Musical Theatre

Audition & Interview Requirements

All Musical Theatre (BFA) applicants have a two-step audition process.

Musical Theatre 2025: The Fall 2025 application for Musical Theatre will open August 1, 2024.

Step One: Prescreening

After submitting the university application, Musical Theatre applicants must submit a recorded prescreen, following the appropriate audition guidelines.
(see details in “Video Prescreening Requirements” below). You may only submit a prescreen after you have submitted an application to Shenandoah.
Prescreening Registration and Materials Submission can only be accessed through the Shenandoah Application Portal. 

• The Musical Theatre recorded prescreen must be submitted between September 15, 2024, and December 4, 2024. 
• Strict application and prescreening submission deadline is December 4, 2024. 
• Prescreening recordings must be in mp4 or WMV format. No DVDs or YouTube videos will be accepted.
• The applicant’s artistic résumé and headshot must be uploaded with the prescreening submission.
• Applicants will be notified of prescreening results on a rolling basis via the email address listed on their application.
• An applicant may not register for a live audition until they have received an invitation from the Office of Admissions via admit@su.edu.

Step Two: Live Audition

Musical Theatre applicants who successfully pass the recorded prescreening audition will be invited to complete a live audition either on campus, or during a regional audition in New York City or Chicago. Live Audition Registration will open after December 9, 2024.

• An applicant may not register for a live audition until they have received an invitation from the Office of Admissions via admit@su.edu.
• Live auditions will be scheduled for one of the official audition dates.
• A limited number of live audition slots will be available during the Theatre Division’s regional auditions in New York City and Chicago.

Video Prescreening Requirements & Guidelines

Shenandoah Conservatory adheres to the 2024-25 Musical Theatre Common Prescreen Guidelines.          Common FAQ’s     Common Tips & Resources

General Information & Tips

• Each piece should be filmed/uploaded as a separate piece of media. No continuous videos.
• Students are encouraged to use standard technology/recording devices that are available to them (i.e. smartphones, tablets, etc.).
• Solid-colored walls are ideal, but any background that does not steal the focus from your performance is desired.
• Take care that your space allows for adequate lighting. Having a lamp or window directly behind you will cast a shadow over your face. Keep the lighting source behind your recording device or to the side of you so that your face is lit.
• When using pre-recorded music, place the music source (the speaker) closer to you than it is to the device on which you are recording. By having the accompaniment near you, your voice and music will reach the microphone on your device in a more balanced manner.
• Before filming, do a trial run to test both your audio & visual presentation. Watch your video back to ensure everything looks AND sounds okay.
• Ensure the camera portion of your device is at eye level (see example). You can use a tripod built for a smartphone or tablet. If you do not have a tripod, consider using a stack of books on a desk or box. Filming in “landscape” (horizontally) is recommended.
• Labeling: Label each video file with the piece you are performing, the show or playwright, and your first & last name.
• Time: All song, monologue, dance, ballet, and wild card videos are recommended to be between 60-90 seconds each.
• Slates, Songs and Monologues Framing: Camera framing is simply the placement and position of the actor in the shot. We recommend a waist up frame so we can see your face and hear you clearly. 
• Dance & Ballet Framing: We recommend a setup that allows us to see the top of your head to the floor. This allows us to see how you inhabit space. If it is helpful for you to see yourself, place a full-length mirror behind the filming device and remember that the camera is your audience.

Prescreen Introduction “SLATE” Video

• Record one introduction “slate” video stating your name. If you would like to include your pronouns, state them as well. Please speak loudly (project your voice) and clearly (articulate) directly at the camera.
  • This is an opportunity for the auditors to get a sense of your personality and to learn the pronunciation of your name.
• There is no need to slate your individual performance videos & pieces. Instead, clearly label each video with your name and the title of the piece you are performing.

Song Requirements – Shenandoah Requires Option C

Option A	Option B	☆ Option C ☆
One song written before 1970 (musical theater, Golden Age, pop, hip-hop, folk, rock, rap, soul, country, punk, etc.). One song written after 1970 (musical theater, pop, hip-hop, folk, rock, rap, soul, country, punk, etc.). This song should contrast the style of the first selection.	One musical theater song from any time period. One song of your choice from any time period and in any style that best suits you (musical theater, pop, hip-hop, folk, rock, rap, soul, country, punk, etc.). This song should contrast the style of the first selection.	Applicant to select either OPTION A or OPTION B, whichever they feel serves them best.

