Jose, could you explain to some of us slower-witted people, exactly what these auditions are for and who attends them?
Both of the conferences that I play for each year,
UPTA and
SETC are mass auditions. Anywhere from 800-900 people - auditioners - show up, and get a chance to audition for about 90-120 different theatre companies - all at once. SETCs is the more college-student/summer stock oriented of the two conferences, but both organizations offer opportunities for year-round professional work at all levels, all over the country. SETC is also considered the "Grandfather/mother" of all the regional conferences. -There's also Midwest (MTCs), Mid-Atlantic (MATCs), New England (NETCs), as well as the National Dinner Theatre and Outdoor Drama auditions/conventions. If you go to each organizations website, you can see which companies are in attendance. I've been playing for SETCs - both their fall and spring conferences - since 1994 (I think), and for UPTAs for the past five or six years - I've lost count.
The major difference between the two organizations is that SETC is truly a Theatrical Organization. There are State, College, Community Theatre, Children's Theatre, etc. divisions. The annual spring convention bring together all those divisions - and people(!) - under one roof, one rather large roof. I think the average attendance for the spring convention is around 4000. UPTAs is purely an audition - no vendors, no keynote speakers, etc. Additionally, the SETC Spring Convention "travels" from state to state within the conference each year. UPTAs was started in Memphis - it's part of Playhouse on the Square - and stays here.