Musical Theatre BFA Audition
All 2026 incoming BFA Musical Theatre Freshman and Transfers are expected to submit an audition within two weeks of their application to the university.
Due to our commitment to Equity and Inclusion, Chico State’s Musical Theatre BFA has opted to keep cost down by conducting auditions completely virtually. Students will submit their auditions via Acceptd. Please note that this platform requires a small processing fee with application, which can be waived for financial hardship.
Student’s audition should contain four parts:
- An introduction (“slate”)
- Two songs
- One monolgue
- One dance combination
In efforts to create a fair and equitable audition process Chico State Musical Theatre program facilitates the entire process online.
Step 1- Audition Video (pre-screen)
Step 2- Interview
Step 3- Recommendation Results
Song Requirements
- One musical theater song from any time period.
- One song of your choice from any time period and in any style that best suits you (musical theater, pop, hip-hop, folk, rock, rap, soul, country, punk, etc.). This song should contrast the style of the first selection.
Song Tips:
- Some examples of contrasting songs are fast tempo vs slow tempo, sustained melodic singing vs speech-like singing, dramatic vs comedic, belt vs head/falsetto mix.
- Many accompaniment tracks are available on YouTube and other websites. If you do not have a way to work with a live accompanist or don’t have access to a recorded track of your music, consider using an app that will play the piano part for you. Harmony Helper is one such app that allows you to take photos of your sheet music, upload them to the app and then generate a piano track that you can use.
Monologue Requirements
One contemporary monologue (typically written after 1950) from a published play or written by a professional writer. A professional writer is someone whose plays have been produced but may not have been professionally published.
Monologue Tips:
It is recommended to choose monologues that are age-appropriate (generally within 5-10 years of your actual age) and that feel authentic to your culture, background, and lived experience.
Active monologues are often better for auditions; an active monologue takes place in real time and focuses on what you want and puts you in direct communication with an imaginary scene partner. This is often more successful in an audition situation than pieces that are a story or remembrance. Additionally, it can be helpful to avoid monologues that rely on extreme emotions as it can be hard to believably justify those responses in a short piece.
Dance Requirements
Show us your best version of dancing or moving. Please include at least one turn, one jump and one kick (or other suitable rotation, elevation, and extension that works for your body).
Dance Tips:
Make sure you can execute all the choreography well. It is to your advantage to choose steps and movement that highlight your strengths instead of your weaknesses.
You may use recent videos of you from a show or concert, but it must just be you in the frame.
Dance sample should be in whatever dance discipline you feel most confident. This may include, but is not limited to jazz, ballet, tap, modern, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, or dance styles beyond American and Euro-western styles.
Dance media can be “self-choreographed”, but it must be a solo video of you. This can include a show, competition, or other performance so long as you are clearly featured on your own.
Please use steps, movement, and physical vocabulary that you are familiar with and can execute well. Fully move your body to the best of your ability.
Please include a fun fact in your audition slate/introduction!