<p>I just graduated from Circle in the Square Theatre School's two-year musical theatre conservatory. My experience was phenomenal, so I want to make sure that their online presence matches the caliber of the program (Circle certainly knows their acting, but not so much their Internet).</p>
<p>If anybody has questions, please feel free to ask. I attended the summer program prior to joining the full-time conservatory, so I can speak to both.</p>
<p>Did you go right after high school? Or did you have some college experience first? How do you think it compared to a college program?</p>
<p>My daughter has a friend who is starting his second year there. He passed on an academic program to go to CITS and he LOVES it, says he has no regrets. Went straight out of HS.</p>
<p>What was the curriculum like? Was there a focus more on dance, singing, acting or a strong mix? We’re there lots of performance opportunities? What did you do for your living situation?</p>
<p>I’m very curious :p</p>
<p>Thanks for the questions, dcsparent! Here we go…</p>
<p>I spent one year at a respected BFA acting program. The following summer, I attended Circle’s summer workshop, and I loved it so much that I decided to leave college to pursue Circle’s full-time conservatory.</p>
<p>How do I think it compares to a college program?</p>
<p>Circle is intense. This is not to say that many college theatre programs aren’t also intense, but I don’t believe that any college program can match Circle in this regard, for a number of reasons (which I’ll detail below).</p>
<p>Alan Langdon, a teacher at Circle, says that the only things that stop you from being the great actor that you already are are fear, shame, and ignorance. In his class, we learn to tell “personal stories” (in front of our classmates) that help connect us to the circumstances of the scene that we’re working on that day. I was given the opportunity to express extremely personal sides of myself. By doing so, I’ve begun breaking down walls and uncovering truths. If great actors are able to be private in public, these are some significant first steps. In Physical Acting, we hold complex poses for long periods of time to build mental and physical stamina. Oftentimes, in the middle of these exercises, we’re asked to go into the text of a scene we’re working on while continuing the physical commitment. These classes, along with tons of others, occur all-day, everyday from around 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It’s EXHAUSTING! And rewarding.</p>
<p>There are no lectures, there’s little in the way of written assignments, and no grades. In fact, it amuses me to think what Circle would have been like had we been graded. A “D” will not encourage someone who’s not passionate about theatre to buckle down and become passionate. And acting certainly isn’t something that one can learn by sitting at a table. Its about YOU, so YOU are your own greatest literature. By nature of the regulations necessary to grant a college degree, one must sacrifice some number of hours to Gen Eds, even in the most “conservatory-style” of BFA programs. If I had Gen Eds sprinkled throughout these physically and mentally demanding days (which I did in my first year at the BFA acting program), I couldn’t have remained focused enough to go through the personally-transformative experience that I did. And, since every hour of every day is available for training, musical theatre students take all of the classes from the acting track PLUS musical theatre.</p>
<p>We’re with nearly the same group of classmates all-day, everyday for two years. Everyone knew what I was going through, because they were simultaneously going through similar experiences. Having said that, we didn’t always get along. And what’s more, when we didn’t get along, we were asked to acknowledge it in our work! These constantly evolving relationships are built on trust and empathy. Such a tight-knit environment can be mimicked, but never replicated in a college theatre program, because a college program exists within a significantly larger student body (the other non-theatre majors at the college). So, when the ensemble is strained, there’s a tendency to want to escape into the crowd, rather than to solve the problem at hand. The first day of our second year, Colin O’Leary, the head of Circle in the Square Theatre School, told us: “you have to work at the working together.” And Alan Langdon often warns us that actors are quick to “take the easy, and the easy side of easy.” The word “conservatory” means that we’re locked-in together for a couple of years while we work on ourselves and our craft.</p>
