Audition FAQ Pamphlet - the Asawa SOTA Theatre Department!

The SOTA Theatre Staff wants every student tosucceed in his or her audition. We hope that this informationwill help you to do just that.We know how difficult it is for a student in the 8th or9th grade to decide that the type of actor training offered atSOTA is something they want to do for the remainder oftheir high school years. The information here and theaudition process itself are designed to help you understandthe commitment involved in joining the theatre program.Please consider your decision carefully before committing toSOTA.The Theatre Department at SOTA is a conservatorytypeactor training program, and as such it requires a seriouscommitment beyond regular high school class hours. Mostdays theatre classes go to 4 pm. A student!s dailyinvolvement does not end when the last school bell rings.Keep in mind as you read the following that ourintention is to make each student!s time at SOTA EXCITING,REWARDING, and as FULFILLING as possible.The audition is designed to measure the applicant!scommitment to drama and her or his potential talent.QUESTION 1Q: “What is SOTA and how many studentsattend?”A: SCHOOL OF THE ARTS is an alternative public highschool (grades 9 - 12) in the S. F. Unified SchoolDistrict. It is currently located at 555 Portola Drive, SanFrancisco, with approximately 600 students fromthroughout the Bay area, who are enrolled in preprofessionalprograms in the Vocal, Piano, Media,Instrumental Music, Visual Arts, Dance, CreativeWriting, Technical Theatre, and Theatre Departments.SOTA also offers most academic college preparatoryclasses. We share our campus with a second small highschool, The Academy of Arts and Sciences.QUESTION 2Q: “How many students are in the TheatreDepartment?”A: We have approximately 80 students enrolled, with 20students in each of four classes (Basic, Intermediate 1,Intermediate 2, and Advanced) with approximately 30males and 50 females.QUESTION 3Q: “How many students do you admit into theTheatre Department each year?”A: We accept the same number of students who graduatein that particular year. (Approximately 20 students fromthe two rounds of auditions in January and March. Weoccasionally have a third round of auditions in August.)SOTA Theatre DepartmentFAQ about AuditionsIssue #10 2010“Frequently asked questions aboutthe Theatre Department and theaudition/selection process.”For the prospective parent/guardian & studentQUESTION 4Q: “Why is there so much competition to get intoSOTA? I understand that you have as many as80 students applying for the open slots intheatre every year.”A: Our Mission Statement says it best “SOTA will provideSF Bay Area students with a specialized arts high schoolof the highest quality in a small school environment,defined as no more than 600 arts students.” Eachdepartment is allowed a prescribed number of studentsto fulfill this goal, the theatre department!s being 80.QUESTION 5Q: “Why don!t you simply increase the classsize?”A: We hope you understand that this would be detrimentalto the students in the program. Even when a class of 20students is presenting individual monologues of 2minutes each in a 2 hour class, this allows only 6 minutesper student to demonstrate his or her work and toreceive comments.QUESTION 6Q: “I!ve heard that many auditioning studentshave a lot of experience in theatre already,such as classes at A.C.T. Does this mean thatyou pick only students who already have sometraining?”A: NO! We are well aware that many middle schools do notoffer drama in their curriculum, and therefore, manyinterested students have not had the same opportunityas others. I repeat that “the audition is designed tomeasure the applicant!s commitment to drama and her orhis potential talent.” This is another reason that ouraudition procedure is laid out so precisely — so thateach student has an equal opportunity for success.QUESTION 7Q: “My son is not interested in the preprofessionalaspect of your program anddoesn!t plan to make a career of theatre.Should he apply for SOTA?”A: It depends, if your student accepts the commitment tothe work while he is here, no matter his long-term goals,he can succeed. I think our Theatre Department missionstatement says it best: “Drama/Theatre as taught in highschools is intended to fulfill three basic goals:(1) To enhance the students! personal growth anddevelopment (i.e., developing self-confidence, teachteamwork, etc.).(2) As a recreational activity (giving the student abreak from academic activities, fulfilling many of the sameneeds as a sports activity);(3) As preparatory training for continued studies inthe field.Drama curriculums are usually built around one of thesepurposes. SOTA fulfills all three, but its mission

