Compare/contrast BFA Acting curricula

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p>I'm making a new thread for this so that more people will see it and can contribute.</p>

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Originally posted by threed
*When I first came to this site all I could tell you was that I am looking for an intense BFA acting program that is heavy on the acting and light on the academics. A program that offers my daughter the best opportunity to learn and grow as an actor. I am now learning about what" heavy on the acting" should include and would very much appreciate some "teaching moments" from those of you that have experience in this. Both parents and especially students who are now in programs and know what is needed, and what you might be lacking in training.</p>

<p>Please let me know what type of courses should be included in a strong acting BFA program and I will do my part by doing a side by side comparison on my kitchen table of the various BFA program curriculum pages.*

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Originally posted by NJTheatreMom
*Most of the programs do just fine with covering the basics, but it is helpful to compare.</p>

<p>Some of the types of course offerings that signal a richness of training opportunities are, in no particular order:
- Specific movement training like Alexander Technique, or voice training like Linklater. When visiting schools, we even inquired directly whether they teach Linklater. (Many places don't, or they only incorporate a smidgen of it, but most students would agree that it is pure gold.)</p>

<p>-After that, beyond the essential basics of Acting, Voice/Speech and Movement, I would also list:
-- Shakespeare or "classical acting."
-- Directing.
-- Dramaturgy.
-- Improv.
-- Classes like "singing for the actor" or basic ballet.
-- Commedia dell'arte.
-- Acting for the camera.
-- Dialects (speaking in accents etc).
-- Stage combat.
-- Physical theatre.</p>

<p>A program isn't necessarily terribly deficient if it is lacking any of these. But the more it offers, the better.*

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<p>Sometimes the content of certain kinds of training are "hidden" within other courses. You have to read course descriptions and/or ask questions to find out.</p>

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<p>I agree with what NJTheatremom says-- I’d add-- you want to know whether a number of different acting techniques will be studied, or whether the school relies very heavily on one. Some things are magic for one student and not for another.</p>

<p>And how many performance opportunities are there? How many shows does the school do, is casting guaranteed, and who will be directing the shows? Nothing beats time in rehearsal with a knowledgeable director.</p>

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<p>That’s right about the acting techniques. Try to get an slight understanding of what some of them are and the differences between them. Some schools teach almost exclusively Meisner technique, for example, but they don’t come right out and tell you that in their literature. It’s not a secret, but you have to research it.</p>

<p>If you see descriptions of acting classes that seem to stress “emotional recall” (a concept developed by Strasberg that is sometimes referred to a “Method acting” or “affective memory”), you might want to inquire about this. It an approach that has gone out of style in a lot of places, and some would say “good riddance.”</p>

<p>Performance opportunities are important, but are secondary to the training. Some of the top program don’t let students perform until at least sophomore year. At BFA programs, sometimes very few of the students are cast in substantial roles, even at schools with guaranteed casting.</p>

<p>It’s not as if the scantily-cast student gets no chance to act, though. Plenty of acting goes on in classes, workshops, scene study, etc. Students with tiny roles onstage or doing backstage work still are spending time around a knowledgeable director.</p>

<p>I’d say a program with superb training and very few performance opportunities would be vastly superior to one with middling training and many, many performance opportunities.</p>

<p>Knowing who will be directing the productions is very important, I agree.</p>

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<p>This is really helpful and well timed for those in the current admissions cycle. </p>

<p>Do you guys think the list should include study-abroad opportunities? That’s on our list of what we term “variables” (not necessarily requirements or even criteria). </p>

<p>We’re also interested in whether casting is open to the entire school. I’m curious about the approach of saying that the program is highly selective but that anyone in the school can audition for mainstage shows (I assume I’m missing some subtle but crucial point there). </p>

<p>Also, dance and voice classes–are they required or even available for acting majors? That’s a question on my son’s list.</p>

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<p>I’m very in love with creating plays from scratch, so all the programs I’ve applied to have either a Playwriting minor option, some sort of devised work or elective writing classes. That was really important to me as writing has always been a huge part of my life.</p>

<p>Also, I like all sorts of “weird” movement-related classes (Meyerhold’s Biomechanics, everything related to Grotowski, trapeze, African dance, mask, etc) so that was a main thing as well.</p>

<p>I also didn’t want to be trained in only one acting technique, but rather learn about most (if not all) of them.</p>

