I recently got accepted to LIU Post’s musical theatre program after my walk-in audition at NYC Unifieds! It was my most enjoyable audition yet, and I felt like the students and admissions people who were there were all very close and very excited about the school! Many other kids that I talked to who had auditioned also commented that they felt like the auditor was very interested them as a unique individual, and I would agree with that. The auditor was actually the only one I have met who actually stood up and shook my hand before I started! I’m interested in the program, but I don’t know much about it! Does anyone here feel like they could give an overview of the program or even share their opinions about it?
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Here is a thread from last year on LIU Post:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1904352-school-question-liu-post-p1.html
You may want to PM @winnieroot, whose d attends the program.
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I can definitely speak first hand about that guy that shook your hand at the walk-in. It was probably Dave Hugo. I did their Summer Theatre Institute this past summer, and even with my hoarse voice, Dave still showed me attention and cared for me like I was his own child. LIU is more of an Acting based school than anything, I must say. They specialize in Suzuki, as well as throwing in other methods in there. The school itself is beautiful, SUPER green campus, a good distance away from Manhattan, community bathrooms (eh), and I’m sure the real “college” feel is definitely present.
I’ve been told by one of the seniors that LIU isn’t specifically great for commercial MT. But if you really want to grow as an actor, a vocalist, as well as a mover, LIU is the place for you. Cara Gargano, the head of the Dance program (I believe), is also another one of the INTENSELY caring faculty members. They all push you to your ultimate limit, and drive you to go even further.
Personally, I hold LIU Post very close to my heart. They’re definitely a hidden gem, and super underrated. Take a deep look at the program, and don’t be afraid to call Cara or email Dave! It’s a gem for sure.
Oh! Also, the Dance and Acting classes are all taken in the same building. It’s lovely.
Best of luck to you! I re-audition for them on Thursday here at Chicago Unifieds! Any questions, or just want to hear about my experience with Dave, PM me! 
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I’m here! Hi @EmsDad Yes, D is a sophomore and loves, loves it. Very acting focused, but I feel like her voice and dance training is first rate too. Long Island’s big performing arts center is on her campus and hosts many traveling Broadway shows (Tilles Center) Friday night “Once” will be on campus and she is singing in the preshow cabaret. They invite many casting agents to be their guest and the students meet with them afterwards. It is amazing exposure. She has had masters classes with Christine Ebersole and Duncan Sheik. She visited backstage with KChen when she performed there. If you follow some of my old threads about it, I go into a lot of detail.
Oh and today is an exciting day, she just got her invitation to audition at NETC! If you go to Post Theater Company’s FB page they recently posted pictures of her fall show, “Age of Elizabeth”.
A couple of things to consider: if Suzuki isn’t your cup of tea, you may not like it. It is a very integral part of the training. My daughter loves it.
She is very involved with ESTA on campus (now on executive board) and directed her first show this fall. She is part of the school’s Improv comedy team. And of course, loves her sorority and lives in Greek housing. Most of the MT sophomores are part of Greek life, but it is perfectly acceptable not to be.
The other things is that they don’t do a lot of very mainstream stuff. They like new, unique (wouldn’t go as far as to call it experimental) and original works. But, this is kind of compensated for by the cabarets like the one she is doing this weekend.
I also think the classes have been getting a little large…their yield was very high last year so accepting a much reduced number. Congrats on our acceptance!
I am super busy at work, but feel free to message me for more information.
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I was also recently accepted to LIU Posts Musical Theatre program after a walk in audition at NYC Unifieds. I loved my audition/interview, and am going to visit campus in a few weeks. I am wondering how many people apply, are accepted, and then choose to attend LIU Post for Musical Theatre!
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Hello!
I’m currently a male sophomore MT major at LIU Post who was accepted through NYC Unifieds, and I’m honestly loving every single minute of it.
Most of what “vshtkn” and “winnieroot” are correct in what they are saying, and I want to add on to a few things that were said!
Yes, the auditor that you met was David Hugo, who is the freshman acting teacher and is also the director of the Musical Theatre aspect of the entire department as a whole. He and all of the other acting professors are very individual focused, as they give special attention to every single student when they’re presenting something in class. All of the professors want you to grow as an actor, and as long as the work is being put in, you will experience tremendous growth, as I know that I have.
The biggest focus of the program itself is the Suzuki method. In the spring semester of your freshman year, you learn the basics of the Suzuki method and really focus on perfecting that the entire semester. Sophomore year you don’t learn as much about it, but if you’re cast in a show or are in the musical theatre class, you’ll keep training so you don’t lose what you learned the year before. Junior year is where you’ll work with Maria Porter, who trained under Tadahashi Suzuki himself, and her own method of applying the Suzuki training into the work that one does. I’m only a sophomore, so I cannot fully explain what happens in Maria Porter’s class, but from what I hear from upperclassmen, it is absolutely incredible and it really helps one put all of themselves into the work that they present.
Here is a link to a video that we have that shows what we do when it comes to Suzuki training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHnBtHF9vmM
When it comes to Dance, it is not heavily “required” by the Theatre department, but most, if not all of the Theatre students, take as many dance classes as they can. There are classes ranging from beginner to advanced, wherein the advanced classes you would be taking with Dance majors. There is a beautiful new dance studio that is located next to the Theatre building that is much larger than the original dance studio, so there are two dance studios. A lot of people take advantage of this by using the space to practice what they’re learning in class in order to better themselves when it comes to dance in general.
