According to my BIL, who is a successful actor, it’s not that you have to go to school IN NYC, but be at a school with CONNECTIONS to it. Carnegie Mellon is mentioned above-that’s his alma mater. It didn’t mater that it’s not in NYC, because theater people make a point of staying connected to the school and kids in productions there get access to the right people with the right opportunities. I don’t know what others schools are like this, but BIL was talking about it just last week on a visit here. He did, of course, spend time in NY, but AFTER college. He made his summers count with theater work though-again it’s all about connections through the school.
Agree that the money to pay for wherever is important, but if your state school has no connected theater program, you’re probably right that you need to go elsewhere. That elsewhere may not be NYC. Go to the theater forum and see what they have to say. They may know of scholarships more specific to your situation.
OK, I want to add this because I can see how my post might come off harsh and I don’t want you to think I’m trying to crush your dreams. I’m just concerned that you’re limiting yourself. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes our neighbor girl has made. She was the star in her youth theatre but it’s the only pool she’d ever been in. I’ve seen her. She’s talented but she’d never worked or even auditioned professionally (and most kids that have develop a much more realistic and business like approach.) She had the “New York or nothing” mentality which even our friends with kids who’d done national tours and starred in Broadway shows as children didn’t have. She went to unifieds but she only went for New York schools and got no MT acceptances. Her academic stats got her into the in-state schools her parents required her to apply to. Some of which housed great theatre programs (one that even included spending a semester in New York auditioning for shows and agents.) Top it off, because of dad’s military position, tuition at the state schools would be FREE! However, she’s stuck in this “have to get to New York” loop. When her parents said they couldn’t afford Pace (which she got into academically and with academic merit scholarship but not into the BFA) she simply refused to attend any school and is now working for minimum wage trying to save money to move to New York. I think it seemed much more noble to her before her peers moved on. I mean, my D isn’t majoring in theatre but has a lead in a college show this coming fall, recorded an album with her acapella group this past spring and sang in all sorts of cool places, was a production assistant on a documentary… etc. D’s resume is growing without her even wanting to go into theatre while this girl is standing still. Don’t do that to yourself.
Have your dream but know there are a LOT of different paths.
Montana participates in WUE, but Nebraska does not. However, there are still a lot of schools that are quite affordable and have good theater and music programs - Montana, U of Northern Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Texas State.
This student is fighting the wrong fight with her parents, as the real fight is going to be getting into a pure MT program when there are very very few spots in the entire US, never mind NYC. Go the the MT and the theater forums and just start reading. At this point, OP should be signing up for auditions that take place through the fall and winter. People spend up to $5000 just to train and travel to auditions, plus the actual application fees. Some get accepted only to find out the school is too expensive.
My daughter is in theater, but luckily had no idea about the programs that require auditions and happily found a program with no audition requirements except for the talent scholarship. Musical theater also gives new meaning to the ‘small fish in a big pond’ concept. Even if the school is small and the department is small, the competition for every part could be really rough. If a school is only accepting 8 MT majors per year, every singly one is going to come with a resume of leading roles, years of training. Every single one (and upper classmen too) are going to want that lead. A school that is less competitive to get into may offer more opportunities. Does one want to be the 5th quarterback at Notre Dame or the starting quarterback at a much smaller school.?
Methinks the OP has left the theatre on this thread.
@turtletime, I appreciated your expertise in this area as I knew nothing about MT majors and the steps needed to just access this major until you described them here. I think your information, along with the other knowledgeable posters here, serves as a great tool for guidance in this field. Thanks for providing the information. The OP is fortunate to have your experiences and expertise.
“Whatever you can afford, Baby.” My mother expected me to attend college and pay for it by dint of my academic skills or ability or capacity to earn and save money. I was not being abandoned, but encouraged. I always had the option of attending the downtown campus of the major university in the state and could continue to live at home. However, if I wanted to attend an out-of-state school, or a private, or do something very specific beyond getting a very good college degree, then I had to come up with my plan to secure the additional costs. Personally, I think it is very fair and necessary for parents to identify the limits of their financial contribution at the beginning of selecting a college. The whistles and bells of college were on my nickel.
I am concerned that the the title of this thread says that parents wouldn’t allow attending an out-of-state school. Geographically speaking, parents were described as denying the opportunity to attend college in Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa or Wyoming.I hear what some of you are thinking about the continuous states. Instead, parents were saying no a student who was self-described as average student–potentially reduced opportunity for merit or financial assistance–who wanted to attend college in NYC and major in a relatively narrow field.
My parents would have encouraged me to apply in NYC to determine if I could get the money to attend my dream school. Whatever you can afford, Baby! I can’t imagine a student saying she should be allowed to chose her college, irrespective of price and location, and, at least in my family, living to tell the tale. But then… I was the first of eight and there were at least 2 in higher education for about 20 years. We all attended our first choice schools, too but knew mother’s words by heart. Whatever you can afford, Baby.
