Auditioning for SOA 

We are now accepting applications for 2023-24. Auditions for students new to York County School Division can be scheduled at the time of enrollment, after an application has been submitted. Applications for all grade levels are accepted throughout the year, and interviews and auditions take place during the spring and summer. Our next audition day will be Friday, May 12, 2023.

Students interested in attending SOA must submit an initial application. Applicants will receive emailed notification with specific instructions for completing the application process. All applicants are required to submit three teacher recommendations (at least one from a current core teacher – students who apply to Literary Arts should have at least one English teacher recommendation), complete a reading comprehension test, and must be interviewed by SOA instructors. 

You will be contacted by email shortly after the application deadline with your audition date and other important information. As of September 2021, all auditions and interviews take place in person.

1. Apply online using this link: SOA Application 
2. Send this *Teacher Recommendation Form to three of your current teachers. The teachers will mail or email the form directly to SOA after completion. 

Preparing Your Audition 

For SOA auditions, all students will take a reading comprehension test and interview with an instructor for your specific discipline(s). In addition to these, each discipline also has the following individual requirements:

ADVANCED TECHNICAL THEATRE
Students should submit samples of visual art or photographs of costumes, props, and/or scenery you have created, although this is not a required component for acceptance.

DANCE ARTS
Students will be taught and asked to perform a portion of a ballet and modern class, a contemporary combination, and a short group improvisation. The improvisation portion should be a time where the student gets to show off his or her personal talents or strong suits within any genre of dance. Ballet shoes or bare feet are preferred; any other dance shoes could be brought and worn if needed for a specific skill set the student wants to perform during the improvisation. Please wear as professional a dance attire as you are able (ex. leotard); fitted athletic clothes are preferred otherwise.

LITERARY ARTS
Students will complete a timed-writing assignment. Before your audition, prepare and submit a typed writing portfolio containing:
- 300 to 500-word autobiography written from a third-person point of view
- original short story (may be work you have written this school year)
- original poem (may be work you have written this school year)

THEATRE ARTS
Students will prepare and perform a memorized monologue

Structure/Schedule

Students attend SOA for their SOA class(es) only; other courses are taken at the students’ home schools. Students entering SOA for the first time generally take one of the courses listed below. Auditioning students may be placed in a higher-level course, if appropriate. Summaries for entry-level courses are below. For complete course offerings and full course descriptions, please refer to the Program of Studies, Secondary Registration and Information Guide.

Advanced Literary Arts 9 These interdisciplinary courses are explorations of the basic elements of the fine and literary arts with an emphasis on the relationship among the arts and the development of standards to differentiate between the meaningful and the mundane in the arts. They also include an analysis of 19th–21st century literature with emphasis on literary devices and techniques and the elements of character, setting, and theme. Literary Arts students attend SOA one block every day and receive one weighted English credit and one weighted fine arts credit.

Advanced Theatre Arts I This introductory course emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the fine arts. Students study theatre as a reflection of social, political, and economic conditions; play analysis for interpretation; character development; and production values. Working toward practical application of techniques for the stage, students gain experience with acting theory, as well as vocal, physical, and improvisational skills. Theatre Arts students attend SOA one block on alternating days and receive one weighted fine arts credit.

Advanced Technical Theatre I Through this first-year course that emphasizes safety and procedures, students interested in backstage work focus on the basic elements of design and the technical elements of theatre production. Students gain practical experience for working as technicians in a lab theatre on set construction, scenery painting, and lighting. After-school supervised hours are required. Technical Theatre students attend SOA one block on alternating days and receive one weighted fine arts credit. 

Dance Arts I This dance course focuses on techniques and skills necessary to attain performance level, with emphasis on interpreting dance in an emotional context. The interdisciplinary focus includes a survey of dance classics that allows for study of visual arts and music related to the time-period of the dance(s) being studied. The course requires reading and written work as well as practical dance effort. Dance Arts students attend SOA one block on alternating days and receive one fine arts or one PE credit.