<p>Okay, while I am a new member to the CC Board, I have been studying previous posts for weeks. I am currently a junior in high school, and while very interested in pursuing theatre in college, extremely overwhelmed with the crucial decisions quickly approaching. To date, I have only ever pursued acting in high school productions though recently sparked an interest in stage/possibly arts management. In addition, I began an acting class with a known theatre near home that is positively fueling my desire for further training!</p>
<p>My concerns lie with my lack of experience and training, especially in SM for future college applications and auditions/portfolio reviews. I also struggle with comparing my acting abilities to the abilities of same-age students nationally, as we will all be pursuing the top-good theatre schools in the country, soon enough. Throughout high school, I have earned very good roles with leads and believe to be one of the best and no-doubt, most dedicated, however I have little perspective of my ability outside of secondary school. Not to sound conceited, I just wish to gain a realistic view on where I stand for future endeavors. Does anyone have any suggestions for gaining realism of skill level before thousands of dollars are spent through the admissions/audition process? How skilled are the students that are admitted into top programs: NYU, Carnegie Mellon, NCSA, etc?</p>
<p>Due to my lack of ability to settle on one aspect of theatre, I have recently speculated that a BA would better suit me. That said, I am the type of person that becomes completely immersed in what I do and would love to pursue an intense BFA program. If I decided to go the BA track, I fear for performance opportunities at many schools when competing with BFA students in both acting and SM roles. Is this the case? </p>
<p>Also, I would appreciate feedback on schools with BFA or BA programs. Not requirements, but pluses would include a study abroad program, good arts city, somewhere that allows pursuit in multiple theatre concentrations, such as acting and SM, maybe conservatory style but room for production classes. </p>
<p>Any suggestions/answers would be much appreciated! Thanks!</p>
<p>First of all, I would suggest that you spend some time reading through the threads in this discussion group. It will take some time, but it’s well worth it. Many of your questions have already been discussed in great detail.</p>
<p>Next, let me quickly respond to a few of your questions. When thinking about a BA degree, I would suggest that you look at schools that do NOT also have a BFA program. In many cases (although not all), the BFA students get preference over the BA students when it comes to casting, experienced instructors, and scheduling. Be sure you do your homework to find out what the policies are at each school.</p>
<p>Take a look at the list of schools at the top of this thread. There you will find information about each. There are so many different programs that it would be impossible for us to start giving you any feedback until you narrow the list by picking a few that you find interesting. I suggest you come up with about 6 or 7 schools to begin with. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about your lack of experience. Resumes are important, true, but colleges are looking for potential. It’s more important to really nail your auditions, so start looking for material now.</p>
<p>Take a look at the BA at American. No BFA or grad students to compete with so lots of performance opportunities, great academics, lots of study abroad opportunities AND a terrific arts management concentration.</p>
<p>Sorry – the list I was referring to in post #1 is at the top of the Musical Theater forum. It’s a good place to start; many of those schools also have excellent Acting majors. You will also find discussions of many good schools in this forum, so start browsing through the threads.</p>
<p>If you want to be able to explore multiple areas of theatre in college, you will need to look for programs that will support and encourage this. </p>
<p>In terms of BFA programs you may find BU (Theatre Arts… I think that is what it is called) and NYU (Playwrights) will give you opportunities to immerse yourself in theatre, and also explore varied disciplines within theatre. </p>
<p>BA programs will certainly allow you to do this. Temple, James Madison, SUNY New Paltz are three that come to mind quickly that have professionally focused training within the BA context. There are others as well… Those are just 3 off the top of my head. </p>
<p>Many students applying for college programs have experience “limited” to mostly HS. Don’t let that discourage you from applying to schools that you think will meet your educational goals and needs.</p>
<p>onstage: I agree that when thinking of a BA, it is wise to look at schools that do not also have a BFA. Thank you for the musical theatre thread tip. It is nice to have all of the information on different schools organized. I will begin narrowing down my close-to-50 schools list and then return. The internet is a beautiful thing, but also very overwhelming. I have started in pursuit of the perfect monologues, as my mom keeps reminding me that the entire public library resides at my house! </p>
