Audition Requirements
The Audition Process At-a-Glance:
- Apply to Millikin using the Common App or by visiting our Apply to Millikin page.
- Upon acceptance upload your pre-screen materials to GetAcceptd.com using the access code in your School of Theatre and Dance Welcome Letter.
- If invited to audition, schedule your audition using the GetAcceptd scheduling portal.
- Attend your on-campus, Chicago, or LiveVirtual audition.
Please see a list of FAQs below. Additional questions may be directed to our Audition/Interview Coordinator.
International Student Applications
The application and audition process for international students differs slightly from that of US citizens. For information on how to apply and audition, please visit the "International Student Auditions" tab.
The Details
Apply to Millikin
To begin the audition process, all applicants must first apply to and be accepted by the Millikin Office of Admission. Applications may be submitted either by using the Common App, or by submitting the Millikin online application found on our Apply To Millikin Page. Please be aware that the Common App can sometimes take up to a week or more to reach our admissions staff. The Millikin online application is received by our admissions staff the moment it has been submitted. With either method, there is no fee to apply to Millikin.
Pre-Screen Submissions
Auditions for our BFA Acting and Musical Theatre programs are by invitation only. Invitations are extended through a pre-screen process hosted through GetAcceptd.com. An access code is required to submit pre-screen materials. Upon admission to Millikin, you will receive a welcome letter from the School of Theatre and Dance containing your personal access code that will enable you to upload your pre-screen materials to GetAcceptd.
Illinois residents are exempt from our Pre-Screen requirement. Upon acceptance by the office of admission, those who reside in the state of Illinois may contact our Audition Coordinator to schedule an audition.
Scheduling An Audition
Invitations to audition will be sent through the GetAcceptd messaging app and will direct you to visit the GetAcceptd scheduling portal where you can select an audition date. Please see the "Audition Requirements" tab for more information.
The Audition Process
In-Person Auditions
Millikin audition days have been designed to give you and your parents/guardians a comprehensive feel for the School of Theatre and Dance, who we are, what we do, and how we function. It’s an opportunity to tour our campus and facilities, to learn about our signature programs (those things that set Millikin apart from other programs), enjoy a complimentary lunch in our campus dining hall, and to interact with our students and the Millikin community. Audition days begin with a morning check-in at the Center for Theatre and Dance and a brief welcome and informational session.
Auditions will consist of:
- Musical Theatre
- Warm-up
- Perform songs and monologue
- Learn and perform dance combination
- Acting
- Warm-up
- Perform monologues
All applicants will receive a detailed itinerary for the day which typically begins with check-in at 8am and concludes mid-afternoon. Additional options such as attending performances or meeting with representatives from the Office of Admission or Student Financial Services may also be arranged depending on availability. Questions regarding any of these options may be sent to our Audition/Interview Coordinator prior to your scheduled audition day.
Off Campus Auditions
Each audition cycle we attend a number of off-campus auditions depending on faculty availability. Applicants who receive “callbacks” at these events are invited to skip our pre-screen process and may schedule an audition with us upon acceptance to Millikin University. “Callbacks” are typically extended through an email from our audition panel. Auditions we often attend include the following:
- The National Thespian Festival
- College Audition Project (CAP) Auditions
- Moonified/Zoomified Auditions
- Pittsburgh Unified Auditions
- Kentucky College & Career Day
- Musical Theatre Kansas City Showcase
- Wisconsin Interscholastic Theatre Festival
- Illinois High School Theatre Festival (Design and Production Portfolio Reviews Only)
- State Thespian Festivals
- Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri
Applicants who have attended one or more week-long Broadway Dreams intensives in the last 4 years may also skip the pre-screen process and schedule an audition upon acceptance by the Office of Admission.
The Musical Theatre Common Pre-Screen
Millikin is a participant in the Musical Theatre Common Pre-Screen program. The Common Pre-Screen is a set of audition criteria agreed upon by a collective of college and university programs that allows applicants to record a single package of pre-screen materials for submission to any of the participating schools. At present, there is no Common Pre-Screen agreement with colleges and universities for students seeking a BFA in Acting. Those auditioning for our BFA Acting program should follow the Millikin audition requirements listed below. Musical Theatre applicants are welcome to follow either the Common Pre-Screen requirements or the Millikin audition requirements when submitting pre-screen materials (see how they differ by scrolling down to the FAQ section). All those who advance past the pre-screen must observe the Millikin audition requirements detailed below.