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<p>You mentioned trapeze, Milkshakespeare. That and other “aerials” are growing in popularity at colleges. </p>

<p>My son is currently in a class at BU called “aerial dance silks skills.” It is so popular that they have had to add sections this semester. The class not through the theatre dept though. It’s a special offering you have to pay a small extra fee for.</p>

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<p>Just because people can audition doesn’t mean they will be cast! Often smaller programs need male actors to fill smaller roles, and widening the casting pool could allow for that.</p>

<p>My son was in a play this spring with a cast made up of several BFA seniors plus one guy who was a minor. Unusual, but not unheard of. </p>

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<p>Dance is sometimes required, sometimes not. Singing is never required, that I know of. </p>

<p>“Voice” (sometimes referred to as “Voice and Speech”) is different from singing, and those classes are required.</p>

<p>Some programs have dance and vocal music classes available to theatre majors. Some have none at all.</p>

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<p>Probably, but the value of study abroad to theatre students varies. To some extent, it is more for the cultural experience than for the training. And there are usually extra expenses involved.</p>

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<p>^^I see your point about filling in the cast; I’ve heard at a couple programs that the casting is truly wide open and that it’s possible (if uncommon) to go for 4 years as an acting major without being cast in a mainstage show. </p>

<p>Re: the voice lessons (yes, I know voice/speech is different), Otterbein does have all freshmen take a group voice class, so that’s part of why it’s on our list. </p>

<p>I think I made a mistake by phrasing my comments as questions! Just meant to say that these are questions we ask about programs, not to say that I don’t understand whether or why any programs offer these classes or options. Since some study abroad options can be linked to curricular specialties like physical theater or Shakespeare, I would lean toward including this on your list.</p>

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<p>Regarding the expenses of studying abroad, actually sometimes the costs are lower than on campus, even when you factor in travel to and from!</p>

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<p>Since OP means to compare and contrast, we probably should count study abroad. </p>

<p>NJtheatermom–how would you define “middling” training? I can’t imagine a program with low level training and great casting opportunities. And, do we know of any programs that allow performance the first year? It does seem important.</p>

<p>I’d also be looking for the variety of plays studied and performed. Will they get a sense of the whole range of theater, through history and across cultures? </p>

<p>Hartt, like Otterbein, has a required singing class for actors, so they may be more common than you think.</p>

<p>Threed-- this thread has great information, but nothing substitutes for a visit, seeing a play, talking to students and teachers. Approaches are very different, and subtly so. And then, you end up going where you get in. And, usually, loving it and getting a great training.</p>

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<p>UNCSA has a required singing class in their curriculum.</p>

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<p>That is true up to a point. It’s true that the cost of a semester abroad usually (or, at least often) is the same as a semester of tuition + room and board at the school. In the case of my son’s program, airfares are covered.</p>

<p>But if a student is a commuter or lives in an inexpensive off campus apartment, they are avoiding a costly meal plan and the rent they pay can end up being as little as $6500 a year. There is big difference between that and the price of a year’s room and board. So the semester abroad can turn out to be a lot more expensive than a “regular” semester after freshman year.</p>

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<p>Gwen - Coastal Carolina does season casting at the beginning of the fall semester. Freshmen can be and are cast in mainstage shows.</p>

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<p>By “middling training,” I meant a school with very few of the kinds of courses listed in post #1 above. There are programs that have none of them at all.</p>

<p>In addition, it could mean that the school’s faculty are excellent teachers but lack a desirable level of connections to/background in to professional theatre.</p>

<p>A student at certain schools could be a “large fish in a small pond” and thereby get wonderful leads. At other schools, the same student might be cast in only smaller roles, but they would have the opportunity to be cast very often and would gain a great deal by being involved in high quality productions.</p>

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<p>Reading this thread makes me wonder if a bfa is really right for my son. He has no interest in being in school productions. He just wants to learn the techniques, movement, voice, ect and use it for film/tv acting. He can accomplish this by heading out to any LA college, major in anything, keep auditioning for film and tv, and take studio based classes while in LA. </p>

<p>I know he likes being with like minded people but if he is not going to be part of the productions he may end up feeling like and outsider. Maybe he finds like minded people in his outside acting classes.</p>

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<p>Shacherry, you might try to find out from the programs your son is interested in whether all students are required to be in casting. </p>

