Youngest daughter is applying to Syracuse, Columbia College Chicago, and DePaul for a Theater Management major (non-performing).
She decided this recently. We though she would be applying as a transfer student but (long story) all the schools require her to apply as a first year. So now her deadlines have moved up considerably.
We know nothing about the theater world in terms of colleges, so this is all new to us.
She has very little formal theater experience in terms of roles, shows, so what does she put on her resume?
She attended a theater camp for 2 years where she took various classes (run by a local theater that should be known, I think. She worked stage crew for one show at her current college, and volunteered at a community organization where she was part of a team that wrote and produced a show. She’s taken one or two theater classes at her current college.
Any advice? We’re going to be visiting schools in the next two weeks and I’d love her to have something in hand.
My D19 is applying for theatre tech vs stage management, but I understand theatre management applicants need to have a prompt book ready (vs a portfolio) and a theatre resume of their work and training.
I suggest looking at websites of the schools on her list to see what their requirements are for the application vs interviews vs scholarships, etc.
@Amkngk - there are a few videos on YouTube describing a prompt book. I suggest searching there and on Google to find some examples (with explanations!)
There are also some non-performer resume examples online. If you get stuck, PM me and I can share some links. (CC seems to grumble when I post links in posts.)
My son is theater tech student (lighting concentration). He has a resume listing all of the productions he was involved in and his positions with each show. He also had a portfolio which included some scripts with lighting cues notated from the shows he worked at. I think a prompt book is what you use to remind actors who forget their lines and/or to keep track of people’s entrances onto the stage.
@Amkngk - I don’t know much (my daughter looked at tech theatre programs for stage management 4 years ago) - but my D’s resume had years of stage management, crew work, junior theatre teaching, professional internships and she had prompt book samples from many shows. If your D doesn’t have a lot of experience, just put down what she has done and highlight her best / most responsible backstage jobs.
You may have thought of this already but you only list 3 schools. Syracuse is a top-notch school for technical theatre and is tough for admissions. Columbia College a safety but their retention rate isn’t great, which means she might get in, matriculate and not want to stay. Without a strong resume in backstage theatre or theatre administration I would think her admissions chances at a very competitive program are going to be low. Sorry - not trying to be a negative nelly, just trying to help.
If it were my D applying I would want to find a bunch schools in between those two extremes - schools where she will be happy but can get in - and maybe look for a couple of schools that offer related theatre degrees as opposed to narrowing down on only Theatre Management (which may actually require graduate coursework or equivalent experience to get a job). My D actually was accepted at Syracuse but ended up at Purdue and I know their technical theatre connections and coursework have been amazing for her in getting professional theatre-related work. I am not pushing Purdue just saying I kind of assume there are many colleges and universities like that that fly under the google search radar but would be a good fit for your D and get her where she wants to go professionally.
My D’s high school gave us free access to Naviance but you can pay for other college information sites. If you look for schools that offer technical or business theatre degrees where she’s a match for grades and scores, you might end up with a bigger/more balanced school list and an overall lower stress level. Best of luck!!!
Thanks, @CaMom13. I will have her look further and we’ll see what happens. I don’t know too many other schools to direct her too. She’s pretty specific in what she is looking for in a program. I’m glad to hear that you think Columbia Chicago is a safety, though. My godson graduated from there last year and had a great experience. We’re going to visit in a few weeks.
It’s a little disheartening to hear how competitive it is for kids who didn’t know they wanted to do theater since they were young. My kid dabbled, but I’m not sure listing that she played The Scarecrow in the Camp Ramsbottom play in 7th grade is really going to help. She has 2 summers of Young Actors Summer Institute through Trinity Rep in Providence, but they have a showcase of pieces from the classes, not really one play. I don’t know what my kid would have to show or list. For instance, the Musical Theater class performed a song from Rent. There were 15 people in the performance, nobody really had a solo. How would she list that?
@Amkngk - DON’T be disheartened! Keep in mind your D wants a career - those are built, not gifted along with a diploma. She can get to where she wants to go in lots of ways. I think people start thinking that the college admissions process is the ultimate determinant of the student’s future - it’s not! She will find a program she loves, work hard, make connections and get a job - once she’s got that first job, it’s a whole new ball game. Once she has enough work experience no one will care where she went to school. Stay positive, the world is a wide place and your D is just beginning. But also encourage her to open her mind a little in terms of majors - she can get the training she wants at more than 3 schools.
She’s not applying as a performing major so it doesn’t matter if she didn’t do solo work - I’d just list those two summer programs as part of her background under education / training. If she did any crew or technical work, expand on it in the details or list it as work experience.
I do think Columbia is generally a safety school - their acceptance rate is like 88%. However I don’t know if their theatre management program is more selective than the college as a whole so please don’t take my word for it - ask the school when you visit! Hang in there and stay positive - things will work out.
Theatre Management students are learning the business side of theatre: Producing, Marketing, Human Resources, Budgets, Fundraising, Administration, etc. So while she should absolutely include any theatre work (performing, directing, crew, and so on), I would also include any other leadership or writing experience she has. If she ever helped with publicity for shows, that’s great too, include those samples. Anything that showcases her organizational skills, theatre-related or not, would be appropriate. It’s better to have too much than not enough.
A prompt book is really more for stage management, rather than theatre management. It’s what the SM uses to call the show. The Theatre Manager is more the person in charge of front of house, marketing, that sort of thing.
If she doesn’t have much of a resume, she should look at schools that have strong theatre departments and get involved in theatre as an undergrad. She can then pursue an MFA with a strong portfolio from her undergrad work. DePaul is highly competitive. Look at schools like Skidmore that have great theatre programs.
Thanks everyone. I’ll pass this on (carefully) to D. I like the idea of expanding her search to schools with general theater programs that don’t require acting auditions. Her academics are top notch. That might be a good way in.
Just wanted to update — D. Was accepted to Syracuse for Theater Management, with a merit scholarship! She will be attending in the fall. Thank you to all of you who gave great advice, doses of reality, and encouragement.
