Put Your Interests Center Stage: A Guide to Theatre Scholarship Auditions

Auditions can be nerve-racking, no matter how many times you’ve done them. But there’s no need to lose sleep over your theatre scholarship audition. The faculty are excited to welcome new students to the department and want you to be excited too!

Theatre scholarship auditions give you the opportunity to showcase your passion, whether that be performing, costuming, lighting, or anything else. It isn’t a high-stakes, stressful environment; these auditions are playful and collaborative. Here, you can learn more about exactly what this process looks like at Luther College.

What Are They Looking For in a Theatre Scholarship Audition?

Cabaret dress rehearsal in Luther’s Jewel Theatre.

First and foremost, faculty are looking for your interests to shine through in your audition.

They want to see your potential for growth and what you hope to become. 

A passion for theatre and a drive to dig deeper are the most important things you can show them. Come in ready and excited to talk about anything—from a method of costuming you would like to explore or a set design technique you want to learn about, to bold character choices you want to test out.

What Will Happen During Your Audition?

Depending on whether you are a performer or on the technical side of theatre, your scholarship process will look a little different. The beginning, though, will look the same. Once you’ve applied to Luther College, you can apply for a theatre scholarship through your admissions portal. 

There is no specific date for auditions; after you’ve applied, the admissions office will contact you to set up your audition date. Most students schedule their audition for a day when they are on campus for an individual tour or a visit event. You can also schedule a virtual audition or interview. 

For a performance audition:

• You will meet with a theatre faculty member one on one.
• You will perform a song, monologue, or both. Prepare and memorize these prior to the audition!
• Be prepared to sing a cappella if no accompanist is available, or to have a copy of your music in the correct key in case one is. (You may also be able to play a backing track through a speaker, but be prepared to sing a cappella in case of a technical glitch.)
• After your performance, the faculty member will work with you to see how you take direction and how your brain works with a piece.

For a technical scholarship interview:

• You will submit a portfolio to showcase your work in theatre that you will discuss at your interview. 
• The interview will be a relaxed conversation with one theatre faculty member about your portfolio and your experiences in theater. 

What Can You Do to Prepare for a Theater Audition?

For a performance audition there are lots of things you can do to feel prepared.

Choose something that you feel confident performing.

• Get familiar with the requirements. Make sure you understand the audition requirements mentioned above and on the Luther Visual and Performing Arts Scholarship page, and browse the FAQs.
• Find a scene and/or song you are comfortable with. Choose something that you feel suits your personality and age, and that you enjoy performing. There are no requirements for what type of monologue or song you should choose, so pick something you feel confident you can nail.
• Get practicing. The more confident you are in your pieces, the better you will perform them when your audition comes around.
• Practice in front of other people. Making sure you feel comfortable performing for others will help you shake off the stage fright during your actual audition.
• Take care of yourself. Get a good night’s sleep, drink water, and eat well the day before your audition.

Even though a technical interview doesn’t require anything to be memorized or practiced, there are still things you can do to feel more prepared going in.

• Prepare a portfolio of the technical theatre work you’ve done in the past. 
• Think about your past experiences. Recall and be prepared to talk about any challenges you worked through or solved, a costume or set you were particularly proud of, or any other moments that represent your time in theatre and your interests.
• Do some good self-care. Though you might not be singing or performing, it’s still equally as important to get a good night’s sleep, drink water, and eat well the day before your interview.

What Comes After Your Audition?

After your audition, if you’ve already been accepted to Luther, you can expect to hear back from Admissions 7 to 10 days later; if not, your award information will be included with your acceptance notification. For a theatre scholarship you will receive up to $3,000 a year for four years of full-time enrollment. 

Be prepared to get involved with the theater department!

If you accept a theatre scholarship, there are a variety of things you can do in your time at Luther to maintain it. Each year you would need to do one of the following things:

• Get involved in a production.
• Take a class in the theatre department.
• Volunteer 56 hours with the theatre department.

There are other ways to maintain your theatre scholarship, and faculty will work with students to make it work. If you are planning on majoring in something with a heavy course load (i.e. nursing, music education, etc.), you can count on the theatre faculty to keep you involved in the department.

The best things you can do for your audition are making sure you showcase your skill set and aspirations and having your piece(s) well prepared. If you are interviewing for a technical scholarship, being ready to discuss parts of your theatre experience that you are proud of and how you could develop those skills at Luther will take you far. 

Your Luther College theatre scholarship audition shouldn’t keep you up at night. At the end of the day, everyone at Luther wants you to get involved and is cheering you on. You can do it!