<p>Hi there! I have been answering a lot of questions about BU's summer acting program, so I figured I would write it all out here so everyone could see it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>Without a single doubt in my mind, it was the best experience of my entire life. You will grow in immeasurable ways as an actor and person, and develop relationships that will last for the rest of your life. I still talk to my friends every single day. </p>
<p>On a typical day, you will wake up around 8:00, maybe slightly earlier if you want to have breakfast. Your first class starts at 9:00, and if I remember correctly it is about 80 minutes. Then you will have another class, and then lunch. Your morning classes will rotate between Dramatic Literature, Singing for the Actor, and Design & Movement. </p>
<p>For my year at BUSTI, we read Hamlet in Dramatic Lit, and our teacher was Paolo DiFabio, who is the director of Theatre Admissions at BU and will be the one determining whether or not you get into the school at your BU audition. So it is an AMAZING opportunity to have him as a teacher and show him how you work. I think we wrote an essay every week, and we spent a lot of time outside of class holed up in each other's dorm rooms studying Hamlet. It was an incredible class, even if you have no experience with Shakespeare. Singing for the Actor is exactly what it sounds like: It's centered around telling a story through singing, and it's a lot about focus and bringing your song into yourself. It essentially approaches a song the same way that you would approach a monologue. It's an incredible class, and I felt comfortable in it even though I am not a singer. The third morning class is Design & Movement, and it's in a sense like a theatre design class, but not in a "theatre tech" way, in a "telling a story through design" way. You create theatre using lights and sound and movement. It is hard to explain, but it is an incredible class and you learn so much. </p>
<p>After lunch, you will have acting from around 1 to 5. This class will exceed your expectations and really fuel your fire as an actor. You will be forced to break your bad habits as an actor, and work from your core. You will not be able to rely on any of the "fake" acting stuff that you may have picked up over the years. It's an incredible class and you will grow so much. We did a lot of acting and physical exercises, and we also did a scene study towards the end, we worked on monologues, we worked on developing relationships with characters and actors... It truly was amazing.</p>
<p>After acting, you have dinner, and then rehearsal from 7 to 10 for your show. This can either be an unpublished or published play, or it may be something that your cast creates for yourselves. I will admit, at first I was hesitant: I wanted to do a 'real' play. But you have those opportunities to do that at home. Here, you get to collaborate with your ensemble, and grow and write and learn together. My group did a piece that we created based on our interpretations of the original War of the Worlds radio broadcast. It was awesome and I learned a lot about how I approach and create theatre. </p>
<p>You will be extremely exhausted when you are done, and come home and pass out in your dorm room with your friends. It's honestly the best and most exhausting experience of your life. But, as with anything, you get out of it what you put into it. Your directors and teachers will never settle for mediocrity, and push you to reach new heights as an actor. You need to approach every class with an open mind, and never shut yourself off to try new things. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and you will grow SO MUCH. You will not come home the same person.</p>
<p>As for the professors, they are spectacular. Their direction as professionals and actors is unmatched, and their dedication to the program is unsurpassed. They are always to stay after class to answer question, provide you with resources, work on your monologues, etc. They are truly the best, and they work so hard to make sure that you do your best, too. They are extremely talented individuals that are usually professors from the program, or direct shows at BU. </p>
<p>On the weekends, you will be busy as well. You may have rehearsal, master classes, go to see plays, go see the city of Boston. You will have a little time to relax and just hang with your friends, but not in a "slacker" way. You will have homework and you will want to work with your scene partner, you will want to read Hamlet, work on your monologues, write your essay, whatever. You have plenty to do, but you will have time to catch up on your sleep on Sunday if you need it.</p>
<p>Yes, going to BUSTI helped me prepare for college auditions. I literally would not even know where to start without it. The professors took time out of their day outside of class to work on my monologues with me, and there is also an audition for the BU program at the end of the 5 weeks. It's really great, and you also can audition again for the program if you feel your BUSTI audition was not your best. THey will count the better of your two auditions. They will help you pick pieces and coach you and the TAs will also help.</p>
<p>The TAs are Boston University Theatre and Acting majors, usually after their Junior or Senior year. For the record, they do NOT teach the classes, although they are incredibly talented individuals and it is an honor to know them and get their help outside of class. They are TAs, so they may lead warm ups or something, but the classes are taught by the professors. They live in the dorms with you, and are always willing to share their experiences and help you out in any way they can. I am still in frequent contact with one of my TAs, and talk to the other ones a lot as well. </p>
<p>Anyways, I wrote a lot because BUSTI is really important to me and I fully believe that it is a MUST for anyone considering pursuing a career in theatre. </p>
<p>If you have any other questions let me know!</p>