2026 In-Person Auditions: October 9th-12th @ Pittsburgh CLO Academy (130 CLO Academy Way) 
Friday/Saturday: Auditions & Masterclasses at CLO Academy 8am-7pm
Friday Night: Student Mixer at Even Hotel (425 Forbes Ave.); Parent Mixer at Wyndham Grand (600 Commonwealth Pl)
Saturday Morning/Afternoon/Night: Dance Call at CLO Academy
Sunday & Monday: Junior Experience/Mock Auditions  at CLO Academy; Q&A Sessions, Parent Masterclasses at Even Hotel
Sunday Callbacks: (8am-6PM) at Wyndham Grand Downtown, Faculty Panels & Parent Masterclasses at Even Hotel
Monday Callbacks: (8AM-3PM) at CLO Academy

2026 Virtual Auditions October 16th-18th Audition Room on Acceptd Portal
Friday & Saturday: Virtual LIVE Auditions 9am-7pm
Friday & Saturday: Virtual MasterClasses and Q&A Sessions
Sunday: Virtual LIVE Auditions 9am-12pm
Sunday: Callbacks, MTCA Informational Sessions, Q&A Sessions, Dance Call Self-Tape Due

2026 Virtual Auditions Tech & Design Portfolio Reviews October 24th Audition Room on Acceptd Portal
Saturday: Tech & Design Portfolio Reviews in Audition Room 9am-5pm, Virtual MasterClasses

** For a complete, hour-by-hour  listing of all classes & events, please visit the "Schedule" tab **
 

In-person auditions begin at 8:00 AM on Friday, October 9, 2026 for In-Person at the CLO Academy (130 CLO Academy Way). (Friday, 10/16, at 9 AM for Virtual and Saturday, 10/24, at 10 AM for Tech & Design Reviews). Masterclasses and Information Sessions will also begin on Friday, October 9th. The majority of the masterclasses will take place at the CLO Academy, but some of the information sessions and panels will take place at the Even Hotel. Please refer to the schedule which will list classes, information sessions, etc with times, location and rooms. The first non-audition event of the weekend is a mixer party for students, which takes place at the Even Hotel (425 Forbes Ave) on Friday, October 9, from 7:15 to 9:30 PM. The mixer party is optional, and is a student-only event. Parents are welcome to mingle in the Even lobby during that time. A cash bar and café are located in the lobby for parents' convenience. On Saturday, October 10, PUA events begin at 8:00 AM, but you have the option to schedule them at times that are convenient to you through Acceptd. The earlier the materials are submitted and pass the panel screen, the earlier you will be invited to schedule your audition. Remember, it's a suduko puzzle to schedule auditions, but we will do our best to accommodate everyone's travel plans. Please don't wait until the last minute to submit your materials on Acceptd! Master classes will continue on Saturday. Callbacks will occur on Sunday, October 11, and Monday, October 12. Schools will try their best to accommodate your travel schedules. A full schedule will be posted on our website as we get closer to the event and master classes are finalized.

Callbacks start at 8am. Callbacks will be finished by 4:00pm Monday. We wrap up the weekend with a session led by audition coaches to help you reflect on the weekend and prepare for the months ahead. If you are flying out or have more than a 8 hour drive, we will give you priority spots when we schedule your callbacks.

You will check-in for PUA on Friday, when you arrive at the CLO for either your audition or your first master class. Our check-in table is located in the main hallway when you enter the CLO Academy. Give your name and the date and time of your audition to the PUA personnel and they will check you in and get you your Audition Packet. The packet will consist of a folder with your audition date and time, dance call date and time, your audition number, which you are to wear at all times to all PUA events (except for the student mixer party), including master classes and informational sessions. It will also include a photo release form, which should be returned to the check-in table and a school excuse letter (which will also be distributed electronically). Other informational paperwork could be included as well.

Sorry! Parents are not permitted to watch any of the auditions. Master classes are considered part of the audition process, and as a result, parents are not permitted to watch. However, there will be some information sessions and panels that are scheduled especially for parents exclusively or for parents and students that they are more than encouraged to attend.

The waiting areas are extremely limited at the CLO Academy. The main waiting room is utilized by the students for quiet time prior to auditions and is used occasionally for information sessions. We encourage parents to drop the students off at the CLO and return later to pick them up to return to your hotel. The students are free to leave the CLO to pick up a meal or a snack, but, of course, parents can drop off lunch for their student. We encourage parents to attend the various parent information sessions and panels that are on our schedule for the weekend. Please refer to the schedule tab on our website. Schedules are also posted daily at the check-in table of the CLO and will be on our social media. There are also various lounge spaces in the Even Hotel that parents can utilize to relax or meet and mingle. PIttsburgh is a vibrant and lively city with many attractions, cultural events, museums, parks, restaurants and shopping areas to visit! We encourage parents to explore the city in between parent panels and information sessions, especially since waiting areas at the CLO Academy are limited. PUAuditions will distribute a guide to Pittsburgh, as we approach the fall.

While we know that Point Park and Carnegie Mellon are close by our location for PUA. However, PUA does not arrange for college tours and does not offer group tours for PUA students. However, we do encourage our families to reach out to individual schools that they are interested in and see about arranging a tour independently

That number is your audition number. Audition numbers are common practice across both college and professional auditions. That number is how the college faculty and personnel will remember you over the course of the in-person events at PUA. You are required to wear that number to all activities at PUA, including the audition, dance call, callbacks and all master classes. Please wear it in a visible place above the waist.

Don't overthink it! Wear something you love and that you feel comfortable and confident in. Definitely wear something that you feel reflects your personality. As a general rule, wear something that you would wear on a first date to impress someone. For dance, wear something is comfortable to move in and that is close fitting to the body so the instructors can easily see your lines. For all auditions, dance calls, master classes and callbacks, be sure to wear your audition number.

