Conservatories vs Universities and more! All help appreciated!

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

<p>Hi all! This is my first post on here (and probably the first of many). I have not been able to locate much general information for choosing an optimal path for theatre and acting instruction. There are several options-- conservatories, universities, as well as other, less standardized options for instructions. I'm really just trying to dig through this mess and would appreciate any help. I need to know:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Pros and cons of conservatory vs university-based acting training. Which is better, generally, for a long-term career both in stage and screen acting?</p></li>
<li><p>Where is the best place to start? I'm not of the caliber to even consider top-notch schools in the U.S. or abroad, so what are reputable options to build a career upon?</p></li>
<li><p>How do admissions work? To me, theatre programs would seem much more subjective than, say, engineering programs. What factors go into theatre program admissions processes in general, and what separates actors and actresses who would be accepted to Tisch, for instance, right out of high school, versus those who would not?</p></li>
<li><p>How viable is it to attend university training to start and then return to a conservatory later in my career? Is this a common option for actors and actresses who are late bloomers?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>If you're able to even answer one question, that would be phenomenal! Like I've said, I haven't found much or any information online about these general topics, and as someone who has some acting experience but is really just beginning to explore the collegiate theatre realm for the first time, this information is invaluable. </p>

<p>Much thanks!!</p>

2

<p>That’s a lot of questions, 4snowman4. Have you done very much reading of past threads in this forum? I think that would be very helpful to you.</p>

<p>It sounds like you are a bit short on training and/or experience. If you tell us a little more about yourself, we may be able to suggest auditioned BFA programs for you.</p>

<p>If you will be auditioning for admission this year, you should be working on monologue selection and preparation now. Auditions are the most important factor.</p>

3

<p>I’ve done a bit of reading, but not as much as I should have. I do think much of the info on this board is geared towards actors with more experience than I have, however.</p>

<p>About me: I’m pretty inexperienced. I decided to start theatre in my junior year of high school and appeared in major roles for three shows. Additionally I’ve acted in numerous short festival films and the like, but what I really lack is any proper training, and experience in front of larger audiences of more than about 500. My interests lie about equally in film and stage. Thanks for your response!</p>

4

<p>If you are looking for an “optimal path”, try researching the people who are doing the sort of theatre work you want to do, and see what “path” they followed.</p>

<p>But what is “optimal” for one person may not be “optimal” for someone else.</p>

<p>Auditions for theatre programs aren’t quite as subjective as some people try to insist. There really does come a point where one audition is obviously much, much better than another. Then there is a point where pretty much any trained professional will see the difference, even if it isn’t clear to someone who doesn’t know much about theatre. When the program is having its final callbacks, and has to come up with a final list, it does often end up looking at people who are within a hair of each other. But I imagine that happens in other programs as well.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the advice, TheRealKEVP! I suppose the hard thing is that most actors whose careers I admire (even ones who are not particularly well-known), have been trained at top-tier institutions, while I don’t believe I’m capable of entering those at this point. While I’ll give them a shot, I’m also wondering what the general feeling toward degrees from universities (Michigan would be a top choice) is in the industry. Thanks for the input on auditons, that was very helpful!</p>

6

<p>The first thing I would suggest is to spend a LOT of time reading past posts under theater/drama. You will find most of your questions have been discussed at some point. My D just graduated from a MT program, but most of your questions would apply to both MT or acting. A quick response: 1) conservatory vs. university (and also BFA vs. BA)- there really is no right answer here. Successful actors have come from all types of programs including both of these, as well as 2-year certificate programs, non-theater based majors, and finally, no degree of any kind. There are many roads to success in the acting world. It really is all about fit. Conservatories tend to be more “narrow” in that they focus mostly on the arts, with usually not as many general ed required classes. You tend to be around mostly performing arts students, with maybe not as many opportunities to try different paths (outside of performing arts). University programs (which may include a conservatory on a university campus) are usually more diverse and offer sometimes more opportunity for a “regular” college experience with a wider variety of majors. There is no right or wrong way to go, but more, where will you feel more comfortable? My D started at a conservatory and found she wanted a more varied college experience. She transferred to a BFA program at a large university in a college town and loved the opportunity to take more general ed classes. 2) where to start- Do you have a high school drama teacher or any local actors you can talk to and discuss their experiences? Also it is good to get some candid opinions about your talent before you venture into the highly competitive college audition process. There are numerous factors to consider: audition vs. non-audition, BA vs. BFA, size of school, location, cost, etc. Read and re-read threads on this board to come up with a list of criteria for what you need to look for. 3) Admissions criteria vary by program. You will find some programs that use your audition more than your stats as the deciding factor, however, high school stats can be important when it comes to finances if you require scholarships to attend. Many BA programs look at stats first and then go to the audition. When you come up with your list of schools, you should always include several reach schools, but also make sure to include safeties, both in terms of academics and finances. Always include a couple of non-audition programs, where you feel your stats are competitive. 4) It is not a good idea to start at a non-conservatory program with the intention on transferring to a conservatory later on. It is difficult to transfer to most conservatories, and the majority will most likely require you to start over as a freshman. </p>