<p>Some will say: “That’s limiting-- this is the time when you should be meeting all kinds of different people and learning about all kinds of different things. Great actors are well-rounded.” Here’s the fault in that logic. Actually, first off, here’s the accurate part: it’s true: great actors DO love learning about different things. They DO love meeting all kinds of different people, and they often ARE considered well-rounded. This is why it makes me crazy when I hear people say: “if you can see yourself doing other things, then DON’T be an actor.” I am an actor BECAUSE I can see myself doing other things. That’s what acting is! The problem is in the way that many people picture conservatories. A great acting conservatory is not the equivalent of a technical school. It’s not: “do this, then this, then this, and you’ll be an actor.” Acting is about life! A great acting conservatory should help you live better. Sounds kind of grandiose, but seriously! The unexamined life is not worth living. Also, consider that the program lasts a maximum of two years. If one wants to become GREAT at anything, one has to, at some point, immerse her or himself in it, with total commitment. If you attend Circle and find that you don’t want to be an actor, then it was probably worthwhile-- you learned something. What would be more depressing-- at least, what would be more depressing to me, would be to regret that I never made the total commitment to see where a curiosity would take me.</p>
<p>Circle in the Square Theatre School is located in a Broadway theatre. Obviously, no other theatre school can touch Circle on this point. Theatre students across the country and around the world dream of making it to Broadway. Circle students are already here, and we’re able to take full advantage of it: we have the opportunity to work and act on a Broadway stage; my musical theatre showcase took place on Broadway; when there’s a Broadway show in the theatre, we coexist with Broadway cast and crew. Oh, and we often get free tickets.</p>
<p>My final point is a bit of a detachment from your question, but I think it’s worth noting: Circle does not worship any particular famous, dead acting teacher, as many other New York City conservatories do. All of these respected teachers have something to contribute, but none of them knew it all. You and Meisner are not the same person, so what worked for him, or what worked for Stella Adler, or for Strasberg, probably won’t fit you without alterations. That being said, we learned about all of these methods, some really eclectic ways of working, and ideas conceived of by current members of the remarkable faculty.</p>
<p>As you can probably tell, I love Circle in the Square Theatre School, and I want to make sure that everyone knows about it. Please let me know if you have any more questions. TheatreG14: You’re next! But first, sleep. And to those who haven’t commented yet: please do!</p>
<p>It is so nice of you to share your experiences in depth. Great post. </p>
<p>I live in Vermont. My daughter was fortunate that her voice teacher for five years here in VT, Bill Reed, was on the faculty at CITS. He used to commute back and forth to NYC. Also, her acting coach for college auditions was Alan Langdon from CITS, who also commutes to his home in VT on weekends. Also, faculty from CITS come up here each year to give a MT workshop that my D got to do twice. She was lucky to work with both of these teachers from CITS, given we live in a rural area. She now lives in NYC.</p>
<p>Thank you for all this information. It sounds like a very good alternative for my son who is very lukewarm about school but loves the theater.</p>
<p>What about housing? Do students have to find their own place to live in NYC? Thanks.</p>
<p>Yes, CITS students do have to obtain their own housing. CITS does not provide housing. They might have lists of students looking for roommates or other resources. </p>
<p>This type of arrangement is similar to CAP21 Professional Degree program…find your own housing.</p>
<p>Thanks, soozievt!</p>
<p>TheatreG14 and actor12:
As soozievt mentioned, Circle does not provide housing. However, they do provide a password-protected online housing board for accepted students and alumni. There’s also a “Gypsy Housing” Facebook group (for NYC performing artists to post and seek housing): <a href=“https://www.facebook.com/groups/gypsyhousing/[/url]”>https://www.facebook.com/groups/gypsyhousing/</a> And there’s Craigslist, which I’ve used twice to find great living arrangements.</p>
<p>TheatreG14:
What was the curriculum like?</p>
<h2>This is what my first year schedule looked like:</h2>
<p>Monday:
