Auditions

Step One:  Prepare an audition and materials.

Acting students: Prepare a two-minute memorized audition. We suggest two contrasting monologues or a monologue and a musical theatre song selection. The total time you are allotted is two minutes.

Technical theatre students:  Prepare a portfolio to present highlights of your work in an approximately two-minute presentation.  You may choose the portfolio medium that is appropriate to communicate your technical expertise.

Step Two:  All students should also bring or send:

1. A resume of theatre work
2. Headshot or portfolio for technical work
3. New students -- High school transcripts for new students or full application to Washburn University completed. Returning students -- include current GPA on your resume.

Step Three:  In-person auditions and interviews or video submission:    

Auditions will be held 1-4 p.m. February 19, 2021. Please call 785-670-1639 to schedule an appointment. 

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, all singing auditions must be recorded and submitted via https://video.washburn.edu/dropbox/audition. Any musical selection must include accompaniment. No a cappella singing will be accepted as an audition. 

All video submissions are due by 5 p.m. on February 19, 2021. Please put “Scholarship audition” in your video description.

Video size is limited and must adhere to the two-minute parameter.  Please see Video Dropbox Information for Students on the next page for further instructions.

We encourage all auditioners to join us in-person for the speaking and interview portions. If you cannot attend in-person, please contact us at theatre@washburn.edu to schedule a Zoom interview time.

Admission into the Musical Theatre B.A. requires a successful audition.  Auditions for 2021 are being accepted via video submission. 

Priority deadline: 5 p.m. February 19, 2021
Final deadline: 5 p.m. April 30, 2021

What to prepare:

Two contrasting musical theatre songs and a short monologue. 

Because of the video format, both musical selections must fit within 2 minutes (please cut numbers accordingly).  

The monologue should be sent in a separate file not to exceed 30 seconds.

Musical auditions must be recorded with accompaniment.  No a cappella auditions will be considered.

Candidates should also include a brief resume of performance and theatrical experience, with a contact email and phone number.  You will be contacted to schedule a short interview regarding your goals and experiences.

Submit videos and other materials via this web form: https://video.washburn.edu/dropbox/audition

Include Musical Theatre Concentration Audition along with your name in the description of the video. Please see the Video Dropbox Instructions for further tips and instructions in formatting your video.

Please contact Dr. Julie Noonan julie.noonan@washburn.edu with any questions.

The following are provided in effort to assist you in uploading your recorded video audition clips.

Recording your video

If you are recording a video file on your phone or a tablet you will want to make sure that you hold the device in the correct orientation. It is not unusual for people to hold their device in a way that will cause the video that they submit to appear sideways or upside down. This video will help prevent this from happening on your recording: https://video.washburn.edu/Watch/Af42Gog5 

Uploading your video

You will find the video dropbox for your class at the following link: https://video.washburn.edu/dropbox/audition 

Before you begin, I would recommend that you watch the following video which provides an overview of the process: https://video.washburn.edu/Watch/s2L3Eyn8.  I would also recommend that you move the files that you need to upload from your recording device to the hard drive of a computer, preferably one that is connected to the internet via an Ethernet cable. Uploads from cell phones and other portable device occur slower and have a tendency to time out.

Troubleshooting upload issues:

There are 4 primary issues that you may experience when uploading to the Washburn Video server. Below is a list of these issues along with information about how to resolve them.

1. Make sure your files are completely uploaded. When you upload your video file, you cannot close the window or navigate away from the upload page before you receive the following message: “Thank you for submitting your content through the Ensemble Video Dropbox.” If you do, your upload will be cancelled.
2. Timeouts caused by uploading from phones/tablets. When the screen saver engages on your phone/tablet the upload will cease. To prevent issues, we recommend that you make sure that the files that you are trying to upload have been moved from your recording device to the hard drive of a computer, preferably connected to the internet via an Ethernet cable. Uploads from cell phones and other portable device occur slower and have a tendency to time out.
3. Your Internet connection speed. When uploading video files you need to have an upload speed of 3-5 MBPS. A slower connection will cause the upload to take longer and could time out. To determine the speed of your upload connection you can conduct a speed test at: www.speedtest.net. If you have a slower internet connection, you will need to find a location with a faster location (like a local library).
4. The size of the file you are trying to upload. If you are trying to upload large files, the file size can make the upload take a very long time. To avoid this you can re-encode your files (into a more compressed format) using a free program called handbrake (it can be downloaded via the following url: https://handbrake.fr/). Below are instructions on using Handbrake.

Once you are in Handbrake, you will need to locate where it says “Open Source” in the upper left corner of the Handbrake window and click on it. You will then want to select either “Folder” (if there are multiple files) or “File” (if there is only one). Now an “Open” window will appear on your screen. Navigate to the file (of folder) you want to encode and open it. You will be taken back to the Handbrake window.

You will now need to locate the “Presets” on the right side of the screen and select “Very Fast 720p30.” Once you have done this, locate the “Destination” box (it will appear on the left side of your screen). On the right side of the box there is a “Browse” button, click on it. A “Save As” window will now open, select where you want the new file saved and give it a name (different that the original file). Now you will click “Save” and will be taken back to the Handbrake window.

Finally, locate the “Start Encode” button at the top of the Handbrake window. Once this is done you will be given an estimate of how long the conversion will take at the bottom of your screen (this will be determined by the size of the file and the ram/processor in your computer). When the file is complete it will say “Queue Finished” at the bottom of the screen. You can now close Handbrake and upload your new video file.