<p>I have barely touched on all of the factors that come into play when looking at this process. MOst of these topics have been discussed in length here, by parents and students who have been through this before, and also by a few of the educators at these schools. Read, re-read, and read once again!!! Best wishes!</p>

7

<p>The industry doesn’t care where you went to school, 4snowman4. They care about your skill, as demonstrated by your audition. These skills can definitely be acquired by a hard working student in a program that is not in the “top tier.”</p>

<p>I’d say you should attend the college program with the best training you can find, and perhaps supplement it with summer training if it seems in any way lacking.</p>

<p>A fair number of students who have posted here have been accepted into auditioned programs with as little background as you have.</p>

<p>It would be a very good idea, at this point, for you to find an audition coach who has a lot of experience preparing students for college auditions. This could compensate to a considerable degree for your lack of training, depending on the coach.</p>

<p>Edit: I crossposted with takeitallin. I agree completely with every word of post #6 above.</p>

8

<p>Thank you both! You’ve helped more than you probably know. I’ll be sure to read, read, read!</p>

9

<p>Here’s what works for me, and how I decided to aim for conservatories:
What is great about a conservatory approach (a BFA program with the vast majority of hours during the week spent in acting class, with limited liberal arts time) is that this prepares you for the real world. As an actor, your real job is auditioning. You may have 5 or 10 auditions in a day, or maybe just one. You need to have incredible stamina, focus, and knowledge. You can find this type of rigorous schedule at schools like BU, Juilliard, UNCSA, Northern Illinois, DePaul, CMU, University of the Arts, SUNY Purchase (off the top of my head). Schools with more liberal arts training are places like NYU and Emerson College.
It just depends on what you want. For me, I want to spend 9 - 12 hours a day acting in studio, with maybe 1.5 days off per week. This is why I am aiming for a university with a conservatory setting.</p>

10

<p>In our experience a conservatory setting doesn’t prepare you any more or less than a university setting, it just prepares you differently. There are many who will argue that a BA program is more well rounded and exposes the student to more different types of people and life experiences, thus preparing him better as an actor. I really do think it all boils down to what works best for each individual. We know of 2 graduated engineers who have been very successful in theater as well as 2 who moved to NY and started acting straight out of high school- all have had runs on Broadway and work in acting consistently. Just be sure to look at all forms of training to find the one that is the best fit for you.</p>

11

<p>No school really prepares you for the “real world” in any major of which I’m aware. It’s school. Period. And there are no perfect answers. But … the differences between these types of undergraduate theatre programs can to some extent be generalized as follows … </p>

<p>CONSERVATORY BFA</p>

<p>Pros:</p>

<p>You will be thoroughly trained in a variety of acting techniques, voice, speech, movement, and text to a comparable level to someone who has earned an MFA in Acting. </p>

<p>You will gain experience playing in most if not all styles and genres of theatre including thorough training in classic theatre to roughly the same extent as someone who has earned an MFA in Acting.</p>

<p>Given that acting is a psycho-physical activity that is learned kinesthetically, the contact hours inherent to this type of training will afford you more time to attain competencies in the above to the point that they should at least to some extent become a matter of reflex.</p>

<p>Casting in productions as an upperclassman is usually guaranteed which adds to the above.</p>

<p>The high talent-based selectivity of elite conservatory admissions will ensure that most if not all of your classmates will possess sufficient natural ability and commitment to eventually become working members of the acting profession. Just don’t assume that means they will … </p>

<p>Cons: </p>

<p>Although it could be argued that acting itself is a liberal art that encompasses all the liberal arts, you will attain less formal classroom education in the specifics of each than in any other collegiate option.</p>

<p>You will attain little if any formal classroom education past the high school level in math, science and foreign languages.</p>

<p>You will quite possibly be overtrained for tv and film and will most likely need at least some post-graduate work in studio workshops and/or through private coaching to knock off some of that excess polish and adapt your process to the media and the styles and genres therein which you won’t study in school.</p>

<p>Some of your classmates, while talented, will lack sufficient intellectual and emotional maturity for this type of training to be truly efficacious. </p>

