Ball State Cut Program?

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>From kiddo’s acceptance into the Class of 2015 MT BFA letter:</p>

<p>“The BFA Musical Theatre Option is exciting and competitive…Please understand that your continuance in the BFA Musical Theatre Option is contingent upon a jury held at the end of every academic year. The faculty will review and evaluate your progress and behavior in designated theatre classes, rehearsals and performances…”</p>

<p>Wow…did not know they did formal juries and cuts…anybody got any experience with this at Ball State? Another thing to factor in as d makes decisions over the coming weeks…</p>

2

<p>My son has also been accepted to Ball State’s MT program and I too noticed that in the letter. I understand many schools have juries, although I didn’t necessarily read this as a cut system, just a way to evaluate progress, right? Sigh, I suppose there are many things to think about and not too many answers yet. </p>

<p>(Btw, hello all, I usually lurk on these boards but have finally come out of hiding). :)</p>

3

<p>Welcome trueofheart! :)</p>

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<p>hello all!</p>

<p>I’m a freshman MT at Ball State. We have juries at the end of each semester, and have to pass them all in order to stay in the option. However, it is not as daunting as it seems! As long as you are working hard and doing your best, you don’t really have anything to worry about! It is NOT a cut program!!</p>

<p>Let me know if you have any other questions!</p>

5

<p>My son also has been accepted to Ball State’s MT program. The juries don’t really concern me, I believe most, if not all, non-cutting programs do have some sort of jury system which is to keep students on track. However, my concern with Ball State is the fact that not all the graduating students are selected for the showcases (NY, Chicago or LA). I understand that most programs have the students audition for the showcase(s) and usually all graduating students are selected. I believe the director form Indiana U program said if a student isn’t selected for the showcase after spending 4 years in their program that the program didn’t do their job and somewhere along the way something should have been done. I talked to one current Ball State MT students who said at least 4 of this year’s graduating students did not get into any of their three showcases. I don’t’ know how to interpret the fact that Ball State is graduating students they don’t feel are ready for the showcases…how could they be ready for a job in the industry? </p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

6

<p>The faculty has no say in who is cast in the showcases, they bring in casting agents from each of the three cities (LA, NYC, Chicago) who cast their city’s showcase independently. It is treated like a professional audition, and not every graduating senior is cast. Because it is cast independent of the department there are MANY factors going into the casting based on what that particular director is seeing at that time and what they know is going on in their city at that time.</p>

<p>Different programs have different opinions on how showcases should be run, and I personally feel that the opportunity to even audition for casting directors in three major theatre cities is a fantastic opportunity in itself. Though I was aware that this was how showcases were run, it was still a major factor in what drew me to the school. I would much rather have a realistic, unbiased opinion of where I will be the most successful!</p>

<p>If you have any other questions, let me know! :)</p>

7

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>This is Bill Jenkins, Chair of the Theatre and Dance Program at Ball State. I wanted to clear up some of the items noted in this thread. First, juries happen for each student in all of our options as a tool for assessment rather than a “cut” system. The fact is that students who are not progressing in a satisfactory fashion are given a semester of “probationary status” to improve the areas that are noted in their jury. Further, in my eleven years of being at Ball State, I cannot think of one student who was asked to leave the program because of talent. Most issues are due to students not being disciplined or focused on growing/improving as a performer or attitudinal issues that do not change.</p>

<p>In regards to the Showcases, I think it is first important to note that every school is different when it comes to the Showcase experience. We work very hard to prepare our students for the Showcase Auditions in the senior year through rigorous training and a supportive environment. We GUARANTEE every student the chance to have three professional auditions through the Showcases. These auditions are in front of three of the most important Casting Directors in the Country. They are Erica Daniels (Casting Director for Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago), Mark Saks (Casting Director for the TV Series The Good Wife in Los Angeles) and Stephanie Klapper (NY Based Casting Director for Broadway, Off Broadway, and Regional Theatre). These professionals select the students for the Showcase…not the faculty. This insures that the students who are selected can be competitively showcased to the industry folks in those cities and it makes sure that any faculty bias is removed when looking at the students. We believe this is an important “first professional step” for each of our students.</p>

<p>Obviously, sometimes students are not selected for Showcases. In the six years we have employed this system, I believe approximately 10-15% of students have not been selected. However, we firmly believe that the quality of our Showcases is reflective of this process. Our most recent Showcase in New York last week saw over seventy-five industry attendees including the most important casting directors and agents in the city (Bernie Telsey, Tara Rubin, Jay Binder, Paradigm, Stewart Talent, Abrams Artists, Don Buchwald, among others) because these industry members know that the students they see will be well prepared by their fellow colleagues in the business. Our guest faculty member Sutton Foster also attending both Showcases and brought several agents including her own as part of the Showcase experience. </p>

