<p>HDparker – I lived in Cleveland Heights in 84, right off of Coventry, loved it.</p>
<p>I just had a quick question regarding some of the smaller conservatories like UNCSA… Because it is a small school, when they put on shows, is it the same group of people who come to watch the show? It seems in a larger school like NYU, BU etc. there would be a lot more people to draw from considering the size. I don’t know if it is a good thing or negative, but just curious how this works. Is a conservatory like Purchase, CMU, and UNCSA more focused on training rather than putting on shows? Do kids get to put on their own shows?</p>
<p>GCMom, I was just kidding. But I did feel the school had a vibe when we visited and I have spoken to kids who go/ went there.
The BFA program may be very isolated, so it may not matter as much, but I did get a dark, negative, grungy, druggy vibe. I said this on anther thread, but even our tour guide seemed unhappy with the school. I have a friend who teaches regular academics there, and she confirmed this. BUT, she is not in the drama dept. or any of the arts, so she gets a different type of student.
What I would recommend, is because you would be instate, to have your son apply and audition. It can’t hurt, and the school is so cheap, it is such a deal. Then if he gets in, you can investigate further and see what other options your son has. It is notoriously difficult to get into, but I do know kids that have been accepted.</p>
<p>Thanks, MOMMY5. My S was not able to articulate why he wasn’t sure he’d fit in socially. My H is less likely to notice that stuff. I regretted not having gone. But we are very close by, so we will visit again. </p>
<p>He will definitely apply. He is Tech, so it’s not nearly as difficult to get in, and his high school tech program seems to get most kids in there.</p>
<p>5boys - To answer your audience question - I believe that it is basically the same audience regardless of the school and it’s location or size unless some sort of connection is made to an outside population. My daughter lives with non-theatre majors and she can get them to see shows if she’s in it but it is rare if non-theatre kids go to a show if they don’t have friends affiliated with it somehow. The other day she did mention that the producer of her recent show made an effort to contact the Chicago Finnish population because that had a connection to the show and it was exciting because there were about 50 not typical members in the audience, including kids. </p>
<p>Mostly it’s theatre kids and friends supporting the shows unless there’s an effort to reach out further.</p>
<p>GCMom – I’d forgotten you were Tech. I suspect that much of what has been said about dynamics of the acting kids does not necessarily apply for tech. Thought the theater facilities at purchase were amazing.</p>
<p>Re: 5boys and the audience question, I went to many shows at my daughter’s college (LAC with strong theater program) and it was always PACKED with students–everyone went–just part of the school culture. We’ve seen four productions (including a dance concert) at Otterbein and all of them were packed too, with people from the community and the Columbus area as well as students and faculty. At my older son’s small LAC, not too far away from the schools mentioned above, it’s mostly friends-of-the-actors who go, as amtc describes. So it depends a lot on the school and is a question worth asking. </p>
<p>In fact…I DID ask that question, last summer when we visited the theater department at University of New Hampshire. They have a large theater with over 675 seats, and I asked the tour guide (a department administrator) if it filled up for shows. He readily acknowledged that it did not, and that they wished they had a better turnout, although shows were enthusiastically supported. Anyway, it varies, so it’s worth inquiring. :)</p>