I am quite interested in Circle In The Square Theatre School’s 2-year program, as I have heard it is quite rigorous and an unparalleled experience. Before committing to the 2-year program, I was thinking of participating in the Summer Program to get a better idea of the school’s environment and values. Does anyone know more details about this summer program? Is it a good indicator of the full 2-year experience, and is it worth it?
Lady Gaga was in the Circle In The Square summer program when she was in high school, and speaks highly of it. The school seems like it’s really doing well, since lots of grads are finding work. Two of their alums played leading roles on Broadway this year in My Fair Lady and King Kong, and another is making his Broadway debut this fall in the new Tina Turner musical. They’re also now offering a new BFA in addition to their 2-year certificate program. But if you want to try the school on for size, do the summer program, which should give you a good taste of what’s in store.
Just wrapped up Summer 19 and going into the two year. Circle is a different kind of joint. Here is why ~
Most schools want to impress you. They’ve got the best facilities, updated curriculums, fancy merchandise, cutting edge technical systems, etc. Circle has broken chairs, and no Wi-Fi. It’s in a basement. The air is stale and overcooled. Many of the instructors are old, possibly even difficult to work with at times. There are no grades.
And it could be the best place in America to learn how to act. This is art training we are talking about here. Everyone at the school expects you to be an artist first, no ifs, ands, buts, or complaints. Now they are very compassionate, don’t mistake me. But they expect to see your soul everyday. Why are you hiding that? Don’t you know you have everything the world needs? Your job is essential to the soul of humanity. You are an artist!
The only people that teach at Circle are accomplished professionals who are currently working AND believe in you. There is no comparable experience I’ve had in 15 years of being an actor to this.
Circle is difficult and will make you want to scream. And they will teach you how to scream well. Ultimately, this career is up to you. They understand that. They give you the keys to yourself.
And yes, many of us do go on to have great careers. They don’t hide that fact. After seven weeks there it’s clear to me why. It’s because they are so demanding. The good news is that they teach you how to be demanding of yourself. That’s an incredible feeling.
The summer session is life-changing. We had 12 students, and all of us walked away better humans, better artists, in love with ourselves, unapologetically ready to work.
Awesome review @skyntax1911! Sounds amazing.
Since many of the folks on CC are parents of young actors, could you comment on whether any of the 12 students from this year were early in their careers and how that influenced their experience in the summer intensive, from what you observed?
Also - not to be rude but it sets off some red flags that all three posts on this thread are by CC members with one post each … and they all joined in order to give Circle rave reviews. Did someone at Circle ask you to add a comment on CC or social media describing your experience? So glad you had such a wonderful time there.
Hi @CaMom13 ,
The 12 of us were all at different stages. We ranged in age from 17 years to 28 years. All of us have strong backgrounds in acting or some kind of performance. But that needn’t be necessarily the case. I’m not on the admissions decisions board, but the program is really about soul power and expressing yourself. So I’d say if your young actor is looking to develop their soul power, Circle could be a great option.
One word of advice I’d like to give to parents of young artists is that the training is really just the beginning of the journey. Even after two years, there is work to be done. The process never really ends.
And from my own experience, NYC is too important the artist Mecca to overlook. To hear the actors of Broadway perform above us everyday - It’s a constant reminder that the dream is real and achievable. Only Circle offers that kind of motivation.
And to your question, I admit it! We don’t really have any kind of marketing team so they did ask us to say some words. But they’re our words. We haven’t received a single talking point or script. This really is our experience.
It’s all about fit. If your young actor doesn’t like the summer, I promise it was still worthwhile. Best of luck!
Hello,
I am interested in their program.
The comments on here make it seem like the faculty is old hat and the overall program is terrible.
Any thoughts?
Also, do they offer scholarships for their summer program?