<p>I have been accepted to a number of theater programs, including Brown. Does anyone know anything about Brown’s theater program? Is it conservatory style or more classroom based? Anyone’s opinion or information would be greatly helpful, and I would appreciate it.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Heyyyy ok so I found out that you were accepted at Tisch and Columbia as well. I’m a theater major so I think I might be able to help. </p>
<p>First and foremost, at ivies you will be getting minimal practical training in acting. Most classes will be based around theory, literature, and intellectual inquiry. Only at Tisch will you get true conservatory style training. </p>
<p>That said, Brown is considered one of the theater hot shots in nyc. If you ask random actors in new york where they went to school, if they didn’t go to a conservatory chances are quite high they went to either Yale or Brown. There’s a reason for this. Brown has great extracurricular theater opportunities and it also has a drama school that you can take advantage of. This means some of the top young actors in the country naturally congregate there, thereby providing students with a talented community to work with and grow from while pursuing extracurricular endeavors.</p>
<p>The benefit of Columbia would be New York. This means access to broadway-level acting/singing/dancing lessons are just a few subway stops away. Although they can be extremely pricey (trust me, I know), if you can afford it, it’s arguably better than any training you’ll get in a conservatory (or at least equal).</p>
<p>Honesty, it’s quite frustrating at times not being at a conservatory, especially when I have friends who are and who are taking classes in acting/singing/dancing (ESPECIALLY when I have real homework like 2 papers to write and TONS of reading). However, I’ve spoken with many prominent actors/directors/and theater artists in new york and many of them place far more value on those who have a liberal arts education. I can also say that while I love acting , it’s nice being able to talk something other than theater with people who you aren’t constantly competing with.</p>
<p>I want to stress that going to an ivy means having A LOT of homework, so you’re not always going to be able to throw yourself into your craft as you would be required to at NYU. But the advantage of going to a school where not everyone is acting is that your chances of getting cast in shows is significantly heightened. I have friends at Carnegie Mellon, NYU, and Elon going for BFAs who haven’t been cast in any shows yet (preference is usually given to seniors). I, on the other hand, have gotten great roles (even leads) in six shows - I’ve worked on even more backstage.</p>
<p>Weigh your options carefully and feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.</p>
<p>P.S. My friend was in Three Sisters with Emma Watson last month. Only at Brown :).</p>
<p>Brown actually has quite a bit of performance-based classes. It’s just that to concentrate in Theatre Arts or Performance Studies, one must take his fair share of histroy/theory based courses. However, each concentration allows (even encourages) the student to take several performance classes. To be honest, freshmen are only allowed to take one (three, if you count modern dance and Mande, which I did modern as well) performance class—Intro to Acting/Directing. It isn’t until the summer (if you choose to stay here to become an apprentice) or sophomore fall when you start diving into the more rigorous performance classes.</p>
<p>The good news, which eating food already described, is that the extracurricular opportunities are endless. There’s always something to audition (or crew) for. We have the mainstage/faculty run plays (SEVERAL freshmen, including myself, were cast in them this year), Production Workshop (all student-run…where Three Sisters was performed…funding and support here is great because so many people are involved), Shakespeare on the Green, BrownTV (I’m doing a show here), Brown Opera Productions, Gilbert and Sullivan, Rites & Reasons Theatre (constantly putting on new works–and ANYONE can be in these shows–you just say “hey, I want to be in this!” and BINGO!) MANY dance groups (Fusion (mix of all types), What’s on Tap (tap, obviously), endless Modern groups, etc)—there are also dance studios around the Brown campus.</p>
<p>We also have Trinity Rep (which is where the MFA grad students spend most of their time) right down the hill. They always have something going on for the public to see. It’s great too because sometimes the grad students will write a new play and invite undergrads to come see it and/or they will put on an already produced show (many times ones that aren’t produced enough) and invite us down to see those as well. “Measure for Measure” I hear is up next–a senior showcase I think! And Trinity will premire their interpretation of “The Odd Couple”!</p>
<p>On top of all that, the concentration in Theatre Arts or Performance Studies only require ten courses. This gives you ample room to explore other areas of the University as well! Trust me, you’re going to want to experience something different after a while. Eating food is exactly right when he says that it’s refreshing to experience something else for a change with friends—you really can’t half-ass any theatre here. You have to put your entire self into it or not do it all! That’s what’s so great about Brown theatre!</p>
<p>Plus, if grad school is your thing, Brown consistantly gets its graduates into top acting, directing, production, and playwriting schools each year! Many Brown graduates even continue their graduate studies right here at Trinity!</p>
<p>Oh good God, how could I forget to mention MUSICAL FORUM?!?!?!</p>