2statement is focused primarily on the third goal, toprepare each student to continue her or his career oreducational goals in the theatre. However, by creatinggood work habits, study skills, and cooperative learningexperiences, the student is better prepared to establisha career in any field of endeavor. Students acquirepoise, self-confidence, and skills in self-expression andspeaking that will be useful in any career or vocation.QUESTION 8Q: “My daughter did not see the “TheatreAudition Requirements page, and did notprepare the proper material. What should shedo?”A: Every year a few students for some reason do notreceive this material and are not ready to give their bestaudition. This is not a problem. We want your daughterto do her best possible job. We are happy to make sureshe has this material in her hands and to schedule anappointment for her in the next round of auditions.QUESTION 9Q: “Why can!t my son present a piece he wrotehimself or do an improvisation for his audition,rather than a prepared monologue? Doesn!tthis show more creativity?”A: Again we must be able to compare all students using thesame criteria. Also, a major portion of the acting programis interpreting other authors! characters.QUESTION 10Q: “Why are there so many parts to the audition?Why is there more than one judge?”A: So that we can be as fair as possible and so that thesubjective nature of any judge!s evaluation can beeliminated and a consensus reached.QUESTION 11Q: “Who will be judging the auditions?”A: The audition will be judged by the Department Chairmanand usually two guest artists from the S.F. artscommunity. These judges remain the same for all roundsof auditions, so that we may remain consistent and fair toall.QUESTION 12Q: “What are your criteria for selectingstudents? It!s obvious if my daughter can!tplay a violin or sing a particular note, buthow can you tell whether she has potentialto succeed in the Theatre Department?”A: Students receive points in each of the areas on thebelow graph, which is tabulated and ranked with agrade averaging computer programQUESTION 13Q: “If my son is not selected for admission tothe Theatre program can we find out thereason and what was his ranking?”A: I!m sorry to say, No. It would be unfair to assist onestudent and not another on improving his standing.QUESTION 14Q: “What if my daughter is not selected in thisaudition? Can she reaudition?”A: YES. We make no secret of that fact that she mayreaudition as often as she would like, in any year. Wehave had students who have improved their ranking asmuch as 50 points from one round of auditions to thenext. Also, any time a student auditions we look at it asa first time audition and do not balance the scores ofpast auditions. (In 95/96 one student went from 64thto 13th in the ranking.) Students who reaudition arerequired to present a NEW monologue ONLY. Theyare not required to redo any other part of the auditionprocess.QUESTION 15Q: “Art should not be about competing butindividuality. Can you really judge that in a15 minute audition? How can you tell that mydaughter is truly the one student out of 80who would flourish at SOTA?”A: That!s why we also read carefully the student!s essaysand letters of recommendation, and the outcome ofAudition Points Breakdown7%7%10%5%9%4% Monologue: 30 %Cold Reading: 8 %Acting workshop session: 20 %Informal interview: 9 %30%Citizenship & attendance:(as reflected on transcripts and in letters5 %of recommendation)Letters of Recommendation: 10 %8%Essay: 7 %Department writing assignment: 7 %Grade Level: 4 %includes: 4 points for 9th Grade,20%3 points for 10th Grade, etc.

