This week has been a lot of internet surfing, research, and prep for the ever-ensuing college audition process. A personal struggle of mine is "what will you do when your performance career dies down?" I know I want to teach, or maybe music direct. There's so much variability in this field whether it's in the beginning, middle, or end of your arc.
Thus, I've greatly benefitted from the insight of these four wonderful performers. If you're like me and still deciding the right path in the performing arts, I guarantee you will benefit too. I hope this gives you a sense of certainty in this uncertain time.
Cate Philips, Class of '24
BFA MT @ Oklahoma State
Cate is a Visitation Academy Alumna and current SLHSMTA nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress as Princess Winnifred in their production of "Once Upon a Mattress". She made her professional debut last summer with STAGES St. Louis as "Pepper" in 101 Dalmatians as was recently cast in the MUNY's season opener "Chicago". As well, she has been a member of the elite performance troupe, STAGES Triple Threats TEENS for three years. Some of her favorite roles include Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd" and Esmeralda in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
Cate is absolutely one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She has, earlier than most, come to the realization that compassion is an extremely important skill as a performer. Not to mention, her talent caliber is prolific. She can easily play a wide range of characters with the grace and poise of any professional. There's a ton to admire here.
Q: When did you decide you wanted to major in theater?
A: I decided I wanted to pursue Theatre after I did my first ever musical at my school when I was a freshman, even though I knew at the time it was not realistic because I was not trained in acting or singing but I took dance so it was easy for me to be in the ensemble for a while. I knew I had the capability of pursuing theatre after I played Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd; my voice teacher/our music director for the show, Tali Allen, was and still is one of my biggest supporters and mentors and encouraged me to continue to pursue this.
Q: Why did you choose a BFA over a BA?
A: I believe that no matter if you choose BA or BFA you only get what you put into it. I chose to pursue a BFA because I knew I wanted a concentration in Musical Theatre and a more rigorous study in the art.
Q: Could you describe your college audition process?
A: I may have put too much on my plate going into the audition process but I wanted to go through with every single project because I love the art. All of the late nights of preparing and waking up at 5:30 for college auditions were very worth it because I’m spending my time improving and enjoying what I do. A few things went not as planned in my process: I submitted prescreens to 2 of my schools which I passed both, however one school was quite far away and my parents were unable to make the trip over there with me to complete my audition. While this was sad and annoying news, I had to continue with the rest of the auditions. Also, when I auditioned for my top school I thought I had the most perfect audition because everything went smoothly and I was really confident that I would be accepted, but I was rejected. That was a learning experience that I was just not the right fit for their program. Honestly college auditions discouraged me, it made me feel like no matter how good I felt in the audition room no school would want me. I didn’t know if I was the only one feeling this way because everyone at auditions were very “fake happy” stereotypical theatre kids and I was very concentrated and anxious while waiting for my time to come. College Auditions may make you feel this way because they are very different than auditioning for a show, they are not looking for a character they are looking for people they see potential in and believe they can help. I met my school at MO State Thescon when I attended the callback breakfast. I talked with the people at Oklahoma State and learned that they were developing their program. I thought that this was quite risky but it could turn amazing if it is pulled off. I did not commit until I received all of my decisions. I was down to 2 schools one of them being OSU. I was easily accepted into a semi-wellknown school where I knew a few people but I didn’t enjoy it there when I visited; so my choice was either exactly the degree and program that I want and be unhappy or a place with people I enjoyed but it would be a little complicated and risky. I chose the risky route and I am glad I did. Honestly, everyone has their own path and goes through their processes and mine was full of mistakes and hardship but it showed me a lot about how I need to better prepare myself and what I still need to work on.
