Musical Theatre Applications and Auditions
A note about auditioning from Professor Ryan Driscoll, Head of Musical Theatre
The musical theatre audition at UNC is designed to adjudicate a student’s talent, training and potential in as unbiased a way as possible. Resumes will not be permitted in the audition room, and headshots will be accepted but not required. Students might be given adjustments and work with the adjudicating faculty in the room so that they may gain a better sense of potential, with the understanding that each student will not have similar training and/or past experiences. The faculty at UNC is interested in where a student is and where they might go, not in where they have been.
Students should choose repertoire selections that show the adjudicating faculty their connection to the piece and musical theatre as a whole. While areas such as musicality, vocal training, and other technical aspects will certainly be assessed, the most important aspect of a student’s audition should be communication. The training at UNC focuses on the individual person by way of organic and honest communication through song, dance, and spoken dialogue. Auditioning students should choose material that they connect with, not simply songs that are intended to impress. Should a student find more connection with a 64-measure ballad by Irving Berlin, that is of far more interest to the faculty than a student struggling through a difficult contemporary song simply to try and execute a loud, high note.
We understand that auditions are innately stressful. Try to the best of your ability to be yourself in the room, and know that we behind the table are rooting for each and every one of you.
Application Materials
- Audition Form (found in your UNC Application Portal after submission of the UNC Application)
- Contact information for 2 references
- Photo/headshot (optional)
- Video Introduction (optional)
Audition Requirements
- In-person Auditions
- Auditions will be held in 10-minute slots. Students will be required to prepare two
full songs in addition to a monologue not to exceed 60 seconds in length. The student
can choose the first song they would like to sing. Should the adjudicating faculty
wish to hear more, they will ask to hear a cut or all of the student's second song
and the monologue. Students should also be prepared to work with the adjudicating
faculty members so that they may gain a better sense of training and potential.
- One musical theatre song selection written prior to 1970
- One song written during or after 1970. This selection can be from any time period or era of the musical theatre repertoire or another genre entirely, such as, but not limited to, rock, pop, gospel, etc.
- One 60-second monologue (no specific requirements)
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While there is a rigorous dance curriculum in the UNC Musical Theatre program, no dance audition is required in the application process. Should admitted students commit to the program, there will be a dance placement call held at the start of the school year to place students in a suitable level of dance courses.
- Auditions will be held in 10-minute slots. Students will be required to prepare two
full songs in addition to a monologue not to exceed 60 seconds in length. The student
can choose the first song they would like to sing. Should the adjudicating faculty
wish to hear more, they will ask to hear a cut or all of the student's second song
and the monologue. Students should also be prepared to work with the adjudicating
faculty members so that they may gain a better sense of training and potential.
Students must bring their own sheet music to the audition. We prefer your music to be double-sided on 8.5” x 11” paper, 3-hole punched and placed in a 3-ring binder for the accompanist. No bound books or loose-leaf paper music will be permitted. In-person auditions will utilize a live accompanist and no pre-recorded tracks are permitted unless specifically asked by the adjudicating faculty prior to the audition day.
- Video Auditions
- Students are asked to perform two full songs and one monologue. See below for specific
requirements:
- One musical theatre song selection prior to 1970
- One song written during or after 1970. This selection can be from any time period or era of the musical theatre repertoire or another genre entirely, such as, but not limited to, rock, pop, gospel, etc.
- One 60-second monologue (no specific requirements)
- While there is a rigorous dance curriculum in the UNC Musical Theatre program, no dance audition is required in the application process. Should admitted students commit to the program, there will be a dance placement call held at the start of the school year to place students in a suitable level of dance courses.
- Students are asked to perform two full songs and one monologue. See below for specific
requirements:
- Off-Campus Auditions
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The UNC Musical Theatre program participates in the off-campus audition events listed below. If you audition at Chicago or Los Angeles Unifieds, please contact us directly to schedule an audition. If you plan to participate in CAP United or the Colorado Thespian Conference, you will be registered directly through that organization and do not need to contact us.
- 2025-2026 Off-Campus Audition Locations:
- CAP United: November 14-16, 2025
- Colorado Thespian Conference: December 11-13, 2025
- Chicago Unified Auditions: February 2-4, 2026
- Los Angeles Unified Auditions: February 7, 2026
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Due to the academic rigor of the Musical Theatre program we do ask that applicants have a minimum GPA of a 3.0.
