Auditions & Scholarships • Theatre • Carthage College

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Auditions

An audition and interview, or a portfolio presentation and interview, before members of the theatre faculty is required for entrance into any of the theatre majors.

Questions? Contact us by email at finearts@carthage.edu or call 262-551-5859.

Auditions are mandatory for theatre majors. The entrance audition is also your scholarship audition. In-person auditions are held on scheduled audition dates before a panel of two or more theatre faculty members. Auditions are held every February. Read more about scholarship auditions and requirements below.

If you need to complete your entrance audition, please contact the Fine Arts Office at 262-551-5859.

The 2023 theatre auditions will be held on the following dates:

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023
Friday, Feb. 17, 2023 (virtual only)
Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023

If the listed dates are incompatible with your schedule, please contact Heidi Baehr at finearts@carthage.edu and we’ll work to find an alternate date.

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Give a clear introduction: State your name and the titles of your two pieces.
Perform facing straight ahead. Pick a focus point just over the heads of your audience or at a slight angle facing them.
Select pieces that are close to your age range and physical type.
Your pieces must come from published plays. Do not use your own writing, movies, TV, forensics or speech tournament pieces, or undocumented internet sources.
Avoid dialects, pantomime, and props.
Dress appropriately.

An audition and interview, or a portfolio presentation and interview, before members of the theatre faculty is required for entrance into any of the theatre majors. At the end of their sophomore year, all theatre majors are evaluated for junior standing. Students must have a GPA of 2.5 or better within their major, demonstrate participation and commitment to the co-curricular elements of the theatre program, and have fulfilled the necessary service requirements to the department. If the junior standing jury is insufficient in any area the faculty may admit the student provisionally to junior standing in the major or advise the student to discontinue their theatre major.

Scholarships

Admitted students intending to major or minor in theatre are strongly encouraged to apply for a Carthage Theatre Scholarship. Scholarships range from $2,500 to $10,000 per year and are renewable based on maintaining satisfactory academic progress and completing work assignments as required. Scholarship consideration requires an interview with the theatre faculty and an audition or portfolio review.

Admitted first-year students intending to pursue one of the following majors or minors:

Theatre Major
Theatre Performance Major
Theatre Technical Direction or Design Major (Costume Design, Stage Management, Scenic Design)
Theatre Education Major
Theatre Minor

Current students are not eligible. Current students, please contact Herschel Kruger, chair of the Theatre Department, at hkruger@carthage.edu.

What about Music Theatre or Dance?

Students who wish to audition for a dance, music, or music theatre scholarship need to schedule separate auditions. Application forms for those scholarships can be found on their department websites. If you have any questions, please contact the Fine Arts Office at finearts@carthage.edu or call 1-800-351-4058 or 262-551-5859.

An interview and audition or portfolio review are required for admittance into the theatre program with scholarship consideration. All students are asked to first submit an application to the Office of Admissions before scheduling their scholarship appointment. Students who have auditioned through CAP or other regional events (ILHSTF, etc.), are still required to participate in our scholarship audition process.

In-person auditions (or portfolio reviews) are encouraged for best scholarship consideration. In-person scholarship meetings are held on scheduled dates in February before a panel of two or more theatre faculty members.

A confirmation email containing the details of your appointment will be sent once the form is received and processed. Please read and keep this email. Students should add finearts@carthage.edu to their contacts to ensure they receive all the information. Please read the audition and portfolio review requirements outlined below.

THEATRE PERFORMANCE MAJOR/MINOR (IN-PERSON) REQUIREMENTS

Perform two memorized, contrasting monologues. Each monologue should be timed no less than one minute and no more than two minutes. Additional monologues may be requested. Your pieces must come from published plays. Do not use your own writing, movies, TV, forensics or speech tournament pieces, or undocumented internet sources.
Complete an interview with the Theatre Department. Details will be sent in your confirmation.
Bring your theatre-related resume and two letters of recommendation. The letters of recommendation can also be emailed directly to finearts@carthage.edu by the person providing the letter.
A headshot is not required but helpful. If you have a headshot, please bring it with your resume and recommendation letters.