<p>You will be trained as part of an ensemble which means you will be with the same small group of people day-in day-out for four years. That can be a pro or a con, but I’ll make it a con for now. :)</p>

<p>UNIVERSITY/LIBERAL ARTS ORIENTED BFA OR PERFORMANCE ORIENTED BA</p>

<p>Pros: </p>

<p>You should be sufficiently trained in acting technique, voice, speech, movement and text to play age and type appropriate roles in contemporary theatre at the professional level on graduation.</p>

<p>You will attain enough experience in classic theatre to continue your training post-graduate in private studios or MFA conservatories or to learn through experience in second and third tier regional theatres, Off Off Broadway or through minor roles in the more prestigious professional venues. </p>

<p>The selectivity of at least partially talent-based admissions will ensure that a reasonable number of your classmates will possess sufficient natural ability and commitment to eventually become working members of the profession. Perhaps more than half at the more competitive schools. Less at others. </p>

<p>You will attain more formal liberal arts classroom learning than you would in a conservatory BFA although less than in an academically oriented BA theatre major.</p>

<p>Cons: </p>

<p>You will most likely attain little if any formal classroom education past the high school level in math, science and foreign languages although that varies to some extent depending on the school.</p>

<p>You will most likely lack sufficient training and experience to be competitive for major roles in classic theatre at the major regional and Broadway venues straight out of college. </p>

<p>You will most likely need at least some post-graduate training in studio workshops and/or private coaching to adapt to the demands of auditioning and working in the realm of tv and film.</p>

<p>This school classification resides in a huge gray zone as to respective balances between training and academics so you need to look deeply into that with each. The faculty members will often go into recruiting mode when asked about this stuff and the kids and their parents don’t usually know how to evaluate the differences and are often quite clueless as to what they are actually getting until they get ***** slapped by the real world, but a copy of a sample schedule won’t lie. A typical BFA of this kind will average between 15 and 20 class hours per week (minus breaks) as an upperclassman and somewhat less as freshman and sophomore while you’re spending your time learning all about Pavlov’s dogs and whatnot in general studies classes. ;)</p>

<p>**ACADEMIC BA **</p>

<p>Pros: </p>

<p>You will receive a well-rounded liberal arts education with an emphasis on attaining intellectual knowledge about the art of theatre along with some practical training in acting technique, voice, speech, movement and text.</p>

<p>It can be a great springboard to further practical training in conservatory MFAs or professional studios post-graduate.</p>

<p>Due to the academically-based nature of admissions, the intellectual capacities and academic prowess of your fellow students will generally stand in line with the overall academic selectivity of the school as a whole. </p>

<p>It’s easy to change your major if you find this difficult path isn’t for you or to double major in something “safer.”</p>

<p>Cons: </p>

<p>Absent significant professional training and experience prior to matriculation or a few-in-a-generation amount of prodigious natural ability, you will most likely not possess the skillsets needed to enter the profession on any meaningful level at graduation. You will essentially be a Jack of all trades but a master of none and will most certainly need extensive additional craft-based training in an MFA conservatory or in professional studios to be competitive post-graduate. </p>

<p>Most of your classmates will not possess sufficient natural ability or commitment to eventually become working members of the acting profession. In fact, your freshman level classes will most likely include non-majors who are taking them as part of their well-rounded education much like you will take Introductory Psychology, Macroeconomics, etc. I hear it can be frustrating.</p>

<p>There’s more, but that’s all I’ve got time to cover for now …</p>

12

<p>Snowman, I am wondering why it is that you think you can’t get into these “top tier” programs that the people whose acting style you admire went to. Have you really researched what it really takes to get into these particular programs at these particular schools? Sometimes a theatre program will have very different admission requirements from the rest of the school, and while someone couldn’t get in to another program, they are able to get into the theatre or acting program.</p>

<p>These places have to admit SOMEBODY, so why not you? It won’t hurt to at least LOOK at what their requirements are, instead of just assuming (perhaps wrongly) that you don’t meet them.</p>

<p>And you have actually researched these actors you admire, right? You aren’t just assuming “Oh, I am sure these actors went to schools like X, Y, and Z . . .” You actually have researched them and know for certain which schools they went to?</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

13

<p>I have definitely researched the careers (particularly early experience and education) of all actors I consider to be successful, even if they are less well-known. I suppose what I found fascinating was that many actors of equal skill levels (in my opinion) come from differing “tiers” of education: Terry O’Quinn and Henry Ian Cusick are prime examples. So I don’t know, it could be that natural talent varies and is simply bolstered by training to equal levels, or any number of factors. Thank you for your input! I’ll certainly look into these programs with lower acceptance rates. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose!</p>