i recently have been offered spots in both Roosevelt university and montclair state university BFA acting programs. However i need help choosing. I know that CCPA has great connections with the chicago theatre scene but MSU is close to New york and unlike CCPA, they have a NY showcase which is important to me. Can someone shed more light of these programs and their reputations. Also if there are any other decision factors worth mentioning please do (Alumni, performance opportunity ect. Thank you
Hi @datheatrekid. My son is a junior at CCPA in acting. One difference is that Montclair is CLOSE to New York, but CCPA is actually in Chicago. You can easily walk to Actors Equity, Chicago Shakespeare, the Goodman Theater from campus and be at maybe 100 other theaters in less than half an hour by El, so auditioning for summer stuff is pretty uncomplicated. I do not know much about the acting program at Montclair – maybe others can chime in – but the training at CCPA is very good, and, as you say, they are very, very connected in Chicago. My son has a lot of friends who are recent graduates and working consistently in Chicago theater. There is a Chicago showcase, but not NYC. A good number of them (not sure the exact percentage) get CHicago-based agents through the showcase. It is much easier to get seen at Chicago auditions than NYC ones – if you are EMC, you can get seen almost anywhere, and even non-equity can usually get in if they’re willing to wait. That said, I believe that Montclair is pretty good, much cheaper and somewhat more generous with financial aid.
Thank you! this definatly gives me a lot more to consider @Jkellynh17
I can put you in touch with my son, if you want more information.
that would be awesome, thank you! @Jkellynh17