Acting Auditions for New Students
Application Deadlines Â
- Scholarship deadline:Â February 15, 2025
- Complete your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø application, including all supplemental materials for the Acting program, to be considered for a Fountain Performing Arts Undergraduate Scholarship.Ìý
- Don't forget to also apply for a ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø General Entrance Award (application deadline February 15).
- Non-Scholarship deadline: Â April 4, 2025
Audition Process
We actively encourage submissions from appliants of all genders, ethnicities, and abilities.
a) Scholarship Auditions:Â In-person, February 28 and March 7, 2025, Fountain School of Performing Arts (1385 Seymour Street) OR via video submitted by February 28, 2025.
b) Non-Scholarship Auditions: accepted on a case-by-case basis until April 4, 2025, both in-person and video as arranged by applicant.
- When applicants indicate their interest in the Acting program on their online application to Dalhousie University, they will be asked to include/upload the following supplemental materials:
- a one-page declaration of why you wish to study to be an actor in Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts Acting Program;
- ²¹Ìýcurrent photo and resume of relevant work and experience;
- 2 names of referees (preferably a former drama teacher, director, community leader or someone with whom the applicant has worked in a creative capacity) who will provide letters of reference directly to the Fountain School. Reference letters must be received at least two weeks prior to the audition date.
- Applicants are asked to prepare three pieces that exhibit their range in performance, each no longer than two minutes in duration:
- One monologue from a modern play (20th Century or later). This can be any speech but must be from a published play. After choosing your monologue, read the entire play from which the speech was chosen.
- One piece of poetic text.Ìý This can be from a play that uses heightened language, or from a standalone piece of poetry, but must be performed as a monologue from the character’s perspective.Ìý We encourage you to pick something you connect to personally.Ìý Some examples: contemporary poetry, Shakespeare, classical Greek, spoken word, slam, ASL, etc.
- One Song, unaccompanied, or self-accompanied on applicant’s own instrument. Can be any form and should be something the applicant connects with personally.Ìý Some examples: traditional, cover, standard, rap, folk, original song written by the applicant, etc.
- For the purposes of this evaluation, we prefer you perform or present your pieces memorized rather than reading from a script or improvising.
- Applicants may be asked to demonstrate imagination and spontaneity by being asked to re-do their piece or improvise if given direction.
- Wear comfortable clothing and footwear that allows for freedom of movement.
- Video Auditions and supporting documents must be submitted as part of your online application to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, in the portfolio section.
- Video files can be uploaded to the portfolio directly or provided through web link to an online video sharing platform (YouTube or Vimeo).Ìý
- Videos should be no longer than 10 minutes in total.
- Please record three pieces that exhibit your range in performance, each no longer than two minutes in duration: as detailed in the requirements for in-person auditions (above).
- For the purposes of this evaluation, we prefer you perform or present your pieces memorized rather than reading from a script or improvising.
- All video should frame the applicant’s full body to best capture their performance.
- Once your package has been received and reviewed, applicants will be contacted to schedule a 10-minute follow-up teleconference interview with the Auditors, where discussion will centre around the applicant’s goals, interests and expectations.
- During the follow-up interview, applicants may be asked to demonstrate imagination and spontaneity by re-doing one of their pieces with direction.
If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact us at performingarts@dal.ca.Ìý
Auditor for the Acting Program:Â Matthew Thomas Walker, Assistant Professor, Acting Program