<p>Finally, please feel free to e-mail me any questions at <a href=“mailto:wjenkins@bsu.edu”>wjenkins@bsu.edu</a>. Hope this helps.</p>

<p>Thanks,
Bill</p>

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<p>I’d like to respond to some of what ball state bill said:</p>

<p>“…in my eleven years of being at Ball State, I cannot think of one student who was asked to leave the program because of talent. Most issues are due to students not being disciplined or focused on growing/improving as a performer or attitudinal issues that do not change.”</p>

<p>In my experience, this is far from being true. I know several focused students who were told to look into other professions because they did not have the talent to “make it” in the industry, and were subsequently let go from the program. Furthermore, there are a disturbing amount of undisciplined and unfocused students who get through the program easily, and are even often celebrated and given special privileges. The unfortunate truth is that your status in the program relies heavily on the professor’s opinion of you, whether that is based on talent or not.</p>

<p>“These professionals select the students for the Showcase…not the faculty.”</p>

<p>Also misleading. Though the professionals are brought in, the faculty are definitely in the audition room and certainly have influence over the showcase proceedings. I know of at least one instance where a student who wasn’t initially accepted into a showcase was brought in after a “phone call” was made. However, the faculty influence seems to pull students out much more often the put them in.</p>

<p>“In the six years we have employed this system, I believe approximately 10-15% of students have not been selected.”</p>

<p>Completely made up and very wrong. I’d put the number much closer to 30-40%. Can’t say for sure obviously, but I know that last year the MTO program had 6 graduates, 3 of which were not accepted into any showcases. An additional 1 was only accepted into 1 of the 3.</p>

<p>" This insures that the students who are selected can be competitively showcased to the industry folks in those cities"
“industry members know that the students they see will be well prepared by their fellow colleagues in the business.”</p>

<p>These two statements are highly disturbing coming from the mouth of a department head. The underlying message here is that Ball State is putting students through 4 years of an expensive program whose SOLE PURPOSE is to prepare them to be successful in the business AND IS THEN TURNING AROUND AND CLAIMING THAT THEY ARE NOT EVEN PREPARED ENOUGH TO BE SHOWCASED IN FRONT OF AGENTS. If this is true then it is a terrible failure on the part of the Ball State program. They are quick to hide behind the decisions of the “industry professionals”, but the opinion of one casting agent is no reason to take away a golden opportunity from someone who has been working for it for several years. Do your job and teach your students what you claim to be able to teach. If you can’t do that, then refund the tuition money of the students who don’t make it in, because you have failed as a professor.</p>

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<p>AnonBSUMT,</p>

<p>I began to respond to the details in this post, but then thought better of it. It seems that AnonBSUMT either (a) a truly disatisfied individual in our program OR (b) someone who is out to discredit Ball State and the program we have worked so hard to create. If you are the latter, I think your actions are truly sad and disheartening. If you are the former, PLEASE come and talk with me…it is my desire that students TAKE CONTROL of their education. The first step in that process is not hiding behind an “anonymous” name, but speaking to those who can really change the situation.</p>

<p>Regardless, I recommend that anyone who has any questions about the BSU Program contact me at <a href=“mailto:wjenkins@bsu.edu”>wjenkins@bsu.edu</a> and I will send you a list of countless grads, current students, and parents who you can talk with at your convenience. </p>

<p>Sincerely,
Bill</p>

10

<p>Wow, sorry Anon that your experience is not as positive as many others. There are a lot of opinions I suppose and I might suggest another way to look at education in a musical theatre program or any other academic program.</p>

<p>In every musical theatre program that I have researched, all evaluate their students and try to help them find strengths and weaknesses…This is important for the student to find where he/she can make corrections. Obviously there are many factors to consider----students change, productions change, faculty change, casting directors and faculty and professionals look for special types of actors or a certain" look" in auditionees for specific productions , “subjectiveness” of the situations…on and on. However, this is the way it is in the business…Students have to be the best they can be and feel good about what they have achieved… If you are a student, this is easy to hear but hard to accept. It’s isn’t easy not getting cast or accepted into showcases or summer productions…Maybe another way to think about it is once accepted in an mt theatre program, it is not as much as getting cast in the univerdsity productions or showcases (even though that seems to be everything!) but to learn and better oneself to move on into the business.(the Big Picture) It is not the school’s responsibility to take a student and make sure he/she is successful–that is the student’s responsibility. The school is there for that student to take the best of that program and make himself/herself the best he/she can be.</p>

<p>Being accepted into a musical theatre program, especially Ball State, is an honor, given the low acceptance rate and the high level of talent. There are numerous opportunities for growth and future success at Ball State. I encourage all students to embrace the time they spend in their respective programs and to search for all the positive experiences they can find. BTW, Ball State is an excellent financial option for students, speaking from a parent’s prospective!</p>