Audition and Apply

Students should prepare two contrasting pieces:

• One song should be a ballad, and one song should be an uptempo
• Each song file should be 60-90 seconds (this time limit is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 90 seconds).

OU Musical Theatre would like to see songs from Option A in the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen requirements.

Option A

• 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.

Extra Artistic Advice for Great Vocal Auditions

Consider how your songs choices will contrast: Style, Composer, Legit/Belt.
Characterization: Don’t sing two songs where the roles you are embodying and/or stories you are telling – are identical.

• If you do it well, we are also very interested in seeing/hearing you perform a commercial music piece. It could be Hip Hop, Rap, Pop, Rock, R & B, Folk, or Country, etc. from the 1950s/60s to the present. We are looking for vocal style, and an authentic, non-theatre sound. 
• No a cappella singing, and all songs should be memorized

• Your monologue file should be 60-90 seconds in length (this time limit is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 90 seconds).

OU Musical Theatre would like to see monologues from Option A in the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen requirements.

Option A

• One (1), 60-90 second monologue.
• 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. 

Your selection should be age-appropriate without dialect, costumes, or props.

All dance media should be filmed in a “full body” shot, taking care to keep the student’s entire body in the frame at all times.

• Applicants do not need to slate in any dance media. (You may add a graphic title to credit choreographer).
• Regardless of which style of dance you execute, the choreography and the movement should be story-driven and connected to the music where the applicant is dancing with a sense of purpose.
• Hepful Hint: Applicants are encouraged to keep a full-length mirror behind the filming device so as to see themselves as they execute choreography.

OU Musical Theatre would like to see monologues from Option A in the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen requirements.

Option A

• 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).
• Video submission should be 30-60 seconds of dance in whatever dance discipline you feel most confident. This may include, but is not limited to jazz, ballet, modern, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, or dance styles beyond American and Euro-western styles.
• No barre work. A ballet solo is acceptable.
• No tap. For applicants that tap, consider showcasing that skill as part of your Wild Card submission.
• Dance media can be self-choreographed, but 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.
• All choreography must be performed to music; no “a cappella” dance media please.

• This is optional and not required.
  • Submissions should be no more than 60 seconds.
  • This Wild Card media can be anything you want: a special skill, an additional form of dance, an instrument that you play, etc.
• It should serve you well and add to your submission. Use this opportunity to demonstrate another talent or passion in your life that makes you a more interesting person and artist.

In other words, “What do you want us to know about you?” and “What makes you unique?”

In addition to the prescreen video requirements, OU Musical Theatre requires:

Essay Questions

Every applicant will need to answer the following questions on their Acceptd application (150 words max per answer). 

• Describe your ideal college campus.
• When or how did you decide to pursue musical theatre?
• What’s the best piece of advice a teacher, director, or another performer has given you?
• Why do you want to study a specialized BFA at a public university?
• If out of state, why do you want to study musical theatre away from home in Oklahoma?

Letters of Recommendation

• Two letters of recommendation from a mentor, teacher or director. 

Your application will still show submitted if your recommenders have not completed your letters. If your recommenders have issues uploading their recommendation letters to your application, please have them contact musicaltheatre@ou.edu.

Each piece should be filmed/uploaded as a separate piece of media. No continuous videos.

Slate

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 faculty 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 (see more details below).

This slate video should be no longer than 10 seconds.

Labeling Guidelines for All Videos

Label each video file with the piece you are performing, the show or playwright, and your first & last name.

Show:

• Title of Song
• Musical/Show
• Your First Name & Last Name

• Title of Play
• Playwright
• Your First Name & Last Name

Examples:

• Slate – Idina Menzel

• Your Daddy’s Son – Ragtime – Audra McDonald

• Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare – Ramin Karimloo

Time Guidelines for All Performance Videos

• All song, monologue, dance, ballet, and wild card videos are recommended to be between 60-90 seconds each.

Framing for Slates, Songs, and Monologues

• 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.

Framing for Dance and Ballet

• We recommend a setup that allows us to see the top of your head to the floor.

• We want to see the whole body through the entire dance. When framing your dance selection, watch the video back before your submission to ensure that you've stayed in frame, and that the camera isn't too far away to see details in movement.