Juries
All BFA Musical Theatre and BFA Theatre Technology and Design students are required to complete juries. Students in these programs will complete juries at the end of each semester: once in December and once in April/May. Juries allow the Department of Theatre and Dance faculty to track students' progress through their program and ensure that students are staying on track.
Jury levels/requirements differ based on program. Students must pass each jury level in order to move on to the next one. Please see the below breakdown for more information.
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Musical Theatre Juries
BFA Musical Theatre students will perform a total of eight (8) juries. Two (2) live, in-person performance juries will take place in year one of the program (one each at the end of the fall and winter semesters). In years two through four, juries will be split between video submissions (end of each fall semester) and live, in-person performances (end of each winter semester). Video submissions can be turned into the performance jury coordinator at any time during the semester, but submissions handed in after the deadline will not be accepted. Video submission due dates will be announced at the beginning of each fall semester. Videos of dance combinations will be sent out to each student in order for them to learn on their own time. All live juries must include a proper introductions and students must provided their own sheet music.
Jury Levels and Requirements
There are eight (8) jury levels for musical theatre majors. While jury level requirements differ, all juries require one 90-second UPTA (Unified Professional Theatre Auditions) audition. All BFA Musical Theatre majors will participate in the UPTA auditions at the end of their senior year. The jury process is a framework for students to prepare and perfect the UPTA-style audition, by building a portfolio of successive jury auditions.
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Jury Level |
Requirements/Guidelines |
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Level 1: Fall Year 1 |
Live In-Person Performance 1 - 90 second UPTA-style audition (song/monologue) |
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Level 2: Winter Year 1 |
Live In-Person Performance 1 - 90 second UPTA-style audition (song/monologue - must be new material) 1 - Dance jazz combination (32-count) |
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Level 3: Fall Year 2 |
Video Submission 1 - 90 second UPTA-style audition (song/monologue - must be new material) 1 - Dance ballet combination (32-count) |
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Level 4: Winter Year 2 |
Live In-Person Performance 1 - 90 second UPTA-style audition (song/monologue - must be new material) 1 - Dance Contemporary combination (32-count) |
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Level 5: Fall Year 3 |
Video Submission 1 - 90 second UPTA-style audition (song/monologue - must be new material) 1 - Dance hip-hop/commercial jazz combination (32-count) |
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Level 6: Winter Year 3 |
Live In-Person Performance 1 - 90 second UPTA-style audition (song/monologue - must be new material) 1 - Full-length song from one of the following Golden Age composers*: Rogers and Hammerstein (Oklahoma, King and I, etc.) Rogers and Hart (Pal Joey, On Your Toes, etc.) Lerner and Lowe (My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, etc.) George and Ira Gershwin (Porgy and Bess, Of Thee I Sing, etc.) Cole Porter (Anything Goes, etc.) (*These are suggestions; please clear your choice of song with the head of BFA Musical Theatre Juries if it is outside this template.) 1 - Dance tap combination (length TBD) |
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Level 7: Fall Year 4 |
Video Submission 1 - 90 second UPTA-style audition (song/monologue - must be new material) 1 - Full-length song from one of the following contemporary (mid-late century) composers*: Stephen Sondheim (Company, Into the Woods, etc.) Jerry Herman (Hello Dolly!, La Cage Aux Folles, etc.) Andrew Lloyd Webber (Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom of the Opera, etc.) Claude Michel-Schonberg (Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, etc.) Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, etc.) (*These are suggestions; please clear your choice of song with the head of BFA Musical Theatre Juries if it is outside this template.) 1 - Dance Broadway combination (length TBD) |
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Level 8: Winter Year 4 |
Live In-Person Performance 1 - 90 Second UPTA-style audition (song/monologue - must be new material) 1 - Full-length song from a modern contemporary musical (2000’s to present) 1 - Dance open style(s) combination (64-count) |
Jury Ratings and Designations
Students must achieve a satisfactory standard rating of 3.00 or higher in order to receive a passing score on their musical theatre juries. Students receiving scores less than 3.00 will receive an inadequate standard rating, resulting in a failed jury. Students failing two (2) consecutive juries may be removed from the BFA Musical Theatre program.
