StrawHat Auditions
Application Questions
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StrawHat Auditions have been assisting performers and theatre companies for over 40 years. See our list of past participating theatres under the Theatre pull-down menu. As far as this year is concerned, companies sign up on their own timetable, so we never know for sure who is coming back until we hear from them! Still, the majority of organizations that choose to use our services come back to us again and again - some have attended for decades. At the same time, there are always new theatre companies forming, and we welcome a couple of new places almost every year.
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Applicants must be 18 years or older at the time they start work. Click Here for some theatre programs for younger actors.
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There are 3 types of auditions: Song and Monologue, Monologue Only, and Dancers Who Sing. There are also a set number of Stand-By appointments for each day. See the explanation of Audition Types in the Actor pull-down menu.
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No, you should apply for the category where you can present yourself at your best.
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Every actor who registers for StrawHat has an online profile that includes picture and resume. In the Actor Search, photos are initially displayed in an array of several photos. Chances are that a professional casting director will be more apt to click through on a professional-looking shot.
For in-person auditions, those profile pages are used to create the audition directories that the producers use during the audition. Your picture is your calling card and it should be of good quality to present you at your best. Your submission should be as professional as possible. Read our advice on head shots in the Actor Application section.
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Use the "Forgot Password?" Link when you log in. If you have any problems with that, contact us and we can reset your password for you.
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Log in to your account and make whatever changes you wish. Your first screen will display your dashboard: select Update Profile and then navigate to whichever tab holds the info you want to change. Be sure to click on SUBMIT to save your work on each screen.
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StrawHat applications are now paperless. If you are still seeing a reference to the application print-out, please take a screen shot and email it to us because it shouldn't be there! You do not need to print the application, and you do not need to mail us a hard-copy submission.
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Confirmation of receipt of your submission/subscription payment takes only a few days. When we are holding in-person auditions, we do our very best to make an audition determination on every application within 4 weeks of receiving a complete submission. However, with the volume of submissions we receive, it can take longer. Every application is given consideration, and there are times when we are unwilling to make an immediate decision either for or against a candidate: in those cases, a second and even third assessment are made.
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Application deadline is January 15th. This means that your online profile must be complete - including your 90-second audition video - by midnight of the 15th. Subscription fees paid after that date will still provide an active listing on the database and access to Theatre Listings and Premium Content, but will not be considered for audition appointments. Did you miss the video deadline? Post as soon as you can! If your profile doesn't have a video audition, then.... well, it's not a video audition, is it?
2024 UPDATE: As auditions are by video submission only this year, you can submit a profile and video at any time -- HOWEVER, we do not guarantee complete review of your profile after January deadline. Note: the majority of summer companies are doing their casting between January and March, so late submissions may be less successful for student performers.
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An appropriate visa or OPT is required for employment in the US. International students might be able to pursue summer work, but it seems somewhat complicated. According to information we found on the San Francisco University website, international students can apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) authorized by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) which is based on a recommendation from the designated school official (DSO) at the school that issued the form I-20, a government document verifying the student's admission to that institution. The term "optional" means that students can opt to use all or part of their total practical training allotment of a maximum of 12 months. OPT can be authorized by the USCIS: (1) during vacation when school is not in session: full-time employment is allowed; (2) for part-time work, a maximum of 20 hours per week, while school is in session; (3) after completing all course requirements for the degree; or (4) full-time after completion of the course of study. Students who have received OPT permission will be issued an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) by the USCIS. Their name, photo and valid dates of employment are printed on the EAD. The average processing time for USCIS to issue the EAD is two or three months, and students may begin employment only after they receive the EAD which will indicate the starting and ending dates of employment. Our interpretation: you would have to have the paperwork -- the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) -- already approved, showing you are allowed to work during the dates of whatever contract might be offered. If you don't have an EAD, and it takes 2 or 3 months to process, companies would not be able to hire you as a delay in your paperwork would jeopardize their casting.
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Our auditions are open to all ages, 18 and up. The majority of applicants and auditioning performers are typically between the ages of 19 and 25, but we do schedule older performers as well. There are real opportunities for older performers to play character roles, but those opportunities are perhaps somewhat more limited: i.e., when there's an ensemble, there are many actor/singer/dancer spots while there may only be one father or grandfather role in a show. Additionally, as performers get older they join the union, or move away from performing. We have many more applicants from the current or recent college student pool because they are just starting out -- and because the majority of the opportunities are summer season work. Only you can decide whether these are desirable positions to pursue.
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Your file is probably too big -- the program can only accept photos 399 pixels wide or smaller. There are several free online photo compression web sites: you upload your image and set the parameters, then the site program resizes the image and you download the new file. It's pretty simple.