Tips

• • Some examples of contrasting songs are fast tempo vs slow tempo, sustained melodic singing vs speech-like singing, dramatic vs comedic, belt vs head/falsetto mix.

  • Many accompaniment tracks are available on YouTube and other websites. If you do not have a way to work with a live accompanist or don’t have access to a recorded track of your music, consider using an app that will play the piano part for you. Harmony Helper is one such app that allows you to take photos of your sheet music, upload them to the app and then generate a piano track that you can use.

Monologue Requirements – Shenandoah Requires Option A

☆ Option A ☆

Option B

One monologue from a published play or written by a professional writer. A professional writer is someone whose plays have been produced, but may not have been professionally published.

One contemporary monologue (typically written after 1950) from a published play or written by a professional writer. A professional writer is someone whose plays have been produced, but may not have been professionally published. AND One classical monologue (typically written before 1950) from a published play or written by a professional writer. Classical monologues should have heightened language. Heightened language may include works by Shakespeare, Molière, Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Middleton, Thomas Kyd, Aristophanes, August Wilson, Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, Mike Bartlett, George the Poet, Andrea Gibson, or contemporary adaptations of classical plays that still utilize heightened language.

Dance Requirements – Shenandoah Requires Option B

Option A	☆ Option B ☆
Show us your best version of dancing or moving. Please include at least one turn, one jump and one kick (or other suitable rotation, elevation, and extension that works for your body).	Show us your best version of dancing or moving.

Tips

• • Make sure you can execute all the choreography well. It is to your advantage to choose steps and movement that highlight your strengths instead of your weaknesses.

  • You may use recent videos of you from a show or concert, but it must just be you in the frame.

  • Dance sample should be in whatever dance discipline you feel most confident. This may include, but is not limited to jazz, ballet, tap, modern, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, or dance styles beyond American and Euro-western styles.

  • Dance media can be “self-choreographed”, but it must be a solo video of you. This can include a show, competition, or other performance so long as you are clearly featured on your own.

  • Please use steps, movement, and physical vocabulary that you are familiar with and can execute well. Fully move your body to the best of your ability.

  • To assist applicants with the dance prescreen, several institutions provided the following resource videos for applicants who do not have access to a choreographed combo for the prescreen process. You may submit this choreography (or a combination of it) to any of the schools you are applying to that ask for a dance prescreen. This list will be updated as more institutions share resources, so be sure to check back.

Ballet Requirements – Shenandoah Requires Option B

Option A	☆ Option B ☆	Option C
Show us your best version of ballet. Please include a brief series of plié, tendu, and grande battement, a pirouette en déhors (to both sides), and one or more grand jeté across the floor.	Ballet optional.	No ballet required.

Wild Card Video Requirements (optional)

Think about the wild card section as an opportunity to show your personality or share something about you. This media can be ANYTHING you want – a special skill, an interesting story about yourself, a passion speech, an instrument you play, etc. “What do you want us to know about you?” Below is a list of ideas that have been successful in the past:

Live Audition Requirements (On-Campus or New York/Chicago Regional Auditions)

Prepare two song selections (Medium Cuts – 60-90 seconds each) that best represent your work. Selections may be from Golden Age, Contemporary Musical Theatre, or Pop/Rock and should be chosen to demonstrate your strengths, not your weaknesses. We want to see what you do well now, not what you will eventually be able to do. At least one of the two selections should be contemporary musical theatre (90s or later). If you play guitar or another instrument and would like to accompany yourself on a selection, you may bring your instrument to the audition. A piano will also be available in the room.

• Prepare a one-minute, age-appropriate, monologue from a contemporary play – George Bernard Shaw or later.
• Students will learn and be evaluated on a dance combination at the live audition. Dance or workout attire is required.
• Bring a standard 8” x 10” headshot and résumé to the audition.

Note: The Musical Theatre program requires every invited applicant to make the necessary arrangements to participate in a live audition in order to fully demonstrate their skills and potential. Pre-recorded auditions are NOT accepted, regardless of the applicant’s geographical proximity to Shenandoah.

*New York City Regional Auditions: Acting & Musical Theatre ONLY.            ^ Chicago Regional Auditions: Acting & Musical Theatre ONLY.