Auditions
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a Concentration in General Theatre
No audition or interview is required for admission to the General BA Program.
General Theatre BA Requirements
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a Concentration in Performance
The next in-person auditions will be held at the Department of Theatre on Saturday, January 25, 2025, beginning at 1:00 p.m. The deadline for submitting a video audition is Friday, January 24, 2025.
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a Concentration in Design and Technology
Students interested in applying for the Design & Technology Concentration should submit a digital portfolio (either as a website or PowerPoint style presentation), resume, and a brief statement expressing your interest in the design/tech concentration through email to Kimberly Schnormeier at
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre in Musical Theatre
Deadline to submit prescreen application: January 24, 2025
- CAP Auditions in St. Louis, MO: November 7-10, 2024
- Chicago Unified Auditions: Monday-Wednesday, February 3-5, 2025
- On-Campus Audition Dates:
- Saturday, November 16, 2024
- Saturday, February 1, 2025
- Virtual Audition: Saturday, January 18, 2025
At the Audition
- Wear simple, attractive, comfortable clothes and shoes.
- Minimize jewelry.
- Style your hair so that it flatters your face, not hides it.
- Warm up your voice and your body.
- Assess the acoustic qualities of the performance space and make choices regarding how much vocal energy you will need to be heard.
Presenting a Monologue
- Find material that you could be cast in today.
- Use material that is within your age range, your vocal range (especially if you're singing), your emotional range, and within the scope of your movement skills.
- Avoid material that requires a dialect.
- See that the material moves to a conclusion. Begin somewhere and go somewhere through the material.
- Use material that focuses on your character.
- Avoid material that you have performed in a complete production.
- Discuss your choice of material with your director, and your other acting teachers.
- Choose material in which you have faith, and as you rehearse allows you to gain confidence.
Rehearsing the Material
- Make strong, positive choices aimed at putting your character in charge of the scene.
- Locate and exploit counterpoints and tensions between yourself and the character, tensions within the character, tensions between the character and the dramatic situation.
- Allow time for audience reaction when the character has to make a choice. Share choices with the audience.
- Give movement specificity, dramatic validity, and theatrical finish. Simple but completely realized movements and gestures are the most effective.
- Avoid literal interpretations of the text in movement and gesture.
- Keep body and face forward. Avoid too much profile.
- Maintain vocal control throughout the scene. Don't let emotions drive you beyond vocal expression you can control.
- Imagine the physical space appropriate for your scene; set the boundaries and maintain control of that space during the performance. Movement should develop organically from the material; the connection between the physical action and its emotional source should be strong and clear.
- Clearly specify the ending of the first piece and the start of the next. Do not run the scenes together.
- The confidence, poise, and polish characteristic of outstanding auditions is the result of dedicated, concentrated rehearsal and astute coaching. Ask your acting teachers and your coaches to help you with your audition. Adequate rehearsal is vital.
Note
Each student who elects to participate in UAB Department of Theatre auditions for main stage productions must audition for all productions being cast at that time, musical or non-musical. By auditioning, the student both acknowledges and consents that they can be cast as needed in any production for which auditions are being held.
Questions?
Call or write
Theatre UAB Head of Performance Dennis McLernon
(205-934-8300
or
Theatre UAB Department Chair Kelly Allison
(205-934-8776
Casting Policy
Casting for productions is influenced by the need to provide students with a process and performance experience that is educational, practical, challenging, and significant in a professional setting that models the real-world dynamics our students are likely to encounter following graduation.
Due to our dual emphasis on classroom and practical training, only students who have achieved a 2.25 grade point average are eligible for casting in UAB main-stage productions and UAB touring companies.
Casting decisions are made based on actor-training opportunities. We strive to provide performance opportunities for our diverse student body.
Race, gender, gender identity, ethnic origin, and/or age of characters may be changed when legally permissible and artistically feasible to take advantage of available student talent, and to provide a greater range of experiences to underserved populations in the department.
The department gives priority in casting to UAB Theatre majors. Non-majors will also be cast when a play cannot be cast exclusively from the pool of eligible Theatre majors. Invited guest artists, professional alumni, as well as Theatre faculty and staff will be considered for roles in order to enhance the training experience of student actors in a particular play or process.
These guidelines are reviewed annually and evolve with student and departmental needs. Any omission here does not constitute an intentional exclusion.
In Advance of the Interview
- Include a Current resume. Bring six copies to your interview.
- Portfolio may be in either a physical or digital format. The portfolio should contain 15-20 examples of your work which could include (depending on your area of interest):
- Drawings, paintings, sculpture, digital art – these do not have to be theatre related.
- Drafting (scenic or costume)
- Photography, including photos of items you have designed or created
- Models, costume pieces, properties or masks
- If possible, include one project that shows process – research, sketches, finished product
- Plots, ground plans, elevations, production paperwork
- Audio/video or other media files
- Relevant course work such as sewing samplers, design projects, research collages, etc.
- All items in the portfolio should be clearly labeled. Production work should be labeled with play title, producing organization, date, and your role in the production.
At the Interview
- Discuss the highlights of the portfolio. It is not necessary to explain each item in detail.
- State why you are interested in pursuing design/tech and what area or areas you are interested in pursuing.
- Allow time for the reviewers to ask questions about your work and be prepared to answer said questions.
Questions?
Call or write
Theatre UAB Head of Design and Technology Kimberly Schnormeier
(205-934-8775
or
Theatre UAB Department Chair Kelly Allison
(205-934-8776