<p>One question that persists is: what is the appropriate amount of movement in an audition monologue? I assume that there is no one correct answer, but do high-quality monologues typically include movement? I have been told that levels and movement are good, though I have witnessed few monologues performed with movement progressive to the objective. On the other hand, stationary or seated monologues seem boring. Is this the case? </p>
<p>megpmom: Thank you for suggesting American. I have heard little about the school before this post, but was very impressed with the information that you and their website provided. </p>
<p>KatMT: Thank you for your suggestions as well. BU does have a program called Theatre Arts that looks like something to pursue. The uncertainty of placement at NYU worries me, although I like the specialization of the different studios. I am interested in all of the BA programs that you listed and would love to have any more suggestions as they come to mind!</p>
<p>I would take a very close look at the JMU program - great campus, great people, new performing arts Monolith, very flexible program.</p>
<p>My S had a somewhat different problem than your own - he has been working with professional actors sense he was 12 and they would critique him as he did most of his performances with a troupe (Traveling Players Ensemble) of like minded students from the metro DC area and very little in high school. So he had a bit of an idea about his talent as compared with folks from places like Duke Eligintion in DC. But like yourself worried what everyone else was doing across the country.</p>
<p>I would ask myself two questions - 1) How good of a student are you? Being a good student opens doors and scholarship money that might otherwise be closed to you. It makes the difference for BA programs like Brown and BFA programs like NYU as far as being admitted. 2) (and the much more important question) How passionate are you about theatre? Is this something that you like? Is it a drama cool thing? Do you feel it in your heart (not that the heart doesn’t change mind you)? </p>
<p>If the answer yes to question two you are going to run into what my S and everyone else faces, scheduling and making sure those monologues are outstanding. I posted something that I found on the net happening in San. Fran I would suggest everyone take a look at - truthfully it scares the heck out of me - there is a lot to prepare for but with planning I think it put you in a much better place to succeed. Hmm you might want to also look at the post actingmom has done in the past, I find her comments to be helpful. I wish you the very best.</p>
<p>I would take a very close look at the JMU program - great campus, great people, new performing arts Monolith, very flexible program.</p>
<p>My S had a somewhat different problem than your own - he has been working with professional actors sense he was 12 and they would critique him as he did most of his performances with a troupe (Traveling Players Ensemble) of like minded students from the metro DC area and very little in high school. So he had a bit of an idea about his talent as compared with folks from places like Duke Eligintion in DC. But like yourself worried what everyone else was doing across the country.</p>
<p>I would ask myself two questions - 1) How good of a student are you? Being a good student opens doors and scholarship money that might otherwise be closed to you. It makes the difference for BA programs like Brown and BFA programs like NYU as far as being admitted. 2) (and the much more important question) How passionate are you about theatre? Is this something that you like? Is it a drama cool thing? Do you feel it in your heart (not that the heart doesn’t change mind you)? </p>
<p>If the answer yes to question two you are going to run into what my S and everyone else faces, scheduling and making sure those monologues are outstanding. I posted something that I found on the net happening in San. Fran I would suggest everyone take a look at - truthfully it scares the heck out of me - there is a lot to prepare for but with planning I think it put you in a much better place to succeed. Hmm you might want to also look at the post actingmom has done in the past, I find her comments to be helpful. I wish you the very best.</p>
<p>AdviceNeeded: A stationary or seated monologue can be captivating if it is performed well. I would advise you to avoid monologues that require props, pantomiming, or excessive movement. You should feel free, however, to move around in a natural way. Don’t let stage “business” distract from your full and organic interpretation of the character’s intentions.</p>
<p>Ditto the American U. recommendation; a student of mine is a junior there and really likes the program.</p>
<p>wineguy: Thank you for your insight, and yes, I am very passionate about theatre. I discovered the article that you have posted about San Fran, and it is frightening. The time, money, effort, and luck that goes into the process with no real guarantee at all! And how the future is decided in mere minutes! I will be on the lookout for actingmom posts. Best wishes to you and your S, too. </p>
<p>onstage: Thank you for your knowledge on monologues. I will continue searching for good pieces and put your advice into rehearsal preparation.</p>