Hi!
So it’s my senior year and I recently had a MAJOR change of heart; I was going to get a normal degree in theatre studies but now I’m thinking a BFA in acting is more suited for what I want.
One of the schools I’m looking at is Calarts and I was wondering if anyone had any information on it? Like what are the acting programs like? And more specifically, tips on how to do the audition and get in? What do they look for in a candidate?
Sorry if this is vague, but I’d appreciate any input! Thanks so much!
Hi! The CalArts BFA Acting program unfortunately has been changing a lot from what they advertised. The training itself is very classical: first year American modern playwrights, second year Shakespeare, third year Europeans (Chekhov/Ibsen or surrealists), fourth year showcase. Nothing experimental about the program, despite of what you might have heard. Other classes include voice (Linklater/Roy Hart), speech (Skinner, IPA) and movement (Yoga, tai chi, pilates, modern dance, Grotowski, Alexander technique). Honestly, the program has been changing so much that it is hard to know what to expect each year.
The plays are a different story. Some of them are more experimental than others (by experimental I mean unconventional ways of telling a story, most of them are very visual-heavy). You can only start auditioning for shows in your second year and most people (I’d say about 60% of students) don’t get cast. It is possible to go all four years without getting cast in a show.
They used to let students do their own work, but that is not the reality anymore. Actually, there is the New Works Festival every year which shows student work, but other than that you would have to fight really hard to put on your own show.
They treat BFA students like children and faculty/staff communication with students is terrible (which means that you might not be informed of something very important and then find out about it once it’s already happening). With the exception of a few teachers, you will be more “threatened” and penalized than complemented on your good work.
The environment is competitive and teachers value the individual over the ensemble.
No, you can’t take classes in other departments. If you try really really hard you might, but chances are the heads of the program are going to make countless excuses for you not to take other classes.
The “CalArts Mafia” is a real thing and most CalArtians find themselves relying on a network of people from the school once they graduate. Most teachers and guest directors are CalArts alumni.
Most of the actors I know are some of the smartest people in the school. They are always participating in discussions and have a very critical perspective of things. They are also some of the most active and focused people, as well as some of the most emotionally disturbed and complicated people. There is definitely a niche of people for every kind of actor out there, even if you’re the type of person that only wants to party and do drugs all the time (I wouldn’t advise it…)
Valencia is an awful city to live in. Yep.
Overall, training is very good, anything outside of that (except the social life perhaps) is pretty bad.
If you tell me what you are looking for, I can tell you if CalArts is a good fit for you or not. Generally the people who get in are either super talented, have an amazing personality (driven to do work, to experience new things, etc) or both. Very few people with almost no experience, and those are usually the “naturally gifted” ones.
If you can prepare your audition focusing only on CalArts, I would prepare a Shakespeare piece that fits your age/gender and a contemporary piece that is super different/uncommon, preferably that is also very physical.
Hi! Thank you so much for the input; I’m sad to hear the program has changed, but this is very helpful information!
I’m generally looking for a school that has intensive training that will better my acting. But I also want a good community of students and teachers (I was attracted to calarts because I’d heard the community is very creative). I’d also like a place that would offer connections and opportunities (there’s not much available where I live unfortunately (Wisconsin). I’m a bit bummed that you’re unable to take classes from other departments, as I was hoping to take some writing classes, but ah well.
And thanks so much for the advice on the audition! I’ll make sure to look and pick something few people have done.
Wisconsin Stevens Point has a pretty good BFA program. In terms of super-edgy, modern-leaning programs, you might want to look into SUNY-Purchase (very tough to get in) and PACE. If you’re okay with a BA, rather than a BFA, there are tons of programs that will let you minor and/or double major in English…Fordham has a pretty good writing program, as I understand it. People have mentioned Bennington, Muhlenberg and Brown as undergraduate programs with a strong writing component, too. (My kid is at CCPA which is straight conservatory, but he wrote a ten-minute play that got included in the student-written showcase…he doesn’t have any writing classes anymore though.)
