What is Harvard’s undergraduate drama/theater/screenwriting experience like?
http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/12/04/harvard-to-offer-theater-major/
A Harvard Theater Concentrator: http://www.markmauriello.com/#!about/chak
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/15046675#Comment_15046675
My daughter was very involved with the HRDC (http://hrdctheater.com) during her time at Harvard appearing in 8 plays and musicals (this was before Harvard’s new concentration in Theater, Dance & Media).
I’m not sure if things have changed since the new concentration, but my daughter’s experience with the HRDC was very hit-or-miss. That’s because the majority of theater productions were directed by students (one production a year employed an outside professional director). Sometimes those student directors, however well intentioned, were not well organized and rehearsals became a logistic nightmare. For example, several student directors scheduled rehearsals every night from 6pm to midnight for the entire cast. This resulted in much wasted time requiring the actors in those productions to complete their academic work between midnight and 6am. In addition, there was no faculty supervision of student directors and some directors made questionable decisions with regards to student safety. For example, during one play the student director/fight choreographer didn’t know what they were doing and one student became injured, getting a concussion requiring a Mt. Auburn Hospital visit. As I said, her experience was very hit-or-miss.
Brown is the Ivy more known for an undergrad theater program. If you are looking to be in Boston, you have BU, Emerson, and Boston Conservatory at your fingertips…all with stellar acting programs.
@writer80 what are you looking for from a theater program? Give us some criteria, and maybe we can suggest some schools.
I am really looking for screenwriting, thank you for your interest in my interest, haha @arwarw
One more link, from the Harvard Gazette: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/04/theater-dance-and-media/
I like the triple focus on theory, history, and performance in TDM.
Very few colleges offer an undergraduate degree in screenwriting. If that’s where your interested lie, I would look into: https://cinema.usc.edu/writing/index.cfm
Thanks again @gibby
Perhaps you should not narrow yourself – how about writing with some side courses in screenwriting? And why Harvard? You’re finishing your freshman year, right? Kinda early to be focusing on screenwriting and all this pop culture stuff. Bear down on your studies.
The child of a friend graduated from the USC screenwriting program a few years ago. It was an amazing, intense experience that, indeed, effectively guaranteed a decent Hollywood job on graduation. Nevertheless, there were lots of times – and more and more of them as time went on – that this kid envied friends who had gone to LACs or liberal arts programs at universities. The professionalism of the USC program was a lot to handle at 19 or 20.
Wow… this is actually a thread about theater.
I thought it was going to be about another microagression/SJW protest event.
It looks like Harvard offers two undergraduate classes in screenwriting; whereas, on the USC link I counted 45 different undergrad screenwriting classes.
You may also want to look in to Northwestern University’s School of Communication.
Screenwriting is in creative writing classes at Harvard, and may be hard to get in to. You have to apply. http://english.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate/creative-writing/ English majors can do a creative thesis consisting of a screenplay if they so choose. Note that students from other colleges and universities can apply to be in the creative writing class, though Harvard undergrads have priority.
The Harvard creative writing class can be repeated so it is misleading to count classes offered.
There used to be a non-credit screenwriting seminar at Winthrop House that people loved.
Harvard has increased offerings and focus on applied arts in recent years. One result is the new theater, dance and media major that Gibby refers to. I don’t think that area is relevant for you and it is in transition, but drama is certainly improving at Harvard. Harvard Magazine recently had an article on this. If you are interested I can find it.
Film falls under Visual and Environmentaal Studies. There is a grad program in film, and a film study center etc., but I don’t see screenwriting courses available in that context. You can look at film study courses here http://ves.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate (no writing listed explicitly).
In general, the emphasis at some selective schools is still a general education (hence the gen eds). Schools like Brown or Amherst do not have gen eds or distribution requirements, but many Ivies and top schools still do. The emphaisis is not on training for a particular career, whether business, law, film scoring or screenwriting. Those are left for the grad level.
If you want to be a professional screenwriter, an argument can be made for the kind of education Harvard offers, which enriches over the long term. If you want to be in an environment with a narrower, or, more career-oriented focus, there are certainly better places to get right to it.
That said, there are plenty of Harvard College grads who go right into careers writing for tv or theater or film. I can think of three I know of, from just a few years of graduates.
Wait, you are a freshman in high school? You are definitely narrowing your focus prematurely!! Don’t think about Harvard or any other college for a couple of years. Enjoy high school: explore interests, keep writing if you like, make friends, work reasonably hard and wait to see what your interests are when you apply…good luck!
Good article.
“In recent years, the University has re-emphasized the importance of the arts to a well-rounded education. The 2008 Task Force on the Arts recommended increasing support for that area, including instruction in arts practice, in the context of gaining a liberal arts education.”
Definitely agree about the comedy writers 