Applying to Theatre

When applying to the Jordan College of the Arts, students are required to follow the standard application process outlined on the Office of Admission website. Please note that students who wish to double major with Theatre must choose “Theatre” as their primary major on their academic application in order to receive the supplemental Theatre application and information.

Additionally, Theatre students are required to complete or submit:

• A supplemental Theatre questionnaire that includes:
  • A headshot
  • A theatre resume
• An audition or, for technical theatre applicants, portfolio review.  Please note: The application cannot be considered complete until an audition or portfolio review date has been selected.

Information on these additional requirements is emailed to prospective students after their Common App is submitted.

Admission Deadlines

November 1: Early Action Deadline

February 1: Regular Decision Deadline

Get Started

Begin your application by visiting the Office of Admission website.

On campus dates:

We are excited to welcome you to campus for in-person auditions and portfolio reviews!  The audition/portfolio review dates for fall 2025 admission are:

• Friday, November 8, 2024
• Friday, January 31, 2025
• Friday, February 14, 2025
• Friday, February 21, 2025

Plan to spend the day with us on your audition date.  We have events throughout the day that will give you a good sense of life as a Butler Theatre major. In addition to your audition or portfolio review, you’ll meet current students and faculty, take a couple of mock classes, have lunch with some alumni (via Zoom), and be able to connect with both the Admission and Financial Aid offices if you’d like. Your audition or portfolio review will be scheduled in the afternoon and is a 20-minute appointment with our faculty that includes a conversation about your theatre experience and goals as well as your actual audition or portfolio review.

Regional dates:

• December 12 – 14, 2024 – at Colorado’s ThesCon
• January 25 & 26, 2025 – at NYC Unified Auditions
• February 3 – 6, 2025 – at Chicago Unified Auditions
• February 8, 2025 – at Los Angeles Unified Auditions

Butler Theatre will have representatives at each of the events listed above and you are able to choose one of them as your official audition date as part of the application process.

Please contact the JCA Admissions office with any questions at jcaadmissions@butler.edu or 317-940-9656.

Prepare one monologue, which may be classical or contemporary and should be less than two minutes in length, from a full-length published play. If you choose a monologue that you enjoy preparing and presenting, your audition will be more successful.

Your monologue should demonstrate your abilities. Always choose material that is within your range of life and stage experience. Parts which call for extremes of accent, age, or occupation should be avoided. Work honestly within your limitations. Young actors often ask about auditions, “What does the faculty want?” A much better question is, “How can I best show them what I am?”

Always read the whole play from which you are taking your monologue; only by doing this will you gain real insight into the life of your character and hints as to how your monologue should be played.

Seek the help of teachers or friends with theatre experience when preparing your presentation. Props should not be used in your audition.

You may prepare to stand or sit for your audition.

Wear appropriate clothing that you are comfortable moving in so as not to distract or detract from your work.

Begin your audition by introducing yourself, stating your name. Then introduce your monologue including the name of your character and the play. For example, “Hello, I’m Jane Smith. I’ll be performing Nora from ‘A Doll’s House’.” After your introduction, pause before you begin the piece.

Do not direct your monologue directly at the faculty. Place the person you are talking to in the monologue on one side or the other and beyond the faculty. Do not make direct eye contact with the faculty during your piece. It is often helpful to “cast” the person you are speaking to in the monologue and place them at a spot beyond the faculty.

When your piece is finished (and don’t rush the ending!), pause for a moment to let the piece ‘finish’ and then make eye contact with the faculty who will ask you to take a seat for the interview portion of the audition. (You may say “thank you” if you wish but avoid finishing your audition by saying “scene”.)

Above all, enjoy your audition. Relax, breathe and enjoy this opportunity to perform.

If you applying for an area of theatre other than acting, you may choose to present a portfolio as part of an extended interview. You should still include a photograph with your application, send or bring a resume of your experience, and bring selections of your best work.

Work with your theatre or art teacher or a guidance counselor to create a resume: this typically includes your name, contact information, career identification or goal, and lists of your roles on productions at school and in the community, pertinent coursework and workshops, and specific awards or honors you have received. You might also list pertinent skills (such as proficiency in Photoshop, use of power tools, sewing, secondary languages, or ability to read music).

Your portfolio is a tool to show us how you think about your work, and what you have done well. It is a visual expression of what you put on your resume. Work with your art or theatre teacher to create a binder of work that showcases your best creations. A typical portfolio includes these types of things: (it is not necessary to have them all – selecting a few good samples is better than showing everything you have ever done)

• Name on a cover page
• Contents
• Resume
• Design work on productions, including
  • A brief (2-3 sentence) concept statement explaining the design goal or production concept (use professional theatre program notes as a model)
  • Research that inspired the direction of your work
  • Drawings or paintings of your design choices
  • Photo of finished work
• Project(s) you are proud of from related coursework or workshops, showing:
  • Idea or goal of the assignment either as a title or a sentence
  • Process if important (for example, a before and after shot of a redesigned garment is appropriate, but the first draft of a program is not necessary)
  • The final product.
  • Art Samples (fashion design, photography, painting, digital work, wood working, sewing project, etc.)
  • Reviews of productions or exhibitions only if they specifically address your work
  • Prompt book (or pages from it) and supporting documents such as magic sheet, props list, preset checklist, schedules, or other organizational material you created and were responsible for (Stage Management)
  • Program, poster design, press release, front of house forms (Arts Administration)

On audition day, you will interview with a faculty panel. Introduce yourself, tell us your areas of interest, and offer a resume if you have one. Briefly summarize your portfolio, noting what type of projects you have included (stage management, costume design, etc.) Please limit your introduction to two minutes. The faculty interviewers will then each individually look through your portfolio as they ask you further questions about your work.

Financial assistance may come from several different sources. Butler offers two types of scholarships that are awarded as part of the application and audition process.

Academic scholarships are offered to student who demonstrate a strong record of academic excellence in high school.
Jordan College of the Arts Awards may be awarded to students who display promise in the performing arts.

Jordan College of the Arts Awards for Theatre

All audition/portfolio reviews completed by February 21, 2025 are considered for a Jordan College of the Arts Award. JCA Awards are recommended and determined by the theatre faculty and are based on the applicant’s audition or portfolio review.

Butler also offers additional types of scholarships that require a separate application and interview. We also accept scholarships from outside sources. Please visit the Office of Financial Aid website to learn more about financial aid options and other scholarship opportunities for incoming students.