AUDITION INFORMATION

Auditioning for RUPA 2023 – 2024

We are excited to get to know you and your talent as you navigate your search for the BA or BFA program that suits you the best! We would love to see you audition in person, if at all possible, but we do offer Zoom auditions, as well. Because our program is small but mighty, it’s very important that we get to know prospective students, and not just their talent, before we welcome them into the program. Please take a look at the information below, and let us help you plan a visit to RU! Just so you know, we enthusiastically welcome transfer students into our programs, as well.

AUDITION DATES 2023 – 2024

Be a part of the amazing RUPA Class of 2028!  RU Ready?

During the 2023-2024 academic year, Rockford University will hold both on-campus auditions and virtual (Zoom) auditions. We will also audition at a number of state thespian festivals (see below), and in Chicago during Chicago Unified Auditions. Online auditions will happen between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. (Central time) on the dates below. In-person auditions will begin at 1:00 p.m. with campus tour beginning at 11:00 a.m. and a lunch with students and faculty at noon.

Saturday, November 11, 2023 – you are invited to attend our main stage production of the hilarious musical, Lucky Stiff, on Friday or Saturday evening.

Saturday, February 3, 2024 – this audition precedes the Chicago Unified Auditions (Feb. 5-8). If you are in Chicago for Unifieds, we can pick you up and bring you to Rockford for our audition on the 5th (and then take you back to Chicago).

Tuesday and Wednesday, February 6 and 7, 2024 – we will be in Chicago during Chicago Unified Auditions. Location and times TBA.

Saturday, February 24, 2024 – you are invited to attend our main stage production of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World on Friday or Saturday evening.

If none of these dates is possible for you, please contact Laura Paruzynski (LParuzynski@rockford.edu) to see if the faculty can accommodate an audition at another time.

Who needs to audition?

  • Admission into any of the competitive BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) tracks—Acting/Directing, Design/Tech, Musical Theatre Performance, Dance, and Theatre Management—is by audition/interview only.
  • An audition is also required for any student who wishes to be considered for a Performing Arts Scholarship (see below).
  • Prospective students and transfer students who wish to pursue a BA (Bachelor of Arts) in Theatre Arts are encouraged to audition/interview for the department before or during their first semester at the university.

All those auditioning must submit a resume and letter of recommendation.

 

How do I schedule my audition/interview?

Contact Laura Paruzynski, Admission Counselor, at LParuzynski@rockford.edu to schedule your in-person or virtual audition.

Please note, Rockford University has moved away from the GetAcceptd platform this year in lieu of our own Virtual Auditions via Zoom. 

What does the Virtual (Zoom) Audition look like?

  1. You will request an audition date by contacting Laura Paruzynski (above).
  2. In the week prior to the audition, you will be given a specific audition time for the audition date you requested. You will also be emailed two zoom links for the audition.
    • One link is a Green Room that will be open 15 minutes prrior to that day’s auditions. At least two current RU students will be in there ready to chat and answer any questions you have about the program, your audition, or the university. You may jump into the Green Room at any time during our Virtual Audition time frame.
    • The second link is the Audition Room. You’ll log into that waiting room at the designated time of your audition. When we are ready, we’ll invite you into the Audition Room.
  3. After initial introductions, we will ask you to do your audition pieces for us through Zoom. If you are singing, please have your accompaniment track ready to go…no a cappella singing.
  4. Then there will be a short interview. We’ll ask you a few questions and then ask if you have any questions for us. It’s important for us to get to you know you a little bit…and vice versa.
  5. After the audition, feel free to jump back into the Green Room. You can spend as much time as you like in that room asking questions and getting to know some current students.
  6. You will typically hear from us in 10 – 14 days with a decision about your acceptance into the program.

What do I prepare for my audition/interview?

BFA in Acting/Directing:
Please prepare three contrasting monologues not to exceed four minutes in length collectively. Time will be strictly monitored.
One monologue should be contemporary/modern
One should be classical – Shakespeare or Jacobean (not Greek)

BFA in Musical Theatre Performance:
Please prepare two contrasting song selections, no more than 1 minute (or 32 bars) each, and two contrasting monologues—combined monologues should not exceed 2 ½ minutes. Please have your accompaniment track (piano only is preferred) ready to go…a cappella singing is not allowed. For virtual auditions, please share a link to a 1- to 3-minute dance video in advance of your virtual audition in the genre of your choice (jazz, tap, musical theater, ballet, etc.). The choreography can be movement you’ve done in a past show or a self-choreographed solo.

BFA in Design/Technical Theatre:
Please bring your portfolio or evidence of previous work. Be prepared to discuss your prior experience, your desire and skills to pursue a career in theater, and your aspirations for the future.

BA in Theatre and BFA in Theatre Management:
Students will interview with faculty members from the performing arts department. Be prepared to discuss your background in theater, your desire to pursue theater as a major, and your career goals and aspirations. Students with a primary interest in acting should also prepare two contrasting monologues. Combined monologues should not exceed 2 ½ minutes. One of the monologues should come from plays of American realism. Students with a primary interest in technical theatre or design should bring a portfolio or evidence of their previous work.

Who is eligible for a Performing Arts Scholarship?

The Performing Arts Department recommends awards based on talent and potential. The Performing Arts scholarship is a talent scholarship of $64,000 – $80,000 over four years, depending on GPA and ACT or SAT score. If the Performing Arts Scholarship exceeds your Rockford University Academic Scholarship, it will replace it. Many Performing Arts Majors have been awarded one of our competitive scholarships. (The Colman Scholarship is a full tuition scholarship for all four years. The Trustee Scholarship provides 75% of tuition for all four years.) We are happy to take any outside scholarships and this will not reduce your RU scholarships. Scholarships are awarded in July, November, and March. Prospective students must apply to the university and audition on or before November 20, 2023, to be considered for a second-round Performing Arts Scholarship. Performing Arts Scholarships may or may not be available after this date. Please contact Laura Paruzynski at lparuzynski@Rockford.edu with any questions.