<p>I was surprised to learn that at Boston University, Theatre Arts students (these are students who receive the same level of training as Acting students but have more flexibility as to course selection) can choose to opt out of casting, if they need to or want to at some point. I have absolutely no idea whether this might be true at any other schools.</p>

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<p>Wow, I can’t imagine a BFA program that didn’t offer most of your list, NJ! Glad we missed them. </p>

<p>Shacherry-- You raise a really interesting question. Some programs are very focused on live theater, and your son probably wouldn’t enjoy them that much. Some have much more emphasis on film-- it would be a good list for us to make here!</p>

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<p>Shacherry, I had a further thought. There are some BFA programs who have had well known young film actors attending. One example is NYU, where Haley Joel Osment went.</p>

<p>If you have the right kind contacts within the industry, maybe you could find out whether Haley or others like him would have performed in theatrical productions at school.</p>

<p>At some schools, there might tend to be so few students with anything like your son’s background that the theatre department would be worried about “fit.” If he decided he had a strong interest in a certain program, he might want to be eloquent in his admission essays (and, if possible, his interview) about how he feels the program would be a good fit for him.</p>

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<p>shacherry, he needs to be very careful about the program he chooses, many require a certain number of acting “point” in order to graduate. </p>

<p>Shenandoah allows Freshman to be cast in shows, this is not the way all schools operate, though.</p>

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<p>Thank you NJTheatreMOM for taking my initial question and making it a new thread. The information provided is very helpful and appreciated.</p>

<p>Fairfax; Your comment about techniques lead me to think that in order to know what acting technique is good you would need to have experience some of them to be able to compare.</p>

<p>Times3: I wondered about international programs myself, however, I was mostly looking at them for the summer and also researching the colleges there to see how they compared to the colleges in the US. I found a great summer program through LAMDA, however, it is late in the summer and does not really fit the schedule we need. The summer pogram at Guildhall also is interesting, but does not house students under 18. Getting a little of the point here I know.</p>

<p>My daughter as some of you might recall when I first joined in is more interested in acting for TV and Film and so a program that has opportunities/classes in this is going to stick out for us, as long as it has the essential other classes.</p>

<p>I do understand that we will have to research, compare, ask questions, and what seems to have become more important as we have read threads from others, is to VISIT. Maybe not every college on the list, but the unfamiliar ones, the ones that we are most interested in, and possibly some of the hidden gems that we are trying to find out more about. CCU was one of these.</p>

<p>shacherry; Just wondering why your son would not be interested in performing in the college plays. My daughter really very much wants to do TV/Film acting and maybe even voiceover, however, more poeple then I can count, have told us that what she will learn from acting on stage will help her and she might even enjoy being in some of the temporary play pieces. There are many fine TV/Film actors today who cross over and do stage work and this is something that I have tried to tell my daughter to be open about. Your son may be picked for a role in a play and someone with some type of TV/Film connection may see him and ask him to audition or offer him a part. Stage could be great exposure. I am not sure how many theatre professionals cross over but I have seen plays advertised with well known TV/Fim actors in them.</p>

<p>I do agree with you , however, that he could just go to a regular college in LA and take outside acting classes at some of the fine studio’s they have there. The question might be will he have the time to go to school and major in something, audition on the outside for TV/Film roles, and take acting classes outside of school? We are seriously looking into CA colleges for the simple reason that they have some great programs with acting for film incorporated in the program. Someone mentioned Chapman on this thread and that is a school we are looking at along with CALARTS. I contacted Chapman to them to ask questions and they have a wonderful screenacting program and as of Fall 2014 you will be able to enter directly into the BFA program which is not available for Fall 2013. I do not think he would feel like an outsider, he is an actor. The other thing I expressed to my daughter to consider about a BFA in screenacting is would it limit her to only parts in Film. Essentially would that make her path narrower. ActingDad made this point when talking about kids going into the science field and focusing on something specific instead of general so they they could manuever better later. Just a thought, I am not sure I am right on this I just want her to think it through.</p>

<p>I just don’t want your son or my daughter to miss out on any opportunities that may lead them directly to their goal of being in TV and Films. </p>

<p>Another thought would be to do as we are and look at schools that have a very stong film program and a good acting program, I figured this may give my daughter a little bit of what she is looking for. The film students I am sure will need actors for their films and she may be able to get a part or at the very least learn everything she can about film from these students.</p>

<p>Thank you everyone for your thoughts.</p>