Take a look at The New School for Drama. They offer a BFA in Dramatic Arts which offers acting, playwriting, and directing–in addition to be able to take classes across the New School colleges (Eugene Lang, Parsons, etc.). Plus, you get the advantage of being in NYC. If you’re more of an actor, then focus on acting. If you find yourself gravitating toward writing, then do that. This was my daughter’s #2 school (she was accepted). They also seemed to offer quite a bit in scholarship money, have good connected resources (the students are meeting Helen Mirren TODAY actually!), and a pretty decent acceptance rate. D has a few friends in the program.
She chose the Boston Conservatory BFA Contemporary Theater in it’s place (was her #1 choice). Also solid acting training (but no classical focus), and emphasis is HEAVILY on experimental theater and ensemble. Stanislavski, Grotowski, Linklater are used much of the first year, but also opportunities for writing and collaborative theater.
Calarts was #3 on my Ds list. She auditioned but was not accepted. Milkshakespeare has been the resident expert on the Calarts program and while I am sad/disappointed for her on her most recent perspective, I would take it to heart. My D agreed that she has heard much of the same and is ultimately happy she didn’t get to keep Calarts in the mix. Just wouldn’t have been the right fit for her based on what she was really looking for (which was far more like Boco and The New School).
Good luck on your search!
Yes, I was sorry to read @Milkshakespeare’s post as well. Hope you’re doing okay. You’ve been such a great asset to this board, and you’ve got a lot of fans.
Wow, thank you so much for all the suggestions! I’ll definitely look into them!
I’ve heard some things about UW-Stevens Point, and being able to stay close to home would be great for personal and financial reasons, so it’s definitely on my list! I’d just have to find out more about its opportunities and program and etc. Overall, I’m just looking for a place with a great program and a good community. New school sounds like it could be a really good fit for me, so I’ll have to look more into it! And taking some writing classes would be really great, but I’m more interested in acting than I am in writing (writing is more of a passionate hobby of mine that I’d ~like~ to attempt to make something out of, but not too fixed on it; so an attraction of calarts was that I’d be able to take one or two of their renowned writing classes).
CalArts was at the top of my daughter’s list and she just started there this week! She is loving it so far. Her studio group is great. The things that my daughter loved about CalArts going in were its classical BFA training, but at an arts school with a reputation for avant garde work. My daughter has worked with CalArts students in the past, and has always loved their spirit and sense of adventure – a willingness to try anything. @milkshakespeare , what happened? You were such a booster for the school! Sorry to hear you are not so happy. So far my daughter loves it and finds the community strange, wonderful, and nurturing. She also applied and got into the New School for Drama, but their program isn’t as focused on acting and seemed a little vague when we visited and spoke with students. I would echo milkshakes suggestion for auditioning at CalArts – get a solid Shakespeare monologue and a contemporary piece by a currant playwright – check out the New Dramatist for ideas. Also be prepared to do your monologue in several different ways, be open to adjustments.
Oh and my daughter is taking a film class this semester, so you can take classes in other departments if it fits into your schedule.
Look into CCM Drama. I’m a big advocate for the program and it’s just gotten better as time has gone by!
First Year: Viewpoints, Suzuki, Laban, and Meisner
Second Year: Stanislavski, Meisner, and more Laban
Third Year: Chekhov and Stage Combat
Fourth Year: Styles
Shakespeare work in Voice class, all four years.
Everyone gets cast in the main productions as least three times (it’s a requirement) and most are cast every semester. We do a new works festival, 48 hour film festival, and a departmental film. We are small, 48 people throughout the four years this year, so we get a lot of personal attention from a very caring and talented faculty.
Message me if you have any more questions!
I think what @josh703 says is critical…getting stage time to practice what you learn in studio. Small department, individual attention, networking are all vital parts of your education. The real world will be upon you before you know it and casting and performing while in college is important. JMHO
@astute12 The New School seemed a little loosey-goosey to me, too. Most parents I know also had the same impression. However, if a student is very driven and can create a framework within a less-prescribed environment, there are many aspects of it that are hugely appealing.
