CSSSA THEATER REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS – 2025
The CSSSA Theater Program welcomes students who have a desire to know more about the craft of acting and the process of making theater. Prospective students are welcome to apply even if you don’t feel that you have had a lot of experience with live theater, as an audience or a participant. This program is for those with not only a background in theater making, but also, those with a variety of interests and skills, and a genuine curiosity to learn more about actor training. It is designed to be rigorous and is also meant to be inclusive and enjoyable.
Applicants must submit a completed online application, provide the contact information for two teacher recommenders, and upload the following required assignments.
Assignments
A. Video Introduction (Approximate length: 1 minute):
Create a video recording where you introduce yourself. Tell us 1) your name, 2) your age and grade level, 3) your school and community, and 4) why you want to come to CSSSA.
B. Video Audition (Approximate length: 1.5 to 3 minutes total):
- Performance: Create a video recording of yourself performing a monologue or solo speech (from memory) by a single character from a play. Introduce your performance by telling us the name of the work, the author, and the role you will play, but no more information than that. When recording your monologue, keep in mind that the production quality of the video is not as important as making sure that the judges will be able to see you and hear you. Make sure to get a full-body shot so we can see your alignment and how you stand. Students must memorize the monologue – applicants reading monologues will be disqualified. Please Note: GROUP PERFORMANCE VIDEOS, PERFORMANCE DOCUMENTARY VIDEOS, OR EXCERPTS FROM DEMO TAPES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
- Musical Performance (optional): If you have a strong interest in musical theater, you can include a performance of 16 bars from a song from the American Musical Theater (no pop songs, please). THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE REQUIRED INTRODUCTION AND PERFORMANCE described above. Introduce the performance by identifying your character, the musical, the situation, and the song. Accompaniment is not required. Please note: Musical Theater is a limited-enrollment elective class that students may sign up for on the first day of classes. (CSSSA does not offer a separate musical theater program.)
The length of the audition, including introduction, performance, and the optional musical selection, should be no longer than FOUR MINUTES!
For Returning Students:
Make sure that your video is of an original audition that shows your growth as an actor since you have been at CSSSA, and state in your introduction why you think you should be given a second opportunity to enroll in the Theater Program.
C. Returning Students only: Applicants who attended the California State Summer School for the Arts previously must submit in writing a one-page essay stating their reasons for wishing to return to the school and their learning objectives for a second summer. Upload your one-page essay (.pdf).
For All Students:
Assignment A (intro) and Assignment B (performance and optional musical performance) should be submitted as separate video files.
Please save your assignments with your first initial and last name followed by the appropriate letter for each of the submissions. For example, John Smith would save his work as follows:
jsmith_A
jsmith_B
jsmith_C