Preparing Your Audition
Please use the following guidelines when preparing your in-person and/or LiveVirtual audition.
BFA in Musical Theatre
Monologues:
- Please prepare a contemporary monologue (written after 1990) not to exceed 45 seconds in length
- Your monologue should feature a character close to your own age and must be from a published play (films, musicals, self-written, stand-alone pieces and/or speech team monologues are not appropriate)
- Monologues should be performed in your natural speaking voice (no dialects) and should be action driven (speaking to and/or trying to affect or get something from your “other”)
- Storytelling monologues, pieces that detail a previous event, telephone calls, or pieces delivered to a “crowd” or “audience” by characters such as tour guides, politicians, or actors, are not appropriate.
- Please do not use material by Christopher Durang, Neil Simon, or pieces commonly found in published monologue books.
In the event the audition panel should need to see additional material, applicants should be prepared with a 2nd contrasting contemporary monologue, 45 seconds in length.
Songs:
- Please prepare two contrasting songs that show your vocal range (one up-tempo and one ballad) from published Broadway literature.
- One song should be from classic (Golden Age) Broadway repertoire (written before 1970) and one should be from contemporary Broadway repertoire (written after 1970). Trunk songs by established writers are also acceptable (see FAQs)
- Selections should not exceed 60 seconds in length (approximately 16-32 bars)
- While we ask for a 60 second audition "cut," please be prepared to sing your entire song(s) should our audition panel need to hear more from you
- Bring sheet music in the proper key - an accompanist will be provided for you
- Approximately a week before your audition, you will be asked to email digital copies of your songs to our accompanist with your cuts clearly marked.
- While we ask for your music in advance so our accompanist can become familiar with it, you should still bring your original copies in a proper binder to your in-person audition.
- Recorded accompaniment or a-cappella singing are not appropriate for this audition
- We do not recommend using a bell-tone intro to your song. Please use a traditional 2 or 4 bar "intro"
Please do not select material by Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, or Stephen Sondheim (Links to The Sondheim Rule Document).
Dance:
- Applicants will learn and perform a short ballet combination for members of the performance faculty. Please dress appropriately - leotard and tights, t-shirt and yoga pants, slim fitting sweatpants or shorts are all acceptable. If you do not have dance shoes you may dance in socks or bare feet. Street shoes will not be permitted in the dance studios.
- Please note that while our dance audition combination is designed to allow our faculty to assess your level of ability and place you accordingly into our dance curriculum, dancers/movers of ALL levels are welcome including those who have never had a formal dance class.
BFA in Acting
Monologues:
- Please prepare two contemporary monologues (written after 1990) contrasting in style (one comedic, one dramatic) not to exceed 45 seconds in length each
- Your monologues should feature characters close to your own age and must be from a published play (films, musicals, self-written, stand-alone pieces and/or or speech team monologues are not appropriate)
- Monologues should be performed in your natural speaking voice (no dialects) and should be action driven (speaking to and/or trying to affect or get something from your “other”)
- Storytelling monologues, pieces that detail a previous event, telephone calls, or pieces delivered to a “crowd” or “audience” by characters such as tour guides, politicians, or actors, are not appropriate
- Please do not use material by Christopher Durang, Neil Simon, or pieces commonly found in published monologue books.
FAQs
When can I apply to Millikin?
Applications are currently being accepted. We accept the Millikin online application and the Common App. Please note, the Common App often takes a week or more to reach our Admissions office. Applying directly to Millikin makes your application available to our admissions staff as soon as it has been submitted.
Is there a fee to apply to Millikin?
No, Millikin does not assess an application fee.
Is there a fee to audition?
No. However, there is a fee to submit a pre-screen to GetAcceptd. See below for details.
How long do applications take to process?
The review of applicants begins in mid-September. Once applications and all supporting materials (transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc..) have been received by our Office of Admission, the review process takes approximately 2-3 weeks. Please be aware that transcripts may take several weeks to reach us, so request them early.