I’m assuming that you mean New York City when you say New York(?). But if you’re willing to give up living right in the middle of the city, there are lots of more affordable colleges withing a short train ride of the city. I’m not sure about the quality of the music programs, but New York State is crawling with great colleges. The Albany area and farther downstate is connected to NYC by public transit.
Maybe you can try push your parents to just let you apply to a couple places in NY. You’ll have a much more compelling argument if you can go to them with a fat financial/ merit aid package. Reasonable tuition combined with your obvious passion just might work. Just remember that even if tuition for the schools in NYC is low/ manageable, the cost of living is sky high.
@turtletime, your posts are very true. My D goes to Carnegie Mellon (although not a MT major). She’s a STEM major but also has a double major in cello performance, so she plays in the pit a lot and she knows these MT kids. They are all enormously talented. It’s super competitive to get in:
In 2014, the School of Drama received over 1,900 applications. This number varies from year to year. Approximately 80 students are admitted to the School of Drama every year and 60 students enroll. On average, 12-14 students are admitted into Music Theater, 16-18 in Acting, 20-25 in Design/Production, 5-7 in Directing and 5-7 in Dramaturgy.
You might want to look at Hartt at the University of Hartford, or SUNY Purchase, which is on the affordable side of the spectrum. Boston Conservatory is good for MT I think, but expensive. I know a young man who did all the things you are doing in high school, went to Michigan I think, is now touring with a show, doing well.
The MT forum will have more knowledgeable suggestions.
Please think about the effect loans have on a career in creative fields too!
Your undergrad years are only the beginning of a long road. Turtletime gives wise advice based on a lot of experience.
Also talk to your mom about what the real issue is.
Finances of an Out of State School?
Scared of her midwest daughter going to the big city?
Not wanting you so far away?
I don’t know a whole lot about musical theater - I advised a high school student last year who wanted a musical theater major - but I took a peek at Carnegie Mellon’s Music Theater major at the school of drama. The curriculum has three years of a acting classes with a fourth year of acting lab; three years of voice and speech lessons with accompanying labs; three years of classes in movement for actors; three years of ballet; three years of jazz dance; four years of tap; theater theory courses like Interpretation and Argument and Foundations of Drama; and some other specialty classes like Broadway Styles, Make-Up for Performers, the Business of Acting, and Acting for the Camera.
I compared that to the theater major with musical theater minor at UNL. UNL of course has all of the acting classes and many of the voice and movement classes. There’s more coursework in technical theater. The musical theater minor brings in the music classes and voice lessons, as well as dance/movement courses. It’s not exactly the same, but it appears that doing a theater major with a musical theater minor will give you much of the same coursework that you would learn at a place like Carnegie Mellon.
And as someone already pointed out, Creighton University and Nebraska Wesleyan both have musical theater majors; both are BFAs.
Most of the best colleges for musical theater actually aren’t in New York. If your mom is okay with you attending schools in surrounding states, the University of Northern Colorado and University of Colorado at Boulder both have musical theater majors. University of Kansas has a theater & voice major housed in the music department, which seems like it’s made for musical theater hopefuls. Webster University in Missouri has a BFA in musical theater. In states a bit further afield, the University of Oklahoma has a whole school of musical theater, and Oklahoma City University has a musical theater major. There are also several schools in Illinois (Millikin University, Rockford University, Illinois Wesleyan) and Indiana (Indiana U Bloomington, Ball State, University of Evansville) that have musical theater majors. Brigham Young in Utah also has one.
I was also going to say the same thing as @turtletime. The New York musical theater scene is a madhouse, because of course every young hopeful wants to go there. Theater is a profession - just like any profession, you need to show success in progressive endeavors before you can go really big. Every major city, and most smaller ones, in the United States has some kind of theater scene - most with musicals. You’ll find less competition and a chance to build your craft if you don’t go to New York right away - you can build a resume and hone your craft and then traipse off to New York when you are older and more experienced and show you can keep a job.
In addition, a business or statistics minor will serve you well.
Expand your sights to colleges with BA s in theater or music. Run the NPC on each before you add it to your list.
Save all your summer work money to pay for the flights to auditions.
Have many plan Bs and Cs - you’ll likely apply to three times more colleges than most classmates.
Remember that your best chance at a scholarship in a big city may be a high Act score so prep hard to bring your score up in the September test.
fyi our son stayed close to home last year. I had no idea what would be good about it. but after we all survived the 1st yr we know all the advantages. this yr our next kid is going out of state and I wish she were closer. everything is easier and less expensive. 30 yrs ago, I was a commuter and survived just fine. in fact, I started working in my field my sophomore year while the kids staying on campus were just partying.