I found out a pretty good article about acting for MT actors, saying that acting has been taken as the extra - the least important - of the 3 main core MT disciplines. “Many musical theatre students get only a ‘smattering’ in acting – a general short course in the basics”.
Even an actress says that she regrets not having enough acting courses at college.
After reading this article I can relate it to a lot of US Colleges programs with enphasis in acting, dancing, singing. Carnegie Mellon has an emphasis in acting, for example, they even do not have a dancing audition, and their students do great not being necessarily great dancers.
So far I ask myself how important are these acting techniques for MT actors such as Stanivlasky, Meisner, Hagen, Suzuki, Viewpoints because even after college these techniques improve the acting skills of an actor.
After studing these 3 disciplines I can say that it all depends on what you want and the career path that you want to take.
This is why it is so important to really study the curriculum and ask questions of the school you choose to attend. Acting emphasis was very important to my daughter and definitely not all MT programs are created equal when it comes to acting emphasis. One of the things that drew her to Hartt when making her final decision was its excellent acting training for both Actors and MTs. One of the things they wanted to make sure was understood when we attended their information session at Unifieds is that they are a conservatory program that produces actors and for those who choose to pursue MT, they will become actors who sing and dance very well.
I would say that besides dthe curriculum the students have to take a look into the professors careers and how well trained they are. Even if they are good teachers or not. Also the MT shows and plays the schools produce, for example, are pretty important. I would hesitate to choose a school producting Bring it on the Musical instead of Les Mis.
But a school can’t always produce Les Mis… they need a variety. I would hesitate to judge any school by one show… it is easy to see what they have put up over a period of time.
I think it is really important to do your homework on courses… schools will focus differently. That is why it is impossible to say X school is better than Y. It really depends on fit. What do you need to grow as a performer and does that school offer you the best opportunity to reach your full potential.
I agree that you need to look carefully at the individual curriculum at the schools. Hartt has a very strong basis in acting, teaching a variety of techniques and styles, and I know other programs do as well, but not all of them do. A Hartt MT grad from 2013 or 14 I think, Sarah Killough, recently understudied the role of Katherine in Long Day’s Journey into Night on Broadway and other MT grads have done straight play and TV/Film roles, so that is a testament to the emphasis on acting in the program. I do agree that the direction in the industry is that successful performers must be able to act - the voice alone will no longer be enough to book you work.
My S is a junior MT at Wright State. In reality, his diploma will say BFA Acting with MT Emphasis (with as many extra Acting credits as he can cram in his schedule before graduation). By the time he was a junior in HS he realized that having an opportunity to become a skilled actor in musical theater would be his measure of a program’s curriculum - as well as observing the acting of the students in the productions we able to see. Musical Theater is storytelling put to music. If the story does not engage, or the actors do not connect to each other and the audience, then it might as well be a concert.
On judging ate acting of a program by the productions it mounts - I wouldn’t. There are many factors that go into deciding a main stage - and/or black box - season. It could be expected ticket sales (WSU pays for productions via ticket sales. Other programs have designated funds for productions); the opportunity to work with a visiting director/choreographer/tech designer; a faculty member’s bucket list; the stable of talent in a given year; which rights are available (I know WSU has had to change and delay final announcement of a season for this reason); limitations/opportunities for particular required sets/tech design; choosing a show to push boundaries - for performers or audience. . .
Another thing to look at when researching schools is what student-run opportunities are available to program participants. Some of the most innovative productions come from students who are able to stretch themselves in a safe, supportive easily-accessible environment. Just as in any other field, how an actor grows after graduation is totally determined by his/her own goals and determination.
I would say that no school is perfect in being able to offer the best training in all 3 disciplines in the amount that most of these actors want. It is not uncommon to get in a program and feel you wish it had more of “something”.
Remember, everyone enters these programs at different skill levels in different disciplines. You may have a highly trained voice but very little dance. Someone else may be a prima ballerina but has not had much acting experience. If you feel your program is lacking in any area, or maybe you just feel you are behind in an area compared to your peers - it is up to the student/actor to seek out any supplemental training they might need whether during or after college. There are wonderful summer dance and acting programs you can participate in to get more intense training in whatever discipline you feel you may not be getting enough of in your regular college classes. Of if you just feel you are lagging behind in a certain area. For example, Broadway Dance Center has a great summer training program for dance. Stella Adler has great summer programs in acting. There are some fabulous voice summer programs as well. Seek out what you need. Sometimes I think that is time better spent than actual summer stock work - depending on the summer stock. If cost is a deterrent, ask about financial aid. Many offer scholarships. I know it feels like you’re already paying a king’s ransom for college and that should be enough. But frankly, sometimes it isn’t. Doesn’t mean your college program isn’t good. Just means you still might need additional training in one area or another.
I agree also to take advantage of all opportunities presented to them at school whether student run, something they create on their own, or something out in the community if allowed. All of these experiences help you learn and grow.
I guess what I’m trying to say is no program is perfect. Continue to seek out what you need to be the best performer you can be.
@luisen I would hesitate to choose a school based on a single production. Every school has different goals and different collaborations and it may not always make sense to judge based on one singular show.
My S is in a BM program and, like @mom4bwayboy S, has picked up all the additional acting classes he can fit into his schedule. He was in a straight play last summer as part of his summer stock work, and will be doing a Shakespeare play this summer but MT has certainly been his collegiate focus. However, he feels the training process will never be done - he will continue his training in all the disciplines beyond college.
to return to the original article… It seems to be from the UK training perspective, which I believe is somewhat different than the US training perspective…
@toowonderful you are right, that’s the reason why I said if I could relate it to US Colleges. Anyhow I see some parallels because of the nature of MT.
And I do not want to judge a school based on a single show, it was just an example. Sorry for being judgemental but I am not a native English speaker.
All of the advices you say are very helpful, thanks for that!
I still see in my homecountry that a lot of MT actors put more enphasis in singing than acting and dancing, and everytime I see a show I really cannot see the connection between acting and singing. @gingersnap97 is right, the industry direction is being focused more on acting roles, and you can see it with the MT Shows of these days.
@vvnstar what voice summer programs you know are great? I have been searching for these programs at College Confidential but still among all of them I still cannot find the one I like the most.
My daughter’s high school in CT has both a Theater and Musical Theater department. Theater does two plays per school year and MT does two musicals (Finian’s Rainbow was their small stage show and In the Heights starts tonight as their main stage show). They do have some crossover between departments for the various shows -
the Theater Dept recently did “Journey to the West” and the lead role of the Monkey King was a MT student. My daughter did say that one of her teachers said that the difference between getting cast in a role or not often comes down to acting - and, this was a MT teacher saying it.
I think all or almost all BFA programs in Musical Theatre the US include at least 3-4 semesters of acting classes (some BM programs, however, may not). The NAST Accreditation requirements for BFA programs in Musical Theatre include the following stipulations:
Not all MT programs are accredited by NAST, but I think those that are not still follow the same approach to competencies.