When will I be notified if I have been accepted to Millikin?
It takes approximately a week after an application decision has been made for the admission packet to be assembled and mailed.
Does Millikin Offer Schoalrships?
Yes. All students who are accepted to a BFA program receive a College of Fine Arts Scholarship. These scholarships range from $1000 - $5000 and renew annually as long as you remain enrolled in the College of Fine Arts. The CFA Scholarships will stack with your Academic Merit Scholarship awarded to you upon admission.
What is GetAcceptd.com?
GetAcceptd is an online platform that helps arts-based organizations manage auditions, interviews, portfolio reviews etc... Applicants for Millikin BFA performance programs will submit their pre-screen materials to GetAcceptd.
What is a Pre-Screen and why is it necessary?
A pre-screen is a digital audition. Because we often have more applicants than audition appointments, it is not possible to accommodate everyone at a live audition. The pre-screen process offers an opportunity for all applicants to be seen and allows us to offer audition invitations to those we believe may have potential to be successful in our program.
Can I audition for both Musical Theatre and Acting?
Yes. Those interested in being considered for both programs should upload a 2nd contemporary monologue with their pre-screen materials. Also be sure to answer the question on the application regarding auditioning for both programs.
Do I need to submit separate pre-screens for each degree program?
No. A single submission will be sufficient as long as you have included a 2nd contemporary monologue for consideration for the BFA Acting program.
Is there a fee to submit a pre-screen to GetAcceptd?
Yes. GetAcceptd charges a $35 fee to submit pre-screen materials. Fee waivers are available for those who qualify. Contact GetAcceptd directly for information.
What is the deadline for pre-screen submissions?
Each audition date has a specific pre-screen submission deadline. Please refer to our "Audition Requirements" tab for specific deadlines. This needs to link to the General Info page.
What is a LiveVirtual Audition?
The LiveVirtual audition allows an applicant to audition from any room with an internet connection. Using a platform created by GetAcceptd called AuditionRoom, applicants who are unable to attend one of our in-person auditions may perform an audition in real time for our audition panel using a digital format (Zoom).
Is there a fee for a LiveVirtual audition using the GetAcceptd AuditionRoom?
No. The fee paid to upload your digital pre-screen materials includes access to the AuditionRoom.
If I received a “callback” that makes me eligible to skip the pre-screen, can I still do a LiveVirtual audition via the GetAcceptd AuditionRoom?
Yes. However, there is a fee involved.
- Access to the AuditionRoom requires all participants to have completed the full registration process through Millikin’s GetAcceptd landing page. This process includes uploading all materials associated with a pre-screen - headshot, resumé, and video submissions. This submission will require the $35 upload fee.
- These pre-screen materials will only be viewed by the Millikin audition panel in the event they need to see more from the applicant after the LiveVirtual audition.
- Fee waivers are available to those who qualify. Contact GetAcceptd directly for information.
How are the Musical Theatre Common Pre-Screen and Millikin audition requirements different?
Please refer to our Side-by-Side Comparison.
Can I use the same material for my audition that I used for my pre-screen?
You may use the same material as your pre-screens as long as you trim your pieces to align with the requirements for our live auditions. Those who go over the time limit will be cut off by our audition timer. In addition, monologues for our in-person or LiveVirtual auditions must be contemporary (written after 1990). So, if you would like to use the same material for your pre-screen and in-person/LiveVirtual auditions, be sure to select monologues that suit the needs of both.
Why do audition pieces for on-campus and Chicago auditions need to be shorter than the Common Musical Theatre Pre-Screen requirements?
To allow more students to audition with the limited number of audition slots we have available, we require shorter cuts of audition pieces. Rest assured that the length of these cuts still offers our audition panel ample time to carefully evaluate each applicant.
When will I learn the results of my audition?
You should receive a letter with your audition results approximately 2 weeks after your audition. If after 2 weeks you have not received a decision letter, please contact our Audition/Interview Coordinator so we can check on the status of your letter.
What is a Trunk Song?
Trunk songs are pieces that were either cut from or never made it into Broadway shows. They are stand-alone pieces written by composers for any number of reasons. Most composers have quite a few songs tucked away in a “trunk” that were never published or that were published as “one-offs.”
