DS’s long term goals are on the tech side. He’d love to be a Master Carpenter, or Technical Director, or to work in a scene shop. He’s also happy to hang lights and do other electrical work. He’s not a designer, and doesn’t have any desire to become one.
At some schools, it seems as though the designers and the technical people are together in a single major, whereas other schools divide the majors in various ways. Some schools divide them into technical vs design, lumping the electricians with the carpenters and TD’s and the lighting designers with the scene designers. Other schools lump the scenic people, so the carpenters are in a track with the scene designers, and the electricians are in a track with the lighting designers.
Any thoughts or experience on the difference between these different approaches? Pros and Cons? Should he be limiting himself to schools that offer a tech specific major?
Jane -
I am in the same boat as you. My son is not artistic and the classes about DESIGNING in the artsy sense scare me. He took drafting/CAD in lieu of art or music and some programs require that skill. He also took a class in 3-D printing, which he really liked. He has done lighting and sound, building sets and the like.
I took my son to LIU-Post and he applied. The program there was explained to us as being one where students are challenged to take courses not on their track to expose them to the other aspects of theater. For instance, he would have to take an acting class but he would not be judged in the same way as a student who was studying to be the next Meryl Streep, he would take costume design to understand what those people do, etc. It sounded like a good way to become better rounded than just focusing entirely on one thing and he was on board with trying out the different areas. The advisor told us about a friend of hers who began in acting and discovered a love for lighting in that class and now works professionally in lighting.
I guess my thought is that the primary focus should be on the tech aspects but exposure to the other areas is helpful.
TM
TM,
I swear we have the same kid. Maybe they were separated at birth? I am glad you are asking these questions too!
Did you like LIU-Post? I wonder if that’s a school we should put on our list. Can you tell me about it?
Jane
It does seem like we have the same kid. How did yours become interested in this area? Mine was dragged to his sibling’s performances since he was in utero. In 6th grade, the middle school put on Annie. He thought it was fun that his 6th grade play was the same one his sister’s 6th grade had done 8 years earlier, so he joined stage crew. His first job was holding the side curtain closed. The next night, I bought safety pins and they allowed him to move props instead. In 7th grade, he learned spot lights. In 8th grade, he stage managed. He was hooked.
I liked Post and so did my son. It’s not that far from where we live and the public bus stops on the campus. They told us that he might qualify for merit money but we are still applying to Purchase and looking at CUNY Brooklyn, SUNY Fredonia and a couple of others like Pace where they give money. My only rule is no debt for me. I spent enough years paying off mine and my husband’s student loans and I refuse to take on any for my kids. I told each of them when they began HS that I would mortgage the house over if they got into an Ivy but none of them saw fit to achieve to that level. I can afford a SUNY level tuition and above that, they need scholarships.
The campus is very pretty. It used to be the Post estate, as in Marjorie Merriweather Post, the mother of Dina Merrill, the actress. Parts of it seem rural-like to me (I am from the Bronx, originally). In fact, there were signs for the equestrian paths and I remembered that some of the local day camps offer horseback riding, though I am not sure they use Post. The Tilles Center is located on it and I was told that was where the students would work, at least sometimes. My oldest son danced in The Nutcracker there one year and it’s a very nice venue. There is also a smaller theater, from which my oldest son graduated HS.
The advisor was very knowledgeable and pleasant. My son related to her based on both being dyslexic.
I don’t know if your son has any learning issues, but when I mentioned the school to a friend of mine, he said that his daughter (who is the age of my middle son) essentially floundered at a SUNY school but has been thriving at Post. He said that the services for LD, etc. are top notch and they don’t let kids fall through the cracks. The advisor told us that each student is assigned a mentor/coach who follows them. At the SUNY my older 2 attended, my son has gone to his advisor once and they never follow up for him. The mentoring has put the school on our radar as much as the theater program.
My son started in tech in 4th grade when he wasn’t cast in the school play. At the time, I was super annoyed, as they cast 25/26 kids, but I guess he found his calling! He worked on every school play in elementary and middle school, and then switched to doing all his tech theater stuff outside of school during high school.
He is a kid who will benefit from some disability or learning support services, so it’s good to know that’s a strong suit there. Are there other tech schools where you’ve heard good things about disability or learning support services?
I like the look of LIU Post, I’m still trying to figure out which NYC area options are worth considering, but this looks like it should definitely be on the list!
Some schools separate production and design. For example, at DePaul, you can major in costume design or costume technology, lighting design or scene design, or theatre technology.
At Emerson, the Theatre Design/Tech major seems to be more design than production oriented.
At Rutgers, they separate costume into design and technology majors, and their theatre tech major is either stage management or technical direction.
BU offers separate degrees in theatre production from design.
These are a few I’m familiar with. Best to study the schools’ websites fairly closely before scheduling a visit. I am still irritated with supergirl after we drove all the way to Halifax, only to discover that the program at Dalhousie was only production and not design, something we could have learned in our living room.
Good luck!
@supergirlsmom Well, you know the road to Halifax is paved with good intentions. . . . Sorry! Sorry!
Has the summer flown by or what? My daughter leaves in a couple of weeks—hard to believe this lengthy and involved prep will all be over soon. 
My front hall is filled with boxes as we speak. Fly little birds, fly!
@CuriousJane It’s early to tell, but so far the disability services office at Emerson has been very personal and helpful. I know that at some larger universities the major role of the office is to prepare the paperwork for students to take to their professors for accommodations. I would definitely put the office on your list of people to talk to, if not before applying than definitely before making final decisions.