Setting parameters of Compression: 65 and Resize to: 399 pixels will work perfectly. -
NO. StrawHat is now paperless. Please read our Instructions and How It Works pages for complete information.
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Check your spam/junk mail folder. Your email server may have flagged our address because of the volume of mail that's generated during the registration period. If you find the email in your spam folder, you should be able to use tools (or settings) in your account to white list our address. NOTE: Yahoo, AOL, and many university .edu systems have notoriously sensitive spam settings -- so add these addresses to your Contact List - [email protected] and [email protected]. For university addresses -- their systems may block delivery entirely. CONTACT US immediately. We may need to work together to change your account email to another address.
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No. But some companies that are looking to hire beyond the summer months may attend for only one day. After all, there’s little point in a casting director sitting through a day of performers available for Summer Only when they’re offering 6-month contracts. Your employment availability dictates which day you should apply to audition.
Members Area Questions
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To see how your profile displays in our talent database, log in to your account and then click on Actors in the menu at the top of the page. Use the Search option and enter your last name.
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PHOTOS: Log in to your account, select My Profile, then select Update Profile Picture. REMEMBER - your new photo needs to be web optimized, just like your original one, so find a site that allows you free access to resize and compress your jpg. file. REMEMBER: your photo must be smaller than 400 pixels wide, or it won't upload!
RESUMES: Log into your account, select My Profile, then go to Personal Information. Scroll down to the field that displays "Resume Exists" and click on REMOVE. Then Browse your computer for your updated one-page resume pdf and upload it. REMEMBER: your resume file must be a pdf!
HOW DO I KNOW IT WORKED? PHOTO: On a laptop, you'll see your photo display in the left-hand column on your screen. If it's not there, it didn't load. RESUME: Click on ACTORS in the top menu bar and use the Actor Search to view your online profile. Open your profile page and click the link called [Your Name]'s Resume and the pdf will open in a new window.
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CONTACT US: Our system uses your email as your user name, so if your email changes we have to make the change in the system. Please do not create a new account! Email us and tell us your name, your current email address, and the new address you want to use. We will confirm with you when we've made the change. That way your record and your account history stays consistent.
Selection Questions
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No. All complete applications received by the deadline are given consideration. We have a selection process to insure that theatre and casting representatives are seeing the best group of candidates possible. See "Criteria" in the Actor pull-down menu.
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When you are scheduled for an appointment, we email you a notice including a confirmation sheet with all the pertinent information. Upon receipt of the email, you can log in to your account, click on Actors in the menu bar, then search by last name to view your profile: your appointment displays on your page.
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We strongly advise that you defer making flight arrangements until you have appointment confirmation (or at least be sure that your tickets are refundable). We cannot guarantee that you will be selected for an audition, and in the past we have had disappointed applicants inform us of airfare purchased in advance.
Audition Questions
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Email us at [email protected] Provide both your scheduled day and time and the day you would like to change to. IF we can accommodate you, we will email you the new details. There is a $25 service fee for appointment changes.
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To cancel your audition, simply email us with your name and your scheduled audition day and time. We will confirm receipt of your cancellation by email.
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No. All actors that get an audition are pre-screened. Your audition time is yours alone and cannot be transferred to another actor.
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Payment of the Audition Fee is your commitment to attend. Once paid, the fee is non-refundable.
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How do Stand-By's work? Can I walk in or stand by on the day of the audition without an appointment?
For details on Stand-By auditions, please refer to Audition Types in the Actor pull-down menu. There are no walk-ins at StrawHat – all auditioning actors are selected in advance. -
First audition is at 10:00 am every morning, and general auditions end at 6:00. After that is the dance teaching and dance call, then individual theatre callbacks can run as late as 11:00 pm.
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Nope! Your whole audition is completed in a single day. If you get a lot of callbacks, it’s a really long day, but it’s all done in a single day.
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If you are from out of town and you have to drive, okay. But if you can avoid it, do. The auditions are easy to get to by subway, 10 minutes from Mid-town, and city driving is a hassle. If you do drive, we recommend parking in a garage, but be sure to confirm their operating hours, since our nights can go pretty late
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If you need to reach us the week of the auditions, please use our email address [email protected].
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We suggest you wear clothes that have some color and show you to your best advantage. For details on full audition preparation, visit Final Prep for Auditioning Actors in our Premium Content section.
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We time your audition from the first word of your monologue or the first note of the piano, but you should time your entire presentation (introduction and pieces) to take under 90 seconds. Visit "I Got an Audition, Now What?" in our Premium Content section.
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Many of the songs and monologues cited on the Dreaded List (see our Premium Content section) are so popular that lots of people do them. The same day, sometimes the same hour. Choosing over-used material puts you at a disadvantage. Take the opportunity to do a little research and come up with material that will be your own. But, we STRONGLY recommend you stay away from obscene or graphic material. We promise you, it’s a turn-off.
