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Theater Audition

Applicants to the New World School of the Arts BFA Acting or Musical Theatre programs have two options to follow.

Before continuing below, all NWSA applicants must apply directly to NWSA by completing the free New World School of the Arts Online Application.

Submit complete application packet here.

Option 1 – Preferred

Prescreen Video Auditions

Applicants to the BFA Acting or Musical Theatre programs submit prescreen materials through Acceptd. Selected students will be invited to participate in a callback in-person audition.

New World School of the Arts Theater Division participates in the Musical Theater Common Prescreen (MTCP).

For the 2023-2024 Audition Cycle, MTCP has resource of helpful tips. We strongly encourage that you take advantage of these resources which have been thoughtfully and intentionally crafted by the expertise of multiple programs nationwide to support the excellence of the audition and for your benefit. View the MTCP Resources Page.

Off-Campus Live Prescreen Audition Events and Dates

  • Florida Theatre Conference (Winter Haven, FL), November 2-4, 2023
  • Florida State Thespian Festival (Tampa, FL), March 13-16, 2024

On-Campus In-Person Callback Audition Dates

  • Saturday, February 10, 2024
  • Saturday, March 2, 2024
  • Saturday, April 6, 2024
Submit Prescreen Materials via Acceptd

Audition Requirements

The song and monologue audition requirements below apply to both prescreen video submissions and in-person callbacks. You may choose to present the same material for both prescreens and callbacks, or present new material that fulfills the requirements.

OVERALL

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).

INTRODUCTION (“SLATE”)

There should not be a separate introduction or “slate” video. Instead, “slates” are to appear at the beginning of each piece and included as part of the time allotment. (Read through the resources page for examples of each of the three slates described below).

  • The proper slate for a song is to share your name, the song title, and show in which it appears.
  • The proper slate for a monologue is to share your name, the title of the play, and the playwright.
  • The proper slate for a piece of dance is to share your name, the title of the song you are dancing to, and the name of the choreographer. If the piece is “self-choreographed” you should share your own name as choreographer.

SONGS (MUSICAL THEATER ONLY)

  • Style: one song should be a ballad (where the piece has longer, sustained vocal lines) and one song should be an uptempo (where the vocal line moves at a conversational pace) so as to contrast style.
  • Length: Each song file should be 60-90 seconds (This time limit includes the slate at the beginning of the piece and is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 90 seconds).
  • Accompaniment: Students must sing to musical accompaniment, which could include live or pre-recorded accompaniment. No “a cappella” singing (meaning singing without music).
  • One song should be written before 1970. This song can be either the “uptempo” or the “ballad” (student’s choice).
  • One song should be written after 1970 and contrast the style of the first.
  • One of the two songs (student’s choice) should be filmed in a full frame shot to see your full range of expression, and the other one in a close-up shot (top of the head to the chest should be visible in the frame).

MONOLOGUES (MUSICAL THEATRE & ACTING)

  • Monologues must be from a published play.
  • Monologues cannot be from musicals.
  • Each monologue file should be 60-90 seconds in length (this time limit includes the slate at the beginning of the piece and is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 90 seconds).
  • 2 contrasting monologues each 60-90 seconds in length (see below).
    • 1 Contemporary (typically written after 1950)
      • Contemporary monologues should be filmed in a “close-up” shot which means the top of the head to the chest should be visible in the frame.
    • Classical (typically written before 1950)
      • Classical monologues should be filmed in a “full frame” shot which means the top of the head to the floor should be visible in the frame.
      • Classical monologues must have heightened language
      • Playwrights may include Shakespeare, Molière, Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Middleton, Thomas Kyd, Aristophanes, or contemporary adaptations of classical plays that still employ heightened language

DANCE (MUSICAL THEATRE ONLY)

  • Framing: All dance media should be filmed in a “full frame” shot taking care to keep the student’s entire person in the frame at all times. (This time limit includes the slate at the beginning of the piece and is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 60 seconds)
  • Style: Regardless of which style of dance you execute, the choreography and the movement should be connected to the music where the applicant is dancing with a sense of purpose.
  • All choreography must be performed to music; please no “a cappella” dance media.
  • 30-60 seconds of dance 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.
  • Please do not submit “barre work”. Instead, check to see if the auditioning program offers the optional “Ballet Submission” which is listed below.
  • Please use steps, movement, and physical vocabulary that you are familiar with and can execute well. To the best of your ability, move your body fully. Please include at least one turn, one jump and one kick (or other suitable rotation, elevation, and extension that works for your body).
  • 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.

BALLET (Optional)

  • Ballet Media should be no more than 60 seconds.
  • Execute a brief series of plié, tendu, and grande battement.
  • Execute pirouette en déhors (to both sides).
  • Execute one or more grand jeté across the floor.

WILD CARD (Optional)

  • Submissions should be no more than 60 seconds.
  • Applicants do notneed to slate in any wild card media.
  • 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?” and “What makes you unique?” (See the resources page for ideas on Wild Card submissions).

Option 2

Alternative Method

Student transfer applicants from MDC, other transfer students and those with other special circumstances should contact the NWSA Theater division office for direct guidance and the option of directly submitting a video audition or participating in a live audition with permission of the dean. The song and monologue audition requirements listed above will still apply to both video submissions and in-person auditions. For further information contact Isadora Hernandez: jalexis1@mdc.edu 305-237-3260.

Transcripts

During the NWSA application process, official transcripts are not required. We highly recommend that you have your unofficial transcript available in case the division needs to provide class recommendations for your first semester.

Upon final acceptance to New World School of the Arts*, final and official transcripts for each school that you attended must be mailed to:

Miami Dade College
Attention: Transcript Processing Services
11011 S.W. 104th Street, Room R301
Miami, FL 33176

*Transfer students who are advised by NWSA to apply directly to University of Florida
must send their final and official transcripts to:

The UF Office of Admissions
P.O. Box 114000
Gainesville, FL 32611-4000