<p>Musical Forum is Brown’s student-run musical group on campus that puts on around two musicals every year (last winter they did “Working” and later this month they are doing “Into the Woods”—Sonheim and Maury Yeston came to give lectures, by the way!—totally exciting!). Musical Forum also hosts the yearly Mini-Musical Festival where budding, young musical theatre playwrights (undergrads) produce their work for all to see. This took place like two weeks (?) ago…haha, my sense of time is shot 
They were awesome and super funny this year! Did anyone see FAT CAMP??? Hilarious!</p>
<p><a href=“Web Login Service”>Web Login Service;
<p>I don’t know that I have that much to add - I wasn’t an actor at Brown, and I don’t know all that much about the classroom opportunities, but I did a lot of technical theater gruntwork (and even some real creative work from time to time) and I know a lot of theater people who have recently graduated from Brown.</p>
<p>I would just second AmbitiousMind’s point about the expansiveness of the extracurricular options and eating food’s point about Brown’s position as a ‘theater hot shot’. Re: the former, I’m not sure that I believe that there is anywhere else with as many opportunities to participate in on-campus extracurricular theater as Brown. Simply put, if you want to act in or work on a show every semester, you can, regardless of your skill level. I saw more than 100 shows and worked on more than 20 shows while I was at Brown, and I don’t even consider myself to be someone who was particularly involved. One point I would add to the discussion is that the open curriculum allows you to design in one or more light semesters (either in terms of course load or S/NC use) to concentrate your efforts on your extracurriculars. And, because you can change to S/NC up to a month into the semester and drop a class at any point, you can make course load decisions after auditions have happened.</p>
<p>Re: eating food’s point, Brown and Yale are the Ivys to come out of if you want to do theater. You’ll find ridiculous numbers of Brown alums in grad programs at Tisch et al. My sense is that Brown is thought of as a feeder school of sorts when it comes to these programs. I think, in the end, that one has to choose between (1) a great liberal arts degree now and a conservatory graduate degree later, or (2) full steam ahead into an undergraduate conservatory program. I think there are a lot of reasons to choose the former, but I understand that it’s a personal choice. I should mention that there are people who leave Brown either in the middle of their time or afterwards and go directly to touring casts of Broadway shows and the like, so it’s not as if a conservatory program is a necessity for getting onto stage.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much!! Do you think it is possible to be a successful stage actress without going to grad school? You see, I do not have very much money, and I doubt that I will be able to afford grad school. Also, I was looking at Musical Forum online. How does one go about directing a show? That is something I am very interested in. Do you believe that I would have a better chance at being an actress going to an ivy or a conservatory?</p>
<p>^ I know that usually grad programs (those at NYU and Yale, anyway) are free or close to it. So don’t worry too much about lack of money… NO actor has money :)</p>
<p>As far as being successful without a grad school degree - sure it’s possible. But then again, maybe it won’t be for you… only time will tell.</p>
<p>From what I have been hearing from Profs here and current grad students (and even just from reading arts magazines and such), graduate degrees are actually becoming almost a must for a lot of actors.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, the arts are basically moving away from a “learning by doing” (apprenticeship at theatres until you earn enough respect) and are moving toward the MFA to craft your skills. Everyone I have spoken to says that the MFA is (1) a great networking tool, (2) an awesome way to throw oneself into his craft without having any other cares or worries, and (3) sets each student up for “quick success”. Not necessarily “instant” success, but at most MFA programs, seniors are provided a day called “senior showcase” (or something to that effect) where agents and casting companies and talent scouts and directors of NYC, LA, DC, Philly, Chicago, etc come out just to see YOU (and the other members of your small class—max I have heard of in a program has been about twenty—class sizes are usually capped at 18ish). It’s a great way to get your foot in the door and to hopefully culminate three years of graduate study into you landing yourself a job (or at the very least an agent) right out of grad school! I think that (and the awesome education you will get) is one of the main reasons why people get their MFA. Plus, if you decide that you don’t want to “live the life of an actor” anymore and perhaps you want to teach theatre, that MFA will DEFINITELY come in handy!</p>
<p>If you would like to direct a show at MF (musical forum), you have to “propose to direct”—basically fill out an application. That’s probably the only hard part about getting involved. Lot’s of people (not just for MF shows) want to direct and/or propose their own show so the competition is heavy. It’s great to start applications ASAP and to make sure you dot your “i’s” and cross your “t’s”! Basically, make sure your application is as detailed as possible. Oh, and I think there is an interview process as well–I know for a fact that there is one if you would like to propose a show at PW (Production Workshop).</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the information!</p>