What is to be included in a high school portfolio?

Theater design portfolio questions?

• I'm 17 and a senior in high school. My top school choice, and the only one that requires a portfolio is Emerson. I plan on going into Theater Design/Technology. My other schools that I applied to are back up academic schools, which I only applied to because they had some sort of audio program. But that's besides the point. Emerson is my number one school and I am pretty clueless as to how to set up this portfolio. I've had a lot of experience doing shows, but I'm a sound designer so I don't know what tangible items to showcase my work in the theater. I've done construction and painting, but they've mostly been group projects. At my high school, we have an adult lighting designer and an adult set designer so I haven't had the opportunity to actually design. I've had working experience with these, but only a lot of experience with sound design, which is what I'd like to make my main focus. I plan on also submitting creative writing pieces and photography to my portfolio, but I'm just a little stuck on theater related things to include. What types of things have other people included?

• Answer:

  Hey, I went to Boston U for Costume Production, but I interviewed and was accepted to Emerson as well. At the application level, no one is expecting you to be the most accomplished designer in America. They get it- you just came out of highschool, where faculty designers are the norm. Even though I was applying to Costume concentrations, I included things like paintings and sculptures, an annotated script (to show script analysis skill), a very paltry example of lighting design. Only about 10% of my portfolio was costuming. You should put together some tracks that are a response to something that inspires you. Make up a project like... "the opening of the olympic games" or "lady macbeth- 'out damn spot' " and included it. The most important part of interview is just talking to the panel about what you want to do in the future. Break a leg!