10-11 Voice (speaking, not singing)
11-12 Alexander Technique
12-1 Seminar - an opportunity for talk-backs with working alumni and master classes with the industry. Highlights from my year: Judith Light (who came back several times), Matthew Lillard, Patrick Fischler, and Michael Rispoli
1-3:30 Scene Study (or, as Alan prefers to call it, “Me Study,” or “A Journey Toward You”)
3:30-4:30 Speech
4:30-6 Technique (“Technique” class is acting technique)</p>
<p>Tuesday:
9-10 Voice
10:30-11:50 Dance
12-1:30 Singing Technique
1:30-2:30 Mask (first-year mask uses the neutral mask)
2:30-4 Singing Interpretation
4-6 Workshop (an opportunity to work with anyone on any scene that interests you)</p>
<p>Wednesday:
11-12 Physical Acting
12:30-2 Speech
2-3:30 Technique</p>
<p>Thursday:
9-10 Voice
10-11 Classical Text
11-12 Physical Acting
12:30-2 Singing Interpretation
3-4:30 Dance</p>
<p>Friday:
<strong><em>7:30-9 Advanced Dance (I was not in this class, but it was recently added to the schedule, and I think it’s worth mentioning)</em></strong>
9-10 Music Theory
10-11 Text Analysis
11-12 Voice
12:30-2 Combat
2-3 Singing Technique</p>
<h2>3:30-5 Speech</h2>
<h2>And this is what my second year schedule looked like:</h2>
<p>Monday:
10:30-12 Singing Interpretation
12-1 Seminar
1-2:30 Shakespeare
3-4:30 Physical Acting
4:30-6 Mask (beyond neutral)
6-8 Professional Orientation</p>
<p>Tuesday:
8:30-11 Musical Theatre Scene Study
11-12 Voice
12-1 Speech
2-4 European Scene Study
4:15-5:45 Acting Technique</p>
<p>Wednesday:
9-10:30 Shakespeare
10:40-12 Dance for Actors
1-2:30 Acting Technique
2:30-4 Speech
4-5:30 Singing Technique</p>
<p>Thursday:
9-10:20 Dance for Actors
10:30-12 Singing Interpretation
12-2 European Scene Study
2:30-3:30 Singing Technique
5-6 Voice</p>
<p>Friday:
<strong><em>7:30-9 Advanced Dance (I was not in this class, but it was recently added to the schedule, and I think it’s worth mentioning)</em></strong>
10-11 Clown/Comedy/Improv
11-12 Music Theory
3-4:30 Physical Acting</p>
<h2>4:30-5:30 Voice</h2>
<p>Was there a focus more on dance, singing, acting or a strong mix?</p>
<p>The focus is on acting across all disciplines (if I wasn’t afraid of sounding pretentious, I would say that the focus is on “learning all about your instrument”). So, when we’re singing and dancing, or when we’re doing anything on stage, we’re doing it for a reason. You can see from the schedule that Circle dedicates less time to dance technique and singing technique-- however, our dance teacher teaches Dance for Actors at Juilliard and our singing technique teacher is the composer/lyricist of “Wanda’s World,” a Drama Desk nominated musical that ran off-Broadway. If you do want some extra vocal/dance work, you might consider supplementing these classes with private singing lessons, or purchasing a class card to one of the many NYC dance studios. Singing Interpretation is very well represented in the curriculum. In fact, in addition to the official Singing Interpretation and Musical Theatre Scene Study classes, we were able to work on songs in many of our other acting classes.</p>
<p>We’re there lots of performance opportunities?</p>
<p>Not during the year, but quite a few as the year came to an end. First year students have a cabaret, a scene night, and a dance presentation (no industry), and second year students have a musical theatre showcase and a scene night (for industry). In addition, second year students put on around four faculty-directed productions (a mixture of musicals and straight plays) at the end of the year. These productions take place on Circle in the Square’s Broadway stage, and first year students are often able to participate in smaller roles.</p>
<p>Question on!</p>
<p>Do you get a sense of how competitive you will be among all those BFA graduates?</p>
<p>As a result of our industry showcase, over seventy-five percent of my classmates are already either freelancing with agents and/or managers or signed with an agent and/or manager. Three of my classmates were selected for “Broadway’s Rising Stars,” and some are already working in NYC-based productions. In fact, one is executive producing a three-night musical theatre festival featuring Laura Osnes, among others (including two of my classmates).</p>
<p>I’d like to remain anonymous, but I’d also like to brag a bit. So… I’m freelancing with some agents, I’ve had great auditions, participated in a new musical theatre festival and a children’s play, had lines on an episode of an upcoming television show on a well-known network, and I was most recently cast in an awesome role in a feature film (with an extremely respected director and cast) that begins shooting next month and premieres nationwide next year. And it’s only been a bit over three months since we graduated and finished our second year workshop productions. Quite remarkable, huh?</p>