"The biggest thing I can suggest is preparing your material as soon as possible, the more time you have with pieces you can really feel a connection with them. Also, find a range of pieces that you can fully showcase yourself with and prove to the people behind the table that YOU ARE A SUPERSTAR." -Cate Philips
Alec Heriford, Class of '24
BFA Acting @ Lindenwood
Alec is an Alum of Raymore-Peculiar, where he has become extremely well-versed in both theater and speech. He holds two MSHSAA State titles and is a 3 time national tournament qualifier in speech and debate. Additionally, he was nominated for Outstanding Comedic Actor in a play at the 2019 Cappies awards for portrayal of The Russian in "See How They Run". Some of his favorite roles include Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and Eddie in "Lost in Yonkers"; which he performed back-to-back at the 2020 Missouri State Thespians Conference.
I can say without a doubt that Alec is the best young actor I have ever worked with. He is a great example of brilliantly applied talents. He applies his gifts in speech to theater, where he creates nuanced, genuine characters with voices of their own. His attention to detail and narrative is completely apparent throughout his performances.
Q: When did you decide you wanted to major in theater?
A: I decided I wanted to major in theatre after performing at the State Thespian Conference on back to back nights. Before I hadn’t decided if I could or wanted to pursue a career in theatre knowing how competitive it is. However, after performing in two shows at the Kansas City Music Hall I decided that this is something that is very special to me and that I wanted to keep doing it for the rest of my life.
Q: Why did you choose a BFA over a BA?
A: I chose the BFA over the BA because I felt like I wanted a degree that would be the most competitive yet most rewarding. I think a BFA is more intensive and will focus me in the right direction for my future in professional theatre.
Q: Could you describe your college audition process?
A: After deciding that I wanted to major in theatre and earn my BFA I immediately began researching schools. I specifically researched schools where my role models and previous seniors had attended. I also decided early on that financially it would be better if I could stay in-state. Knowing this I began a list of potential schools: Missouri State, Webster University, Lindenwood, University of Central Missouri and Southeast Missouri State. From there I began researching scholarships that I could earn from each school. I made lists of potential scholarships from each school and decided if each scholarship was obtainable or not. I knew that Webster University was probably my favorite program, but I would need lots of scholarship money to attend. The school that offered me the greatest amount of scholarships and financial aid was Lindenwood University, offering me the 2020 Sibley Scholarship. This was a huge plus for Lindenwood in my search for schools. Once I was accepted into each school, I began the real audition process. With my super busy schedule last winter because of shows, tournaments, and other events, I knew that I was going to have a hard time auditioning in person for every program. After knowing that Lindenwood University was offering me their largest scholarship, I knew at the least I would be auditioning on campus for them. For the other schools I wasn’t able to audition on campus, but I did submit audition videos online. The audition was stressful but not hard at all. I chose two contrasting monologues that fit my natural ability as an actor and rehearsed them a few times everyday about a few weeks before the audition. I also worked with my high school theatre director and fellow students to critique and perfect my monologues before performing them. After audition day at Lindenwood, I was 99% sure that I would be attending. I had a great audition and I immediately fell in love with the campus. The facilities are spectacular for the size of the school and the faculty was great. After earning an additional performing arts scholarship to Lindenwood, I officially committed to the university.
"Research! Know what you're looking for in a school.... Don’t stress about the audition, just be yourself. Don’t be scared if they ask you to try something different, be ready to show them how coachable you are. Choose monologues that fit you and that you’re able to be confident doing. Prove to them what you can do for their program." -Alec Heriford
That is all I have for this series! Again, I want to thank Alec and Cate for being so willing to join me on this piece. I can't wait to hear about your year.
This is what I want you to take away: every process is different. I'll admit this is why I chose the performers I did. I wanted to not only showcase their individual talents and personalities but tell their unique stories. Just as each audition is different, each audition process is different. No two stories are the same. Your future is at the mercy of your talents, work ethic, and personality alone.
This week's #songforthesoul is Debussy's "Clair de Lune". Basic, I know. Forgive me. This one is a really good one for meditation and writing, I've found. Keep an eye out for a meditation post or two!
Thank you, and as always, happy reading!
Arden