Anyone out there who has gone to Drake for theatre? My D is admitted to the BFA MT and we would love to hear from anyone who’s attended regarding program, Des Moines, dance training, strengths, weaknesses, etc. The auditors and students she met at Chicago Unifieds were enthusiastic and very kind. She enjoyed the walk-in audition, and is looking forward to learning more about the program.
I have a friend whose daughter is a freshman MT at Drake. They are not on CC, but I can put you in touch with them if you need info. Send me a PM.
My D is a MT BFA student at Drake and loves it! There’s about 18 bfa’s in her class - including MT, acting and 1-2 directing. Freshman can audition and do get cast. Excellent faculty. Drake is only a few miles away from downtown Des Moines and many students are active in the Des Moines theater scene. The dance training seems strong - she was able to bypass the first level classes and start in intermediate. She couldn’t be happier with her decision to attend.
Thank you both!
@WaveGee my d was accepted after a walk in at Chicago unifieds too! We are visiting in a couple weeks:)
Congratulations! D thought they were great at walk-ins and we are both looking forward to visiting!
D and I visited last week and are both impressed with the program, the people, and the opportunities. D was able to sit in on classes, including a voice lesson, meet with current BFA students, and watch rehearsals. The quality of the teaching is top rate. Drake’s BFA MT is conservatory type training within a fine liberal arts college, allowing students to try different aspects of theatre such as directing and costuming as well as minor in other subjects. It has a very supportive atmosphere. We left convinced that D would be very happy and grow as an artist if she enrolls at Drake. She spoke with students and faculty about opportunities in professional theatre in Des Moines, the variety of summer stock work, professional audition preparation and exposure, connections with regional theatre companies, and a several week long program in NY for seniors and juniors that puts their work before casting directors and producers during intensive, small master classes. The department auditioned about 300 students this year, made offers to 25, and seeks a class of 18 altogether (includes BFA Acting, BFA Musical Theatre and other theatre majors within the department). Very glad we happened to get to talking with some of Drake’s friendly Chicago alums at Unifieds and added Drake to D’s audition list!
Wow, sounds great but very hard to get into. Thank you for sharing.
@WaveGee, thanks for sharing! I will add some feedback to this thread after our upcoming visit!
I have a friend whose son graduated from Drake two years ago. He has been working constantly since graduation. He really loved the program. Also, he went in as a mover and came out as a dancer according to my friend. Also, he went to China at some point during his time at Drake as well on some sort of MT program visit. We didn’t apply because of cost and my D met an admissions counselor at an event who wasn’t very friendly or helpful. It soured her on the school, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a great program.
D very happily has committed to Drake! I’ll post more later on the final decisions 2020 thread. So glad she found the right place for her!
Hi WaveGee,
My son has been offered a spot in Drake’s 2020 MT class and I would love to talk to you about your daughters decision. I am new to this site and don’t know how to PM you 
Thanks!
should have put @WaveGee
@snerd2020 you can’t PM until you have 10 posts…
@lojosmo2020 thanks!
Hi,@snerd2020! I’m glad to communicate offline with you about what affected my D’s decision to enroll at Drake. You may need to make a few random posts on threads just to get up to the ten post minimum and send me a PM after that. I had the same issue when I started using CC a few months ago! I’ll be on the lookout for your message.
Congrats @WaveGee !
Congrats @WaveGee !
I would love to hear from current students or parents of current students in the Drake University MT program. My D has just been offered a place in next year’s program and I’m now on the hunt for more information and experiences with the program. Thank you!
Did you receive any responses to your information about Drake’s MT program? We are in same situation with D having been accepted to Drake?