Oh thanks for the input! I’m glad to hear that you CAN fit in classes if it works out with your schedule; and the community is one of the reasons I’m attracted to it, so I’m glad to hear that! I’ll check out New Dramatist, thanks for the suggestion; I’m thinking of doing a monologue by Olivia from Twelfth Night (but I don’t know if that’d be overdone or not) Thanks for the tips!
And ahh really? I haven’t heard much of New School, so thank you for the heads up. I’m able to work independently very well, if necessary, and I am very driven, but but I’d prefer a stronger student and teacher body with rigorous work and framework myself.
And I’ll look into it!
Most of the age-appropriate Shakespeare monologues get done, but I don’t think it matters that much…I mean, how are you going to find a Shakespeare monologue people don’t know? (You could go to other classical playwrights – the greeks, Moliere, Christopher Marlowe etc. but it’s still probably going to be a mono that experienced auditors know very well.) Just find one that resonates with you.
CalArts requires a Shakespeare, and I agree that it is impossible to find one people don’t know, so go for one that resonates with you, as @Jkellynh17 suggests. My daughter did one from Titus Andronicus because she loved the dark aspects of the play and the fact that it was a lesser performed work of his. Of course as soon as she decided it seemed like all our local theatres were doing productions of Titus!
Ah, that’s true; I’ll look around a bit for something that I might relate to more, but I guess I’ll just go for it then!
And ah it always seems to work out like that! You think you find something unique and then bam, everyone else seems to be doing it as well, haha
There’s also NYU/Tisch. The ETW and Playwrights Horizons studios would probably be appealing.
@mrfj18 The community at CalArts is super creative. There’s always something going on around campus and there are amaaaaazing people to collaborate with. I’m sorry my previous post was such a downer, I just think the school sells an idea that is not what they are actually giving to the students. And that is why I am very disappointed with this program (which is not to say that it’s not a good program! It’s just completely different than what I was told I was gonna get) @astute12 @Jkellynh17
That being said, you most definitely can do writing at CalArts. There is a strong MFA Creative Writing program in the School of Critical Studies and most of their teachers also teach the general eduaction classes (or as we call them, critical studies classes). After your first year you can also take graduate-level classes as well as choose a mentor for an independent study (I am writing a full-length play this semester for credit as an independent study).
And for those of you asking, I am doing just fine! I learned how to navigate through the bureaucracy and get what I want, despite the difficulties. Every school has their problems and I feel like we don’t hear about them in depth around CC, just thought it would be important to bring up some of CalArts problems.
And @mfrj18 you sound to me like a good fit for CalArts. I like saying to people that our program works like this: if you only do your requirements, you will get about 20% of what the school has to offer. That’s what most people are going to tell you to do: “just do your requirements, just focus on that”. And that is because a lot of incompetent students from previous years weren’t even able to do even that. CalArts chose lazy people for their program and now the new students (who are very dedicated) are paying the price. But if you break the wall and fight for your rights to study writing and whatever else you want to do, you will get so much more out of it and then it will be worth it.
CalArts is a school originally designed for mature-minded people. None of your teachers are going to say “oh poor thing, you didn’t do your homework”. Most are not even going to care. They hold you accountable for everything you are asked to do and if you don’t do it…they’ll probably never want to work with you again. That’s why we don’t have grades and they really don’t matter. What matters the most is your professional preparedness and attitude.
If nothing else, you know the training you’re getting is good. Most of our 2015 graduates are working and/or have agents and/or have joined theater companies. Most of our teachers are brilliant. The problem is that most of the administrators are also artists, and artists are not usually good at handling business stuff.
Your remarks are spot on @milkshakespeare ! My daughter was trying to find out about what she needed for a CS class and was frustrated that it took so long for admin to get back to her and I commented, “well what do you expect when the admin are working artists!” That part of it aside, my d has been told by several students and faculty that CalArts is what you make of it – if you are lazy and unmotivated you are not going to get anything out of the program. It is definitely a school for a more mature kid who really knows that they want to be an artist. I also think that sense of total freedom is overwhelming for some of the younger (18/19 year olds) who are experiencing life away from home for the first time. For my d it has been amazing.