I have just found this thread and have found all of your comments so helpful! My D has an offer from BW BFA Acting (to start Fall 2021) and is super excited! She grew up in the MT world but really wants an acting degree. Super important to her to be able to take private voice from the MT faculty (not VP faculty) and be able to audition for both plays and musicals.
So I have a few questions for you now that your S is farther down the path in his time at BW:
(1) Is the voice minor part of the VP program? In other words, does your son study with a VP faculty person or MT faculty person?
(2) Is it possible to take private voice from MT faculty?
(3) Are there plenty of performance opportunities: plays, musicals, mainstage, student-run, etc?
(4) In actuality, do MT kids get cast in the plays and do Acting kids get cast in the musicals?
(5) What types of students activities are happening on campus outside of the Acting program?
(6) Has his experience at BW been everything he hoped it would be?
My son selected BW’s still new BFA Acting program over 4 more established BFA options, and a couple academic-y BA choices, for 2 reasons: Their declared focus on Classical Acting, and the opportunity to pursue a Voice minor around the BFA Acting curriculum. Both of these changed, so he transferred to Bennington College. This has been a fabulous decision for him - more advanced acting, taking Directing 1 and 2, lots of playwriting/screenwriting, and a completely different campus experience (great food and everyone is smart+creative). But as to your questions. . . My son was very happy with the VP instruction at BW. Not sure why you distinguish it from MT. I believe MT kids take voice lessons with the same VP instructors, who are excellent. But students cannot secure enrollment in the voice classes for credit without a declared minor in VP, and it is no longer possible to schedule a VP minor around the BFA classes, so I’m not sure you will have luck. My son enjoyed success being cast in a variety of interesting plays and staged readings, but not musicals. I do not believe the Acting kids are frequently cast in musicals. There were MT kids who got good roles in plays, however. A bigger concern was course availability. When my son decided to transfer, he had not been able to enroll in 3 out of 4 classes required by the BFA schedule for fall of his junior year, including Directing! This had nothing to do with covid. The BFA Acting program had 3 leaders in 2 years, and the program was very much a work in progress - moving away from the Classical Acting focus, to something very much like other BFAs. For the kids starting now, it may well be that the program will be solid. I would want to see the 4 year curriculum, and have assurance that my student will be able to enroll in every required BFA class at the designated time. And I would check that students get 8 semesters each of acting, voice and movement, which most of these programs offer. Lastly, the food on campus is a significant problem (sorry). Visit tip: Riverside Gables is very nice, and the former BW Registrar is the Inn Keeper.
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Thank you so much for all of the great information. I really appreciate your candor and honesty. There are so many factors to consider and so much to weigh. I want to make sure I’m turning over all stones to help her make the best decision.
Just to make sure I understand: your son was in the first or second BFA Acting cohort? He stayed 2 years and then transferred elsewhere as a junior, and he is completing that junior year now. Is that right? Just helps me to understand the timing because my daughter prefers the current curriculum with not quite as much focus on the classics.
I’d also love to hear more about the food - yikes!
Hi! Glad to be of help. : ) Yes, the timeline you gathered is correct. BW’s food is what you might call traditional cafeteria food - - pizza, burgers, fried chicken nuggets, and french fries are always available. There is a grocery store nearby.
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What are the issues with getting voice training while doing the Acting BFA? I thought if you were doing an applied voice music minor that you would get voice training.
When my son enrolled, fall 2018, BFA Actors who were completing a minor in Applied Voice could schedule required classes for both. But the program changed.