CalArts or CCPA (Roosevelt) for BFA Acting?

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p>Hi everyone! I've been reading forums on this site religiously since my sophomore year but I've never gotten around to actually posting anything myself until now. So first of all, nice to meet everyone! Anyhow, I've officially heard back from all my colleges and now am narrowing it down between CalArts and CCPA's BFA Acting programs. </p>

<p>I considered CalArts to be one of my top schools from the beginning, and it still is, but upon further review (and after seeing the price tag of a school like that) my parents have been trying to persuade me otherwise. I love the idea of a school that takes a more individualistic, experimental approach to acting, and I love the concept of the school really focusing on originality over type, but I don't fully understand just what exactly their experimental approach fully entails (are we talking absurdist theatre, Joseph Chakin, Gratowski, contact improv, commedia dell'arte, a combo of some of those, or something entirely different?) which makes it difficult for me to judge if it would be a truly good fit. I can't shadow the school because I live in Atlanta and I'm already in a ton of debt from plane tickets and hotel room costs of the Unified auditions and headshots and such, so if there's anyone out there who can expand a bit on what exactly the CalArts teaching is like, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, I know there are something like 40 or so students who get accepted to the Acting major, which makes me wonder if all the students receive ample amounts of performance opportunity/individual attention. I know I should pick a school based on the teaching, not the performance aspect, but I don't want to leave the school feeling unprepared to go into a career in theatre because I only performed in one or two shows throughout my entire college career. Another thing I love about this school is that I'm biracial, and I know a lot of schools out there don't participate in blind casting but this school does, which is really important to me, because I've been denied many a role in productions based simply on the fact that I'm half black.</p>

<p>Roosevelt wasn't originally a school that was really in the running for me when I started looking at colleges, but the more I look at it the more I'm wondering if perhaps it's a wiser investment for me to attend the BFA program here instead. The faculty seems to really care about each and every student (which is very important to me in choosing a college) and I've noticed that they all have been very helpful in terms of making sure to answer any and all questions I have for them regarding anything and everything in the college selection process. Also they've given me a very generous scholarship amount, which means it would be a lot less of a financial burden for my family and for me if I chose to attend CCPA instead. I do worry about the acting training a bit because I know they also have a BFA MT program (and I've noticed that a lot of schools with BFA MT programs tend to sort of push the acting majors aside, which is a bit worrying for me) and I know that the MT's and Acting majors have acting classes together, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just makes me worry that I wouldn't be getting the proper level of attention and training that I'd like. And another thing that turns me off from this school is that it's not that I think they have a reputation for being less selective than CalArts, per se, but rather I personally know of a lot of people who have been accepted there. That doesn't mean they're not selective, of course, I just wonder if there's a possibility that it's easier to get into than a lot of the other BFA programs, and if I'd be doing myself a disservice to go to a school that was less selective (if it even is less selective, I honestly don't know if it is).</p>

<p>I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining about these schools because I honestly adore both of them and I'm trying to be picky now to make sure that I end up at the right school for me personally. Ultimately, I want good training, regardless of the price tag, so that does play a factor in which school I choose, but not a huge factor. If CalArts is a better fit for me, I don't mind being in a lot of debt and working long hours to make sure that I get the best acting training for me. Any and all insight and advice you all have into both of these schools would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance! :)</p>

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<p>I’m sure milkshakespeare will chime in. She has said that the actor training at CalArts is of the normal variety, though the productions are experimental.</p>

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<p>Hey @jeveuxtonamour ! I’m a BFA1 actor at CalArts and I guess I can answer some of your questions. Honestly, this is kind of hard for me because if I were in your situation, I personally wouldn’t take out gigantic loans to go to school. That being said, I believe that after the first year (if you do well, of course) CalArts can raise the financial aid they give you to meet your needs.</p>

<p>As for the training, it varies according to the teacher you have. Especifically for the BFA1s: Andrea is an actor, so she teaches from that perspective. She combines Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, Viewpoints and some other techniques (“Whatever works for you”). She also really likes non-naturalistic scenes. Nataki is a director with a very specific way of working which I wouldn’t know how to describe. She uses a lot of Grotowski-based exercises. Both encourage physicality and experimentation, and they both choose modern/contemporary American theater scenes for the first years. Second year is Shakespeare. Third year is Ibsen, Chekhov and the other Europeans. Fourth year is showcase. The training is pretty round and we have all the classes that everyone has plus some other “alternative” ones. We have voice (Linklater, Roy Hart), speech (IPA, Skinner and dialects), yoga, t’ai chi and in later years we have other movement classes (including Alexander and Grotowski. It varies by year), Acting for the Camera and some other electives.</p>

<p>What is experimental at CalArts are the shows. Because of that, some of the shows are amazing and some are…not so much. Haha. But they’re all interesting and the processes are a learning lesson to all people involved, including the crew. I think that makes it a nice combination, you can do “classical” stuff in studio and “crazy” stuff in shows.</p>

<p>As for them accepting 40 students, don’t be scared by that. All the studios have 13 people or less, which is a big number, but so far I have been able to perform in studio at least once a week and get private tutorials with my teacher at least once for each scene that I’ve had. Plus, they have a mentorship program, which means that you’ll be assigned a mentor (usually your studio teacher) that will “take care of you”. They have weekly faculty meetings and they talk about everyone individually and your mentor will have meetings with you whenever you want to talk about how you’re doing in school and in your personal life. They really care about us here and I can’t even count how many times I’ve run to my mentor to cry on her shoulder and to get things off my chest that were not even related to theater.</p>