We get a lot of wonderful opportunities to watch professionals do what they do best through the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. As mentioned, artists such as Kristen Chenoweth, Christine Ebersole, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Chita Rivera, Rebecca Luker, and upcoming Lea Salonga, Kelli O’Hara, and Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley have all done shows here, with a few of them offering master classes for us theatre students. Touring companies of Broadway shows also come here on occasion, with some of the most recent ones being Rent, Once, Annie, The Producers, and Pippin. Students can either receive comp tickets or can get a student ticket for $15 if comps aren’t available.
If there are any more questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me! I hope that I was able to answer some of the questions that people were wondering about this wonderful program here at LIU Post! 
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My son had a scheduled audition at LIU Post at Unifieds and was accepted a couple of weeks ago. I do have to say that his experience with the audition was similarly positive. The kids were so friendly and both the audition panel and the director he spoke to afterward were genuine and helpful. It was his first audition of the weekend and it really set the standard for the weekend. We would love information as well and hope to visit once his high school musical is over (I am sure everyone on this page understands the time committment involved in the musical as a senior!)
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It’s so funny that every review of LIU’s audition process is so positive. My daughter came out with tears in her eyes. She said they started writing things before she started, they never looked up, didn’t say a word when she finished her song, and didn’t ask her to do her monologue. She asked if she could do it because she was applying for BFA Acting and one of the women said sure and laughed. When she was finished my daughter said “thank you”…no response…then she said “thank you for your time goodbye” still no response and they didn’t even say goodbye and no interview. Too bad because she was accepted to the honors college with a big scholarship. Then a week later she got an email saying “we look forward to your audition in Chicago” lol. It was a little annoying that they rushed her appointment to fit in as many walk ins as possible. She arrived 20 minutes early and they wouldn’t allow her to warm up and said she had to go right than. No worries though because she has some good choices. I’m sure it’s a wonderful program if they like you!
@samigaga Kudos to your D for handling herself so professionally in the face of an unprofessional panel of auditioners. Shame on them for not respecting all the work, time, energy, and money you and your D spent for her to get there for that audition!
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@samigaga So very sorry to hear of your daughter’s experience. My son had a similar negative experience at another audition and it was a college that many people have been so complimentary toward. It is frustrating because these kids do work hard to prepare for their auditions. I told my son after his negative experience: those holding the auditions are human. They get tired. They get frustrated. And, while most professionals can still maintain some level of reserve, occasionally, what he experienced does happen. Doesn’t make it right. But, we are all human and flawed. When these teens have so much riding on these auditions, that negative treatment hurts and is probably magnified. At his “bad audition” they were not listening and talking during his monologue too. 
Best of luck to your daughter–sounds like she will land on her feet.
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Thank you @Mardeen and @JWU1964 for your wise words. I agree, they are human, and I also wonder if my daughters response was possibly exaggerated under the stress of auditioning. This was her first audition at unifieds and we didn’t realize it would be different from the others she had done previously, which were NYU, Boco, and Point Park (All day auditions with dance calls and warm ups), so the rush in/out came as a surprise to her. That being said, she will probably take a rejection much harder from those schools if that should be the outcome, being that she felt those auditions went so well. At least she knew where she stood at LIU. She still hasn’t heard from them. I will lol if she gets in. FSU, for example: At NY unifieds, she auditioned for BFA Acting. Before starting her monologues, the auditioner read her resume, which was filled with MT and no straight acting roles, and asked her why she was auditioning for acting instead of MT. She expressed that she had danced and sang her whole life and after taking an acting class, she found her true passion and wanted to pursue this path. His response was, “But you’ve been dancing and singing for so long you should really audition for out MT program.” She knew on the way out that she wasn’t getting in and that was fine because he was very nice. She did feel before she started that he might not take her seriously due to her background. I’m not sure if this is the case though. That being said, she wasn’t upset when I told her all the calls went out last night and the rejections are arriving by mail. My older daughter is a junior at Tisch and I know this business isn’t for the faint of heart. We laugh at her unsuccessful audition stories and the rejection doesn’t hurt so much after a few hard disappointments. I love college confidential and all of you for your support and encouragement and I don’t know what I will do when my younger daughter enrolls somewhere and I have nothing to obsess about.
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@JWU1964 How were you notified of his acceptance?
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@dreamer7296 I think your post was to @JWU1964 , but my D was also accepted to LIU Post for MT and she received an email from the department chair about 2 weeks after her audition. Still nothing in the mail though.
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Thanks for replying @daughtersdreams. The reason I’m asking is because my daughter received a packet from LIU post saying she was accepted to the Theatre Arts Program for Fall 2017 with a nice merit scholarship. We haven’t received anything further and I’m wondering if that’s just an academic acceptance or actual acceptance into the program. She auditioned at the LA Unified on 12 Feb. Anyone know?
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@dreamer7296 It’s strange how the colleges do things so hit and miss – some get emails, some calls, some regular mail. Makes it confusing for all of us. LIU has several Theater Studies degrees, BA, and BFA’s and a BFA in dance – did your D audition for dance or theater?
If you’re wondering, you can always call them.Or check the admissions portal to see what your D’s major designation is. My D’s changed to BFA Musical Theatre after she was accepted.
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She auditioned for BFA in MT. I guess I will have her call them. Thank you.
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She emailed them and yes indeed she was accepted to the BFA in MT! She should get more information in a couple of weeks!
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Congrats!
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@dreamer7296 Congratulations! Our daughters may be roommates if they decide to attend LIU!
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We received an email as well. About two weeks after the audition at Unifieds.
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