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Two songs show only that you can sing in two styles, or in two registers -- it does not show whether you have the acting skills to make and display strong, clear emotional choices when working with a script. Accompaniment and note value provide emotional clues and the intended stress on a given word. A monologue requires that you provide all the detail of emotion and intent, with no supporting clues beyond what you've read and interpreted from the page. We most often find that people doing two songs are genuinely stronger on one of the two pieces, and the weaker piece negates the better one. Finally, our system of seeing 200+ people in a seven-hour audition day requires that the accompanist is speaking to the next performer regarding tempo, cuts, etc. while the previous person is performing the monologue. It is helpful for all if people prepare an audition as requested.
Ultimately, the decision is yours and what really matters is that you do a great audition. Speaking for StrawHat, we know what we prefer, what we respond best to, and what we hope to see. But we don't hire, we just coordinate the opportunity for you to shine. Do your preparation from top to bottom: practice how you plan to instruct the accompanist; practice your introduction (your slate); practice and time the whole package of two pieces to a stop watch so that you know you are inside 90 seconds; practice your end slate. Be prepared, be awesome, have fun, and regardless of your choice of pieces, you will leave the stage confident that you did your very best. -
Are you trained in classical theatre? If you are auditioning with two contrasting monologues, you can choose to contrast with classic/contemporary or with comedy/drama. It’s up to you to select pieces that show you at your best. For musical theatre auditions, you can do Shakespeare for your speech but it may be more appropriate for you to do a speech from a contemporary play – chances are that companies doing musicals are more likely to have a Neil Simon play in their season rather than Hamlet.
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Our accompanists are professional accompanist/vocal coach/musical directors who specialize in musical theatre. You are in good hands, as long as you come ready to communicate and with your music prepared as suggested in our preparation advice.
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Of course! But save yourself any anxiety and be sure he/she has directions, arrives on time to meet you (meaning well ahead of your scheduled appointment time) and stays with you through the audition. You have enough to think about without worrying if your accompanist is going to show up.
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If you received an audition time, you were accepted from over a thousand other applications. You'll audition for a whole lot of theatres, make new theatre contacts, be called back and perhaps get a job, all in one day! StrawHat is an event that attracts lots of theatre producers, directors, casting directors, etc. – and sometimes even a few who are not formally registered. Every one of us watching the auditions is eager to discover exciting new talent for the upcoming season. Have a great audition – we’re glad to have you with us!
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UPDATED January 19, 2024
Links to our dance tutorials have been posted. There are three combinations: Dancer, Mover, and Tap. You decide whether you want to learn the Dancer or Mover combination – not both. NOTE: If you’re a strong dancer or registered as a Dancer Who Sings, we expect you to do the Dancer call. The Tap combination is not mandatory, but if a company asks for it and you want to work there, then you should do it. The complete instructions will be available through the Virtual Dance Call page in our Premium Content section. You’ll go to that page to access the links to the tutorial videos and the playback track for your recordings.
Dance tutorials have been posted. ALL Dancers and Musical Theatre Performers should learn them, record them, and post your self-tape to your profile page by Feb. 3rd. (See more on the Dance Call page in Premium Content)
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We see a significant increase in submissions in the last few days before deadline, and that slows our notification process. We do the notification emails in a blind copy to large groups based on the order in which we receive subscription payment notification from our card processing company.
Every profile with a paid subscription prior to deadline is given the same attention -- and if there's any issue that we see with an account, we contact that person individually with an explanation and instructions/recommendations on how to resolve the concern. -
Because the link to your YouTube url is copy/pasted to your profile on our website, views are not registered in the YouTube counter. We have confirmed this with our web developer and hope to have a solution for next season, ideally one that will display views on your profile page (not on your YouTube channel, as we are not able to control that).
Something to bear in mind is the way in which casting reps are most likely using the Actor Search. The Search does not send casting teams directly to videos: A rep will first use the provided search filters (i.e. they may be searching for guys on one day, girls on the next; they may be searching only for female Dancers Who Sing...) Once they have results for their filtered search, they are presented with an array of thumbnail photos -- this is where the headshot is so important (as we discuss in our article, Headshot Advice, found in the Actors drop-down menu). A really good headshot is what will encourage someone to click through to the complete profile. At this point, a casting rep may go right to the video, but they may choose to look at the resume first. At any one of those three points -- the applied filters, the photo, the resume -- a casting rep makes the decision to proceed to the video or move on to a different candidate. Just as no theatre gives auditions to every submission, no theatre or casting team will watch the videos of every one of the many profiles on the site.