<p>And as for casting, there is no guaranteed casting and some people may not be cast every semester. But its rare that people who WANT to act spend a semester without doing any shows, because students usually do their own productions. CalArts is a school that if you can’t find performing opportunities, you make your own. You’ll find also that usually the student-run productions are the most interesting ones. We also have the New Works Festival, which happens at the end of the year and it’s mandatory for every student in the Theater School. New Works is run by students and it is a festival with new plays, performances, installations, etc made by students across the board.</p>

<p>Basically, CalArts is for the artist who is driven, passionate and has a vision of what they want for their art and for the world. I wrote more about the “CalArts type” here: <a href=“School's "Type" - #4 by milkshakespeare - Theater/Drama Majors - College Confidential Forums”>School's "Type" - #4 by milkshakespeare - Theater/Drama Majors - College Confidential Forums;

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<p>Hi @jveuxtonamour, I don’t know exactly what CCPA’s acting curriculum is, but if you pm me I can put you in touch with my son, who is a freshman acting major. Good luck to you. Two pretty solid choices there, hard to see how you could go wrong.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much for the info, everyone! </p>

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<p>jeveuxtonamour - think long and hard about taking on student loans for basically the same training. I work in New York City and there are actors and actresses who cannot even go to many auditions because they need to work at their day job(s) in order to pay their bills. </p>

<p>The restaurant across the street from my office has a girl who went to a very prestigous school and dropped out and now her full-time job is a hostess at a tiny Japanese restaurant. Plus, I’m not sure if you want theatre or film, but in NYC, the open calls are at 11:00 or at 1:00 and since the entire wait staff are actors and actresses, the manager needs someone to wait on the customers during lunchtime, so they can’t let every single waiter and waitress get off from work to go to every audition that they would like to go to. There is very little work in your field and I’d hate to see you five years from now not being able to go on an audition because you need the money from your day job in order to pay your rent, and food, and then student loans on top of that.</p>

<p>Think long-term: your goal is to work as an actor or actress, not as a waiter or waitress. Not that there is anything wrong with being a waiter or waitress; it’s an honest profession. But being in debt after you graduate vs. not being in debt can make a big difference in your ability to have choices after you graduate. It can be the difference between pursuing your goals, or giving up your dream because you can’t afford to pursue your dream.</p>

<p>You should call both schools, speak to current students, voice your concerns to CCPA about Acting possibly taking a back seat to MT, etc. and get the answers you need. Don’t guess - call the schools, speak to the students and find the best fit for you. I understand that at CCPA there may be opportunities to work professionally while still in college - a big plus in my mind to get out there and really see what it’s like in “the real world” as an actor. </p>

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<p>I know nothing about Calarts, but just visited CCPA. My impression is they are a good school.<br>
The dorms are new and fabulous.<br>
The facilities are not that great. The “MainStage” is more like a blackbox. While we were touring we asked about how they put on shows, given the space limitations and the kids working on the set let us know that the person in charge is amazing and they do all kinds of really neat things to make it work. Sounded like a lot of learning going on to me.<br>
The really awesome theatre there doesn’t belong to the school, it is it’s own nonprofit I think, but the students do put on a show there once a year maybe?
The faculty are quite skilled and experienced and it was my understanding that they do a good job of fielding opportunities for kids from the nearby theatre community. </p>

<p>I got the feeling that CCPA is one of those programs that can be great or not, that you get out of it, what you put into it. </p>

<p>As a parent, I’ve appreciated a transparent and honest interaction with the staff and leadership. </p>

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<p>The O’Malley Theater is not a black box theatre, that is the Miller Theatre. “The Theatre Conservatory’s Mainstage performance space is the O’Malley Theatre, a semi-thrust 210-seat venue presenting six productions and the Graduating Students Showcase each season. With a raised platform stage and vaulted seating, the theatre is equipped with a technical grid, catwalk, production booth, and optional elevated orchestra pit.”</p>

<p>The kids worship the set designer, Michael Lasswell, and Steven Kruse who do magical things with stagecraft.</p>

<p>They just announced their 2012-15 productions:
Putnam County Spelling Bee
Assassins
As You Like It
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
You Can’t Take It With You
Wild Party
and a few showcases, one of which is upper classmen-written short plays performed by the freshman acting students.
Not sure if there are other straight plays.</p>

<p>Freshman participate in a fall and spring showcase, then as sophomores and up all students are required to audition for all productions. CCPA has guaranteed casting per semester. And as upper classmen (with prior permission) they can audition in the Chicago community and the school actively seeks to get the students into internships in Chicago. </p>

<p>And yes, the showcase VIVID is performed in the gorgeous Roosevelt Auditorium and includes both Music Conservatory voice/opera major performances and Theatre Conservatory MT majors. </p>

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<p>Very amped about the new season.</p>

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<p>I left one off the list. They are doing Picnic in the spring as well. Thanks for the update @jkellynh17!</p>

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<p>AND School for Scandal and Circle of Chalk! Sorry. D wasn’t very thorough when she sent me the list!</p>

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<p>My S and @austinmt’s D are excited about different plays!</p>

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<p>I love Picnic! Can we just move to Chicago for S and D’s sophomore year @jkellynh17? You know they would love having us there… 8-| </p>

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<p>We’re kind of thinking about it…S thinks we’re joking. </p>

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<p>Thanks for the correction @austinmt, I didn’t intend to offend anyone. </p>

<p>Compared to the theatre we are familiar with, it is more like our black box than the MainStage. I know very little about what specific details qualify a theatre to be called one type or another. Our high school black box has many of the same features you mention and seats about 200. Our MainStage seats 600 and is referred to by others as a “broadway style” theatre. </p>

<p>I do know some of the students on the tour and some of the faculty we spoke with felt the facilities are not CCPA’s strongest attribute. </p>

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<p>Not offended at all! The Miller theater (their other venue) is definitely a traditional black box. </p>

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<p>It’s not the box. It’s what you put in it.</p>