<p>Oh, and some of my classmates get to be in “Otello” at the Metropolitan Opera, thanks to our Lifetime Achievement Tony Award-winning stage combat teacher, B.H. Barry.</p>
<p>That sounds great! Congratulations!</p>
<p>Thanks, dcsparent!</p>
<p>Circle, CITS sounds like a truly amazing program. But I’m concerned about the fact that it’s not degree granting. That seems very risky unless money is not an issue. Can I ask you a few questions:
<p>He’d be taking a huge loan for no degree, which is stressful. I didn’t see any scholarships/grants available but maybe I’m missing something. So I guess besides the affordability itself, the socioeconomic make up of the group is my biggest concern and - if he got in - whether my S could feel truly part of the group. Again, I’m NOT saying people would intentionally exclude at all, only that it can feel very isolating if everyone around you is from a different socioeconomic group. Can you speak to that?</p>
<p>Keep in mind that SOME students at CITS already have a college degree and go to CITS to get the acting or MT training. Others are attending CITS in lieu of college.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to the affluence or not of CITS students but I don’t see it all that different than at many colleges and if anything, parents who are paying for CITS (or even students who are contributing funds to their education) only are paying two years for tuitiion, room and board and so it is already much cheaper than a four year BA or BFA degree!</p>
<p>connections:</p>
<p>“How much did it end up costing you per year including room/board/incidentals/supplies?”</p>
<p>Tuition: $15,000 per year for the musical theatre workshop
Housing (including heat, water, gas, electricity, and Internet): $600 to $1100 per month
Incidentals: I can feed myself on $280 per month
Supplies: around $150 per year
Headshots (you’ll only need these for your second year): $600-$1100
Headshot Reproductions (you’ll only need these for your second year): $300</p>
<p>“How did you find housing and how hard was it to get?”</p>
<p>When I first moved to NYC for the summer program, I stayed at Educational Housing Services (student housing). It’s rather pricey, and in retrospect, I don’t recommend it, or any of the other student housing facilities. I found subsequent apartments through Craigslist. In fact, I’m typing this response from the apartment that I’ve lived in for almost two years. It’s a good apartment: it was furnished before I moved in, so there was no need to buy my own bed; my roommate and I have separate bedrooms; it’s in a safe area; and I’ve never even needed to commit to a lease (I’m technically still subletting from my roommate’s former roommate). I’m moving to a new apartment, which I also found on Craigslist, on October 1. It’s not difficult to find housing, it just takes time. In essence, it becomes your day job for a couple of weeks. I recommend arriving in NYC a few weeks before Circle begins to search Circle’s online housing database (which you’ll gain access to upon being accepted), Craigslist, and the “Gypsy Housing” group on Facebook: <a href=“https://www.facebook.com/groups/gypsyhousing/[/url]”>https://www.facebook.com/groups/gypsyhousing/</a>. If you see something that interests you, I recommend contacting the poster immediately to setup a time to check it out. If you wait even a few hours, the offer will probably be gone.</p>
<p>“A blunt question: Did you find most students were well off or supported by their parents and did not have to worry about money?”</p>
<p>No, financial backgrounds run the gamut. Some of my classmates even worked night-shifts in order to pay for their expenses (long days, indeed). Circle additionally offers a work-study program. There is occasional weekend socializing, and this often takes place at bars. Having said that, I don’t drink at all, and I never felt excluded from the social scene. That is to say, I never felt that I needed to purchase anything in order to have fun or to be considered “part of the family.” Okay, okay- there was one time when I wasn’t allowed into a bar because the bouncer checked my ID and noticed that I hadn’t turned 21. That night, I felt excluded.</p>
<p>Wow Circle, thanks for the detailed response. All good info. That’s cool they give work study. This all sounds reassuring and doable. I’ll be passing along this info to my S. Congrats on your own successes and best wishes on your future career!</p>