Remember that if you start looking for spaces early, the easier it will be.

4. Film in front of a neutral background: Remember, you want the focus of the prescreen to be you. You don’t want the viewers of your prescreens to be distracted by anything in the background. You also want to come off as prepared and professional, filming in front of a non-neutral background could make the videos look rushed together. A simple blank wall or even a sheet is completely fine. Filming in a classroom is also completely okay (that’s what I did).

5. You don’t need a fancy camera or lighting: Of course, you want to make sure that your facial expressions are visible in order for the auditors to see you, but you don’t need a high-definition video by any means. I filmed all of my prescreens with an Iphone. As long as you’re visible enough you should be fine!

6. Wear neutral and professional clothing: This tip is similar to the neutral background tip. You don’t want to wear distracting clothing that will take the focus off of you. You also want to look presentable, prepared, and professional. I made a HUGE mistake wearing my school uniform for one of my prescreens. Again, I want to emphasize that you want the auditors to see you as prepared and professional.

7. Film only the top half of your body: This tip does not apply for dance videos, as most criteria calls for a full body shot for dance. For singing and monologues, however, you’ll only really need your torso in the shot. Another mistake I made (you can see there’s a trend here) was filming from a weird angle because I had no one to hold the camera. If you don’t have anyone to physically hold the camera, music stands are super helpful!

8. Film multiple takes!: One of the great things about prescreens is that you can film as many takes as you want. Take advantage of this! Even if you feel like you nailed it on the first try, filming a few backup takes just in case is super important. I think three takes is a good minimum, but film as much as you need!

9. PREPARE. PREPARE. PREPARE: Even if a deadline is in January, don’t wait until the last month to begin the process - it comes quicker than you think. A big part of the prescreen is showcasing that you can be prepared and professional. You don’t want your videos to look thrown together. This is why researching before your senior year begins is so important. When I was starting my college application journey, I had no idea what a prescreen was, and I made so many mistakes in starting my application process late.

Hello, all of my lovely college applicants! I have just finished my first term of senior year and all of my college apps went with it! I can proudly say that I am done applying to college (for now)! I think that my college application process was surprisingly stress-free and I was not too panicked when I hit submit. I thought I would share my best advice to get through this wonderful and scary and exciting time, or at least how I got through it. 

First of all, an important note is that I am applying to 99% of my schools as a BFA musical theatre major and so most of my applications required something additional (like a pre-screen video via acceptd, etc) so I will be throwing those important tips in there was well. 

get started EARLY. like so early that you think you’re a nerd. My junior year I was dating a senior and he was so late on the whole process that I vowed to never do that, so I started before I even finished my junior year. UC prompts are revealed over summer. Common App is a little bit after. Individual school apps are open at the same time. Create your accounts, start researching schools, and know what/where/criteria for where you want to apply. I started writing my UC essays over summer so that when the UC app opened in November I was already done with all of the hard stuff. If you are applying for art majors and need to film a prescreen, get on that asap. At least start listing some potential audition songs and choreographing some tentative dances. Most schools have requirements up early so you can start thinking about the requirements and your capabilities.

Take it little by little. Start early and set some goals that you will stick to. My school was so on me about my deadlines that I had to plan way ahead. Some things to plan/set deadlines for: final list of colleges, college tours, scholarship deadlines, the first draft of essays, first meeting w college counselor or writing coach, teacher recommendations. 

Talk about costs. applying to college is so much money. UC’s are $70, privates range from $10-$90. Shit adds up fast. Some schools will waive your application fee! Email a representative and find out if they’ll waive yours. ALSO if you are sending in prescreens through Acceptd, rip your wallet, save up. Acceptd has probably been just about as much as application fees. Also, think about the cost of touring, going to campus for auditions/interviews. This will be pricey if you are applying out of state. Get a summer job, babysit, write a letter to your grandma, beg your parents, steal your dad's credit card ask your dad for money.

Only apply places you WANT to go. this will cut down cost and make you happier. It is YOUR future, not your parents. It is YOUR potential student debt, NOT your parents. 

Talk to college representatives. Getting in touch with them has saved me so much time. Just by talking to them at college fairs I get a really good idea of the school (even if it is in the best light). They won’t lie to you if you ask them honest questions, and if you make a connection with them you could up your admissions chances. 

Don’t blow off standardized testing. If you are taking the ACT/SAT again, STUDY. If i could go back and do this again, I would have studied more for the ACT instead of focusing so much on apps. It’s a balance. 

Now is the time to utilize your resources. Teachers who loved you and said that if you ever needed anything to ask them? Ask them for a letter of rec. Ask them to read your essays. Ask them about a certain school. They have been with you the past four years and WANT you to go to college. if you are applying to art school, now is the time to ask your arts teachers for help. My dance teacher was a fantastic help, my theatre teacher found me monologues, my voice teacher played accompaniment for my videos. Favors are so important right now, just write them a nice note.

Take care of yourself. Senior year is so so so so demanding, so if you have to take mental health days, do it. Take the time to do things you love, focus on what you need to focus on, and enjoy your time. Go to football games. Drink coffee (the expensive one!). Reconnect with old friends. Who knows, maybe you’ll remember something essay worthy when you’re relaxing with your family. 

I hope this maybe helped someone. PM me if you have any questions/need any support. I will update when I experience the college audition process;). 

xoxo

im singing Corals by Bryceson Treharne

me singing Lachen und Weinen by Schubert ~ 

I sent my application off towards the end of August and received the result on the 2nd of October, just a day after the applications closed! I was very happy to find out I'd made it through to the pre-screens! The email I received is pictured below, sorry it's a bit small!

So the next stage of the process was the pre-screens, events which took place during the third week of October in Manchester and London. For these interview we were told to dress in Business Casual which is a dress code I really don't like! After getting stressed about it too much, eventually I chose a blue and black floral dress. Luckily a lot of girls were dressed similarly, so I didn't really need to worry!

                              Before the interviews we needed to fill out a form called a Yummy Passport which had a list of the job roles on it for us to circle.

The roles were:

- Attractions

- Character Attendant

- Character Performer

- Costuming

- Custodial

- Food and Beverage

- Housekeeping

- Lifeguarding

- Main Entrance

- Merchandise

- Recreation

- Resort Bell Services

We were advised before handing it in to be as flexible as possible, so I circled all but Custodial and Lifeguarding (I didn't want to be responsible for people's lives!).

                                The presentation was an hour long and it was all about the program. As we waited for the presentation to start they played Disney songs which was awesome! Afterwards we were split into groups of about seven people. Each group was interviewed throughout the day, my group was called Team Boo (from Monsters Inc eeee!).

I was very nervous for my group interview at first. I worried about speaking too little and not standing out or speaking too much and feeling like I was interrupting people. Luckily my group were really lovely! We all had a chance to speak with about the same amount of time each. It was actually really fun and I think it was the most enjoyable part of the process for me.

The group interview began by each of us telling the rest of the group and saying an interesting fact about ourselves.

We were then asked some questions which included:

- Why do you want to do the program?

- What is your top choice of roles and why?

- What would you do in a situation where a child had been queuing up to meet a character but they needed to go backstage before they could meet them?

- Other than Disney, what other brands are you interested in? (Bit of an odd question, my answer was Cath Kidston haha!)

- Any tattoos or piercings?

- What Disney character are you most like? (My group wasn't asked this but I know a few other groups were for a bit of fun!)

- What American culture would you like to experience and what British culture could you bring to program? (We also were not asked this but other groups were!)

The interview lasted about forty-five minutes. It was a really fun day! After the interview a few other people and I went to the Disney Store on Oxford Street which was fun!