When dresing for a headshot, the main rule is to wear neat, simple, non-distracting clothing in a flattering color. You want the actor to be the main focus and not what they are wearing. You want to look like you will walking into an audition room. Avoid loud prints or clothing with logos. Solid colors work better on film. Layering colors can make for attractive and interesting photos. Also, avoid distracting jewelry, such as large, shiny necklaces or pendants, large earrings, watches, etc. Also, make sure your hair is not hiding your eyes and face. Makeup should not be exaggerated. You want to look natural in order to keep the focus on the actor. Keep it simple and you will shine!

At in-person PUA, there will be an accompanist for the senior/junior auditions, and you will have an opportunity to work with the accompanist for tempo, etc. prior to your audition. This also serves as a great warm up! However, you should also bring a recorded tracks for use in master classes. However, at any auditions at National Unifides or on-campus, it is always good practice to have digital recording tracks of your music. You should have a track for your cut (16 or 32-bar) and a track of the full song.

We recommend bringing the following items with you:- Two audition outfits- Dance clothing and shoes for dance call- Sheet music, with cuts properly marked, for accompanist- Downloaded tracks of audition songs- Wireless speaker with cords and charger- Head shots with resumes stapled to the back (recommend 7-10). These items are available to programs in the digital platform, but bring some to practice handing out during Callbacks.- Water, tea, and lozenges- Power bars or other type of healthy snack- A personal steamer

The dance call is an industry standard, in which you will learn a dance combination and then perform it in small groups. We offer our dance call two different ways for the in-person students and there will be both mover calls and dancer calls: We will offer a live, in-person mover and dancer calls at a few different dance call times, and you will have the opportunity to schedule your dance call prior to PUA. The dance call will take place in a dance studio, so jazz shoes or character shoes are fine to wear. Be sure to wear dance clothing that allows the faculty members to see and appreciate your movement and your lines. This year, we will also be offering the opportunity to do a video dancer or mover call, if you prefer, instead of the live dance call. It is your choice if you wish to take advantage of this opportunity or not, Via Acceptd Messenger, PUA will send out choreography and music tracks for both movers and dancers on or about October 2nd. You will have until October 17th to record your dance and return it (all instructions on returning the video will be in the message you receive with the dance choreography). You can choose to return in prior to the in-person PUA dates or after, but the hard deadline for returning it to us will be October 17th. Virtual candidates will get the recording of the dance call, as well as the music track. We will send the materials out via Acceptd Messenger and you will have a week to return your self tape back. You will download it to the portal like your other media. In the past, successful candidates have recorded dance calls in various places, such as their living rooms, basements, garages, dance studios, church or school auditoriums, and even outside on the patio or driveway! If you are a mover, please do the mover call as opposed to the dancer call. Schools want to see you at your best and want to see you executing the choreography well. It is to your advantage to choose the dance call choreography that you can execute best and highlight your strengths instead of areas that you need to grow in. Whether you're live or virtual, a dancer or a mover, the most important thing is don't stress! The instructors are looking for ability to pick up choreography and dance fit for their program.

A callback is an opportunity for you and a PUA school to learn more about each other. It’s a sign that the school representative(s) liked what he/she saw in your audition and want to see more from you. You may be asked to sing an additional song, have the opportunity to tell the school representative about yourself, or ask questions about the program. For some schools, receiving a callback is sign that you are receiving a prescreen pass. For others, it is a sign that you will receive an offer. When the list of PUA schools is finalized, we will indicate whether the school is treating PUA as a live prescreen or a final audition.Callbacks will occur at PUA at the Wyndham Downtown Hotel (600 Commonworth Place) on Sunday and at the CLO Academy on Monday., however due to time restrictions, schools cannot see all of the students that they are interested in at the PUA event. Therefore, be aware that callbacks will continue to happen after PUA is concluded. The bulk of your callbacks from PUA may occur after the event is over and you have returned home.

You will receive a notification late Saturday night via Acceptd Messenger, telling you that you have received at least one callback. You will then be able to schedule your callbacks with each school. Instructions will be at the event. Also, the schools that are watching your audition virtually will reach out to you directly after PUA has concluded. Please keep in mind that many of your callbacks will occur after PUA has concluded and you are back home. This is because there is limiited time at the event for the schools to see all of the students that they are interested in.

Aside from the Friday night mixer party, PUA does not provide meals throughout the weekend for the students. There is a bistro in the lobby of the Even Hotel, and there are a variety of restaurants close to the hotel and the Pittsburgh CLO Academy. Students are free to leave the Pittsburgh CLO Academy to grab a meal or snack between master classes and between callbacks.

On Friday evening, PUA will host a mixer party at the Even Hotel for both junior and senior students. This event is for students only. Parents can drop off the students at the Even (lobby level) and return for pick up. PUA will host a parent mixer party for all junior and senior parents at the Wyndham Hotel Downtown on Friday evening. There is no cost for parents to attend the event, but there will be a cash bar. This is a parent-exclusive event and will occur during the time that the students are at the mixer. PUA representatives will be in attendance along with MTCA. It is a great opportunity for parents to meet and make connections!There is a bistro in the Even Hotel Main Lobby that serves food, drinks and adult beverages that parents can visit or use to plan an informal parent meet-up. The cost of this, if you decide to take advantage, is not included in PUA registration.No other formal events are scheduled for the students over the weekend.

There is not a group vocal warm up at PUA. Utilize space in your hotel to warm up prior to your audition. It is common practice to come to college auditions already warmed up vocally. You will encounter this throughout your college audition journey and should be prepared for crowded audition spaces with very little private areas for vocalization.