TECHNICAL THEATRE DIRECTION AND DESIGN MAJOR (IN-PERSON) REQUIREMENTS

Bring a portfolio of their work indicating their accomplishments. Examples could include:
- a portfolio of artwork, plans, or pictures in paper or digital form (if digital, please bring a laptop or pad to view),
- prompt books and other stage management materials,
- prop or costume pieces you’ve built or designed,
- set models, cues sheets, light plots, or digital files of sound design work
Complete an interview with the Theatre Department. Details will be sent in your confirmation.
Bring your theatre-related resume and two letters of recommendation. The letters of recommendation can also be emailed directly to finearts@carthage.edu by the person providing the letter.
A headshot is not required but helpful. If you have a headshot, please bring it with your resume and recommendation letters.

SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR IN-PERSON AUDITION OR PORTFOLIO REVIEW

Give a clear introduction; state your name and the titles of your two pieces.
Perform facing straight ahead. Pick a focus point just over the heads of your audience or at a slight angle facing them.
Select pieces that are close to your age range and physical type. Avoid dialects, pantomime, and props.
Dress appropriately.
Portfolios should be neat and organized. If the portfolio contains artwork, be sure to have a list of the details (date, size, medium, etc.).

THEATRE PERFORMANCE MAJOR/MINOR (VIRTUAL) REQUIREMENTS

Perform two memorized, contrasting monologues via Zoom. Each monologue should be timed no less than one minute and no more than two minutes. Additional monologues may be requested. Your pieces must come from published plays. Do not use your own writing, movies, TV, forensics or speech tournament pieces, or undocumented internet sources.
Complete an interview with the Theatre Department via Zoom. Instructions regarding the Zoom invitation will be sent in your confirmation.
Email a .pdf copy of your theatre-related resume to finearts@carthage.edu at least one week prior to your appointment.
Email two letters of recommendation to finearts@carthage.edu at least one week prior to your appointment. Letters may be emailed to us directly from your teacher, mentor, coach, etc.

A headshot is not required but is helpful. Please email a .pdf or .jpg to finearts@carthage.edu at least one week prior to your appointment.

TECHNICAL THEATRE DIRECTION AND DESIGN MAJOR (VIRTUAL) REQUIREMENTS

Create a digital portfolio of their work indicating their accomplishments and review with faculty over Zoom. This could be shared via a web link, Google Drive, AirDrop, etc. Examples of work could include:
- a portfolio of artwork, plans, or pictures
- prompt books and other stage management materials
- prop or costume pieces you’ve built or designed
- set models, cues sheets, light plots, or digital files of sound design work
Complete an interview with the Theatre Department via Zoom. Instructions regarding the Zoom invitation will be sent in your confirmation.
Email a .pdf copy of your theatre-related resume to finearts@carthage.edu at least one week prior to your appointment.
Email two letters of recommendation to finearts@carthage.edu at least one week prior to your appointment. Letters may be emailed to us directly from your teacher, mentor, coach, etc.

A headshot is not required but is helpful. Please email a .pdf or .jpg to finearts@carthage.edu at least one week prior to your appointment.

SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR VIRTUAL INTERVIEW AND AUDITION OR PORTFOLIO REVIEW

Set up in a quiet place.
If you can’t connect with us at your appointed time, please contact Herschel Kruger, chair of the Theatre Department, at 262-551-6101.
Give a clear introduction; state your name and the titles of your two pieces.
Perform facing straight ahead. Pick a focus point just over the heads of your audience or at a slight angle facing them.
Select pieces that are close to your age range and physical type. Avoid dialects, pantomime, and props.
Portfolios should be neat and organized. If the portfolio contains artwork, be sure to have a list of the details (date, size, medium, etc.).