We are thrilled you are auditioning for The Chicago Academy for the Arts. Please remember: our number one goal is for you to be successful. That means that when you have questions, please ask them! You can email Department Chair Andy Robinson at any time for more clarification.
Preliminary Audition Requirements:
Applicants must create an Online Application to submit their preliminary audition.
Student Introduction Video (3 - 5 minutes)
• Name, grade, and current school.
• Why are you applying to The Chicago Academy for the Arts?
• Brief explanation of your previous artistic experience. Tell us who you are. What kind of artist are you? Tell us briefly about your life and when you first became interested in Musical Theatre. What have been your favorite experiences in theatre? What else do you like to do? We are open to what you want to share with us that distinguishes you as an artist and as a person.
Resume with Headshot
List of your performance experience and training in PDF format
Live Audition Requirements:
Applicants who pass their preliminary audition are invited to attend a live audition.
Song Requirements
Applicants must prepare two songs from the musical theatre canon; one should be up-tempo and one should be a ballad. If you have studied classical voice, an aria or an art song will also be accepted.
You will sing 32 bars (or about a minute) of each song, or the verse and chorus.
Ideally, the songs should not be rock or high-belt songs (please avoid “Don’t Rain on My Parade”). Consider songs by the following: Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Comden and Green, Jerry Herman, Frank Loesser, Mary Rodgers, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins, Eubie Blake, Harold Arlen, Stephen Sondheim, and the Disney canon.The Academy will provide you with an accompanist during your live audition and you will be responsible for supplying them with sheet music that is in the correct key. We recommend musicnotes.com as a place to find sheet music that is appropriate for your audition.
Acting Requirements
Applicants should prepare and memorize one monologue. Proper preparation means an understanding of the piece, the play it is from, as well as fully memorizing the material.
We recommend you choose a monologue from the list we have selected here.
If at all possible, read the entire play. Plays for each of these pieces are readily found for purchase online or at your local public library.Dance Requirements
There will be a brief dance portion during your live audition. No previous dance experience is necessary. Please dress in athletic attire that is comfortable and easy to move in. Applicants are encouraged to wear jazz shoes; however, the audition can be done barefoot as well.
We look forward to working with you soon! Again, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Andy Robinson
Musical Theatre Department Chair
arobinson@chicagoartsacademy.org