Students are expected to prepare each jury as if it were a professional audition and they are scored on their adherence to the level guidelines. Students will be judged on several criteria, including personal presentation, dress and decorum, preparation, professionalism, skill level of performance in the areas of singing/acting/dancing, overall impact, and level of progress. All categories will be rated on a 5 to 1 scale, with 5 being the highest achievable score and 1 being the lowest. The ratings are scored subjectively by all adjudicators and are then tabulated and averaged into a final score.
|
Rating |
Designation |
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5.00 - 4.50 |
Exemplary Standard - Exceeds all expectations and proficiencies in: promptness and preparation, dress/decorum and professionalism, adherence to jury guidelines, vocal performance/progress, acting performance/progress, dance performance/progress, and overall performance impact |
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4.49 - 4.00 |
Proficient Standard - Meets and sometimes exceeds expectations and proficiencies in: promptness and preparation, dress/decorum and professionalism, adherence to jury guidelines, vocal performance/progress, acting performance/progress, dance performance/progress, and overall performance impact |
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3.99 - 3.00 |
Satisfactory Standard - Meets but does not exceed expectations and proficiencies in: promptness and preparation, dress/decorum and professionalism, adherence to jury guidelines, vocal performance/progress, acting performance/progress, dance performance/progress, and overall performance impact |
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2.99 - 0.00 |
Inadequate Standard - Fails to meet minimum standards of expectations and proficiencies in: promptness and preparation, dress/decorum and professionalism, adherence to jury guidelines, vocal performance/progress, acting performance/progress, dance performance/progress, and overall performance impact |
Theatre Technology and Design Juries
BFA Theatre Technology and Design students will complete a total of eight (8) juries. Students will prepare different materials for each level of juries. To schedule a jury, students will need to email Associate Professor David Pierce prior to the last week of classes each semester with their final exam schedule. Students will then be assigned a jury time and date and must prepare the appropriate materials to present. Students must arrive to their jury on time; failure to do so will result in a deduction from their overall jury grade.
Jury Levels and Requirements
There are five (5) jury levels for theatre technology and design majors. Students will stay at level 3 until two semesters before their graduation date.
|
Jury Level |
Requirements/Guidelines |
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Level 1: Meet and Greet |
A simple conversation between the student and members of the faculty focused on who the student is, where they come from, and what they're interested in. 10-15 minutes. Held the student's first semester. |
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Level 2: Baseline |
The student submits a technical resume and cover letter. The cover letter may be aimed towards a real job or a fictional one. The cover letter should be an extension of the resume, one page in length, and explain to potential employers which skills the student possesses and why they would be a good fit for the company. Held the student's second semester. |
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Level 3: Skills |
The student builds upon their resume and cover letter and presents a digital portfolio of their work. Photos of projects from both in-class and actual productions should be used as visual evidence of the student's growth and body of work. This portfolio, along with a resume and cover letter, will be presented to the faculty and used to assess the student's progress in the program up to that point. After the presentation, faculty members will give feedback on presentation skills as well as the student's progress in the major. Faculty will be looking for continuous improvement in each area at each semester of this jury level. These areas include: resume, cover letter, portfolio, and presentation skills, as well as progress and development in the major. Students will remain at this jury level until two semesters before they graduate. |
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Level 4: Professional Readiness |
An interview. The student chooses a position they would like to apply for and structures all of their jury materials towards that application. The student's resume and cover letter are reviewed by the faculty, a discussion is had about the student's qualifications, and the student presents their portfolio. Students will be graded on presentation skills, resume cover letter, how they conduct themselves during the interview, and their ability to answer questions asked. At the end of the presentation, faculty will discuss the student's progress in the program as well as skills they may improve upon. Held the student's second to last semester. |
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Level 5: Exit |
A conversation between the student and the faculty about aspects of the program and the Department of Theatre and Dance as a whole that the student has both enjoyed and would improve upon. An assessment of the student's entire career at NMU. Held the student's final semester before graduation. |