<p>Hey everyone, I recently stumbled upon the theater program at Catawba College in North Carolina. It is in the Princeton Review's Top Theater Programs list, but I had never heard of it. It seems interesting and I like the program's philosophy that's listed on the site. They seem to put a high priority on learning everything you can, while still in the context of a BFA. Does anyone know anything about the quality of their acting program? Anything about the school in general? Do you think it's worth looking into more?</p>
<p>I “auditioned” there last weekend and wasn’t impressed by any means. I was actually going to post a thread against going there, but decided not to.
They seemed really confused in their course offerings. One student told me their BFA and BA were basically the same thing, and anyone could be accepted to the school
The campus is very small, in a really small town.</p>
<p>I was very disappointed in it because I have received good-looking brochures from them for awhile now. It was just not impressive to me.</p>
<p>I actually have something of a soft spot for Catawba since the woman who first got me into acting is a graduate of their MT program. She did some national tours, Off Broadway and regional work before she settled down and started having kids. She still sometimes acts locally and choreographs most of the musicals done where I’m from and some of her college friends are still working actors in New York. Of course, she was there when Aubrey Berg headed the program in the early 80s. Just taking a quick look at the website, I believe the person chairing the BFA in Performance was the main acting teacher at the time. She speaks highly of her.</p>
<p>I believe they also offer a good number of substantial scholarships for high academic achievers which were donated by some of the Food Lion millionaires in Salisbury. It’s no academic powerhouse and you don’t audition for the BFA until the end of freshman year unless something has changed; so, it might be a decent pseudo safety for a smart kid from a lower middle class family who lives in a state where they don’t have a state school with a good program and can’t afford to attend the more “name” out-of-state schools. </p>
<p>It’s definitely a tiny program in a tiny school which would be an acquired taste for some. Then, some may desire that. It’s not too far from Charlotte, either.</p>