SOTA Theatre Department FAQ about Auditions3the informal interview, and her participation in the 3hour acting workshop session. However, we can learna great deal about your daughter from the monologuepresentation.QUESTION 16Q: “Such as what?”A: Her commitment to the audition process, her ability tofollow instructions, her monologue selection, and heramount of preparation.QUESTION 17Q: “How can my son decide as a 8th grader thathe wants to be in an acting class for 3 hours aday, 5 days a week for 4 years?”A: That!s why we have our parent/student group meet onthe day of auditions and the group session. These arenot only for the department staff to get to know yourson, but for you and your son to better understandwhat is required at SOTA.QUESTION 18Q: “Why does my daughter, who is currently inthe 10th grade, also have to perform aShakespeare monologue and provide aresume at her audition.”A: So that we may determine if she should be placed inthe Intermediate or Advanced Theatre class. Althoughher work on these two parts of the audition does noteliminate her from possible admission to the BasicTheatre class.QUESTION 19Q: “How should my daughter dress for theauditions and the theatre classes at SOTA?”A: On the days of auditions, applicants should wearcomfortable-fitting clothes that do not restrictmovement (sweatshirt and sweatpants are best).An acting student during class work cannot beworried about her clothing or appearance. Therefore,proper dress is required for ALL acting classes. “Properdress” means department prescribed “outfit,” includingblack sweatpants, a black sweatshirt or T-shirt, andnone of the following: untied shoe laces, high heel orplatform shoes, sandals, flip-flops. heavy boots orshoes (combat boots or Doc Martens), shoes withslippery soles, dark glasses, coats, hats, or hoods wornin class. No tongue, lip, or nose-pierced jewelry(piercing must be removed before class), or sleevescovering hands, or loose hair in face are allowed inclass.QUESTION 20Q: “How does the Theatre Department functionday-to-day? What do you teach the kids?”A: The acting program offers a comprehensive, rigorouscollege level pre-professional conservatorytype theatre training. The students learn by doing.Students get on their feet as much as possible. Theymemorize a lot. They get the words in their mouthsquickly. The program emphasizes studies that createprofessional work habits; vocal development;movement; script and character analysis; and variousacting techniques.QUESTION 21Q: “Does my daughter get to learn anything butacting in the Theatre Department?”A: The class content varies some each year and also fromweek to week. Our teaching units are offered both incontinuous blocks (such as a movement class which isoffered 1 hour per week for an entire semester) orspecialized limited class blocks (such as Shakespeare,playwriting, or a 1 week masters class). In the BasicTheatre/Theatre Fitness class a student studies thebasic principles of acting through theatre games, actingexercises, vocal development, movement, andcontemporary audition monologue preparation andperformance. She also will study Shakespeare(including participation in the department Monologue &Sonnet Contest), resume preparation, and careerpreparedness. In Theatre Fitness the student mighttake fencing, physical theatre, mask characterization,unarmed combat, movement, Afro-Haitian andcontemporary dance. The Basic Theatre class is thefoundation for all future study and is taken by everystudent who is accepted to the program.QUESTION 22Q: “My son loves to make up skits, but doesn!tlike to dance. Can he pick and choose whatareas of theatre he wants to learn?”A: The answer is simple: NO. The student actors do notdecide which areas of theatre they wish to study. Theentire curriculum is prescribed. Our departmentphilosophy is “We teach the student what they NEEDto know to succeed (not only in theatre, but in life), andto enjoy the process not only the product.”QUESTION 23Q: “What happens if my son!s goals and desireschange in his sophomore or junior year andhe doesn!t want to be in the TheatreDepartment anymore?”A: He may, at any time, return to his assigned “home”school. There is also a procedure for transferring toanother art discipline. First, the student must be ingood standing in his current major and been there for ayear. Second, the student must audition for and beaccepted in the new discipline (following all departmentguidelines for entering students) on an establishedentrance audition date.QUESTION 24Q: “How are students graded in their theatreclasses? Do all students usually receive"A!s?”A: Our grading policy focuses heavily on:• participation• the student!s ability to “focus” on the task at hand• the student!s willingness to TRY and experiment• the student!s ability to establish and use good workhabits

SOTA Theatre DepartmentAUDITIONParent/guardian-student meeting formDear prospective student and parent/guardian:Please take 15 minutes together and read and discuss the material on the “SOTA TheatreDepartment FAQ about Auditions” and then PRINT and SIGN your names below.Please detach and return this page to us TODAY so that we can place it in your audition file. Youshould keep the booklet for future reference.“We, the prospective student and parents/guardians, have read the “SOTATheatre Department FAQ about Auditions” and understand our part in the auditionprocess and, if selected, we understand our responsibilities as an integral part of theSOTA Theatre Department family.”_____________________________________________________(print parent/guardian!s first and last name)________________________________________________Parent/Guardian Signature_____________________________________________(print student!s first and last name)________________________________________________Student Signature______________________________DateSign and return this page TODAY.