Dallas/Plano area high schools with strong theatre programs...

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p>I'm hoping for some advice/thoughts/tips regarding my daughter and a situation we may find ourselves in soon. (My first post, couldn't find anything close to answer my questions, so here I go... I may post versions elsewhere on CC... sorry so long) </p>

<p>DD is currently a junior. Husband's company is offering very generous incentives to move to Plano, TX area. We don't have to go but, financially, it would be kind of dumb not to go. (living in SoCal currently) There's a chance we could put it off until after her graduation but, more likely we'd need to take the offer and go after this school year. So, we are considering having her move before senior year! (Eek!) Theatre is her love past/present/future so we've said that if we could all agree on going next year, we would find her the best school with the best theatre program and do whatever we could to get her into it and likely base our home decision on that school. (Her school now has a decent program but not stellar so an amazing school with great theatre would be incentive for her to make the decision) So, some of my questions are:</p>

<p>Could some of you recommend high schools in the North Dallas/Plano/Frisco/Mckinney areas that have strong theatre programs? We are also looking for strong academics - she's an AP/Honors student.</p>

<p>Do you think my daughter would have a chance at getting into classes/productions as a new kid and a new senior? (She often gets leads at school and in community theatre here)</p>

<p>What would this move, at this critical point in her high school career, actually be like and how would it affect her preparation for and applying for college? Any first hand experience out there? She wants to major in theatre/acting in college so, there are all the crazy apps/auditions/LOR's/ to consider. </p>

<p>Any thoughts on how to somewhat smoothly make that transition and get her involved in a new school and program?</p>

<p>Again, we may be able to wait to move until after she graduates... should know that from the company within a couple months. My DH thinks it might be good for her to go next year, make friends, make the area feel like home so that when she comes home from college she won't feel like a visitor and will have connections/people to hang out with, etc. That's one way to look at it.</p>

<p>I appreciate any input! </p>

<p>Thank you to all of you who have shared information on CC. I've poured through posts on here for probably close to 2 years and have learned so much. </p>

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<p>Hi jbeansmom! Sorry for not seeing and responding to this earlier. We live in the area you are considering, and have a son (Senior) in theatre and AP classes. The school he attends has a growing theatre department, and was the first school in our district to have their One Act Play make it to UIL State competition (different from the state comp that leads to Nationals in Nebraska). I think there were a couple of other Dallas area schools of similar size or larger to make it to State. I’ll check the program and PM you with what I find, along with more detail on which specific school/district he attends.</p>

<p>I’ll be more than happy to try and answer any questions you have about the area. I’m sure you have quite a few if you’re considering that big of a move. There was quite a flurry of news stories within the past few months regarding relocation of a certain large company to Plano from CA, and now ALL the cities around here are pitching the visiting employees on why their city is the best one in the area. It’s a veritable Suburb Showdown!</p>

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<p>Hi imnocleaver! Thanks for the response. I also posted this in the Musical Theatre forum and got several responses. Not too long after my post, we found out that we can move after she graduates high school. So, that relieves a lot of the stress concerning her high school career. :slight_smile: Still a rather crazy time to move and now a twist in her college search as she was leaning toward staying in CA because there are lots of options here and she was liking the idea of being not too far from home. </p>

<p>I’m still open to any tips on the area! I’m familiar with that “certain large company”. :wink: That’s funny: “Suburb Showdown”. I guess now we’ll look a bit into TX colleges as an option (she’s not too psyched on that idea) maybe at least as back up. </p>

<p>I’ll let you know if I come up with any specific questions. Thanks!</p>

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<p>Hi, jbeansmom, It is good for you that you do not have to move until your D graduates. That will make the search process easier. As you look at schools and are contemplating the TX area, you do have some good choices. Be certain to look for schools that really focus on undergraduates and do not have grad programs. You might look at Texas State, SMU and the University of Houston. However, I do recommend looking beyond Texas for most of the strong programs and, frankly, your discovery will have you moving toward the Northeast. There are many exceptional programs in the Mid-West: University of Evansville, Webster, De Paul, Roosevelt, Oklahoma, University of Minn/Guthrie are a few examples. Good luck. Dallas/Fort Worth is a wonderful area.</p>

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<p>Thanks, Plaidman. Yes, we are definitely looking beyond TX. She’s thinking she wants to be near LA, Chicago or NYC. A couple other large urban areas might mix in there. Lots of research and lots of changes ahead!</p>

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<p>Hi! Booker T Washington is the arts school in Dallas and has a pretty strong theatre program! However, if you are looking for more of an academic based school, John Paul II in Plano has a strong theatre program!! Honestly, most of the schools in the Frisco-Plano area have good theatre programs that compete with there one acts. Another strong academic and theatre school is Ursuline in dallas, however it is all girls. I strongly recommend taking classes at Cathryn Sullivans acting for film classes in Lewisville, she trained Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, and her son is Cody Linely off of Hannah Montana. I learned a lot there, and it looks really good on a resume! I went to the school system in Frisco before going to a fine arts boarding school, and the theatre program is quite good. :slight_smile: let me know if you have any questions.</p>