Auditions and Portfolio Reviews

 

The USM Art and Design program encourages a portfolio review as part of the admissions and scholarship awarding process. Typically, portfolio reviews are mostly conducted in-person during the Art and Design recruitment event, but due to our Covid-19 response, only digital portfolio reviews are being accepted.

Preparing Your Submission

Digital Portfolio: What do we look for in your a portfolio review submission? We look for both an interest in and commitment to art, as well as skills in drawing and painting from observation/imagination, a sense of color and design, and other creative abilities.

Here are some guidelines for submitting your digital portfolio:

• Portfolios should include 10-15 images of your work. You may include: drawing and painting from observation/imagination, printmaking, sculptures or other three-dimensional works, ceramics, print, packaging, illustration, typography, web design, identity campaigns (logo design and branding), digital photography, and interactive media/motion graphics.
• If you have interactive media/motion graphics, please share the URL when submitting the form.
• File should be saved as a single Adobe PDF document.
• Include 1-2 images per page: Include title of work and medium used.
• File should be no larger than 25MB.
• Please use the following format for the file name: first_lastname_portfolio.pdf.

 

Recommendation: You will need to submit the contact information of a reference. It can be a visual arts teacher or an employer. You will need their first name, last name, email, title/position, and organization.

Once you submit your application form online, your reference will receive an email on behalf of Southern Miss Art and Design with an online recommendation form for them to submit. Note: You will need to certify that you have permission from your reference to share their email address, so they can be contacted via email by USM to request the recommendation.

Essay: An essay titled “Why I Want to be an Art Major at Southern Miss?”

 

Submit Portfolio

 

Application/Video Audition Process

To apply for acceptance into the undergraduate BFA program in dance at Southern Miss, you must apply to the University AND audition as part of the application process.

Here is a checklist of materials you need to prepare to submit to the online audition application form:

• Resumé
• Personal Dance Major Narrative Questions
  • Share any significant dance experiences or training you’d like to highlight or makes sure we are aware of.
  • Why do you want to study dance in college? Do you have career goals yet?
  • How did you hear about the USM Dance Program?
• Contact Information of a Reference, Dance Teacher (First Name, Last Name, Email, Title/Position, Organization)
  • Once you submit your audition application form online, your reference will receive an email on behalf of Southern Miss Dance with an online recommendation form for their submission.
  • Note: You will need to certify that you have permission from your reference to share their email address, so they can be contacted via email by USM Dance to request the recommendation. 
•  Essay: Select one of the questions below for your one-page essay (If auditioning for a scholarship) :
  
  1. What is the most meaningful dance experience(s) you have had thus far in your training and why? How did these shape what you hope for from here?
  2. What has dance taught you about yourself? How does what you have learned as a dancer inform your life and visa versa?
• Online Video Audition   

START ONLINE AUDITION APPLICATION 

 

The USM Theatre program offers considerable scholarship opportunities for incoming students.  

Students with pre-prepared materials, including a portfolio or audition piece, will need to submit:

• A recorded 1-minute monologue (plus 16 bars of prepared song optional) or 3-minute presentation of portfolio with a brief introduction as described below. (YouTube links are the easiest for us to handle in large numbers).
• A headshot or high-resolution photo
• A resume
• Contact Information of a Reference, Drama Teacher (First Name, Last Name, Email, Title/Position, Organization)
  • Once you submit your audition application form online, your reference will receive an email on behalf of Southern Miss Theatre with an online recommendation form for their submission.
  • Note: You will need to certify that you have permission from your reference to share their email address, so they can be contacted via email by USM Theatre to request the recommendation. 

Don’t have a portfolio or audition piece? You are not required to have those already in order to participate in scholarship review.

Some students come from areas that don’t have theatre programs at the high school level and some may have interests in areas of theatre that aren’t covered by those two options such as directing, producing, or stage management. In those cases, a strong work ethic and academic potential will be sufficient for the scholarship review. You will need to submit the following in order to participate in scholarship review:

• A headshot or high-resolution photo
• A resume
• Contact Information of a Reference, Teacher (if applicable) (First Name, Last Name, Email, Title/Position, Organization)
  • Once you submit your audition application form online, your reference will receive an email on behalf of Southern Miss Theatre with an online recommendation form for their submission.
  • Note: You will need to certify that you have permission from your reference to share their email address, so they can be contacted via email by USM Theatre to request the recommendation. 

START ONLINE AUDITION APPLICATION

 

Need help?

As an alternative to submitting a virtual audition, the faculty will hold a live Zoom session to catch any new students who are unable to create a recorded presentation. You still send the other materials by October 19 and clearly state in the first sentence of the body of the email, “Zoom Audition Needed” and we will send a Zoom invitation with your appointment time. This is new to us, too. We want to make sure to see everyone who wishes to audition. Email%20us

 

Prepare a 1-minute monologue of your choice. Find about 40-50 seconds of text to allow room for time variation and transitions. Upload it to YouTube.

• Choose a monologue from a published theatrical play. Pieces with one clear person to talk to that you are fighting to change are best. “Cast” them. Know what you want from them. 
• Choose something that showcases you at your best and stick to your ability, true age range, and genres within your experience and training. Stay away from overly offensive pieces. Swearing is fine as long as it is intrinsic to the character and not used as shock drama.
• Rehearse and memorize your monologue. Work it for a week or more until it is ingrained. Perform it for someone before you record it. Warm up! Relaxed, honest work is best.
• Speak a brief (10 second) INTRODUCTION. Greet the auditors, and state your name and the audition piece clearly before you begin.

“Hi.  I’m Jane Smith. This is Laura from The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.” When you finish, thank the auditors and repeat your name. The intro and conclusion should be close to the camera. The monologue framing should include 2 inches above your head and ¾ or more of your body.

• Record in front of a neutral background free of clutter such as a blank wall or under a tree. Warm up! For the movement work in your piece to show up, try to frame at least ¾ of your body in the shot and connect breath, voice, and body. Especially if we haven’t worked with you yet, we will need to see how you connect to the physical life of the character. Stabilize your camera. Choose a focal point for the imagined person you are talking to that is very near or on the actual camera.
• Dress simply but not too sloppy or overly formal— for clothes, hair, makeup, and jewelry. Skip the flip-flops and platforms, shorts, suits, ties, minis, clothes with big logos or graphic designs, and tight/revealing clothes. Wear something simple and flattering that allows us to focus on you - and you to focus on your acting. 
• Make it look easy.

 BREAK A LEG!