Montclair State Musical Theatre?

<p>Just got a strange email from Montclair:</p>

<p>"You are invited to the Next Step … </p>

<p>Thank you for applying to a program in the Department of Theatre & Dance at Montclair State University. So that you may be considered for admission to your intended major, at this time we invite you to an interview, audition or portfolio review (depending on the program) with the Department faculty. </p>

<p>To schedule your appointment, please follow the steps outlined in the College of the Arts Appointment Scheduler."</p>

<p>Now I had already scheduled an audition for next weekend. I talked to the Department head a number of weeks ago and I just got my confirmation letter and instructions last week. It seems on the website that Acting majors are usually the ones that are "invited" to audition. So am I supposed to take this that I've probably been academically accepted to the university? Did this happen to anyone else?</p>

<p>I would call them. There were quite a few administrative glitches with my D's process.</p>

<p>My D received the same message by mail. I spoke to admissions (voicemail) and told them once that she HAD auditioned on 1/20, and received another postcard. I then spoke with the director of theatre, who said to e-mail them that she had already auditioned and that we were waiting for the "verdict". I was told that she is high on the waitlist, but that was verbal - we have never received anything in writing confirming that. They seem pretty overwhelmed this year with the number of applicants and I think Tashmu is correct, there are a lot of glitches. I would not worry about the message except to attempt to respond to it. It is a large university and there is a lot of bureaucracy involved I am sure. Good luck with your audition!</p>

<p>breakintosong.....We did not get an email like yours but we did receive 4 seperate identical conformations with schedule and times for my "D" dance audition. Still wondering how many apply for dance and how many get accepted. Anyone??? Lisa G</p>

<p>Nice to know I'm not the only one having glitch problems. I do know that it took two tries to get my transcripts sent to schools (I think my request got lost in the mail the first time). Perhaps they got everything in and automatically sent an email out. </p>

<p>I too would like to know how many they accept. I'm assuming probably around 20 for each major, but it's not listed anywhere. Perhaps they don't have a set number? Like they're not gonna accept everyone but those with a certain score will get the acceptance. If people already have acceptances, I'm guessing that there isn't really a set number like at places like CMU, UM, CCM, etc.</p>

<p>I don't know if there is a set number...but now my daughter wants to switch from march to the april date for dance aud. I am pretty sure the earlier you audition the better for most programs. Anyone want to comment on this?</p>

<p>The answer is different from school to school. If they do rolling admissions then the number of available slots begins to decline the later the audition date although they try to keep at least a few slots until the end. Many schools also will continue to audition but without consideration for financial aid after February or March. Others wait until all auditions are done before making any decisions (most of those are in the process of finishing up this week or next). Call the dept & the schools Fin Aid office. They should be able to tell you their specific policies in this regard.</p>

<p>Good Luck</p>

<p>BreakIntoSong - I remember when we were at Montclair's open house last fall they said that they accepted 20 students for MT and 20 for acting. I don't know about dance but perhaps it's the same.</p>

<p>I have a question. When my D auditioned there the director said that if they didn't accept you into MT or acting but saw something they liked they would invite you to interview for Theater Studies. This is what happened to my D. She had a phone interview with the chairperson of the department and was accepted. It says on their website that you have to be invited to interview for this major. Does anyone know how many they accept into Theater Studies? I was just curious.</p>

<p>It seems that with every theater program at Montclair, major or minor, you have to audition and or interview. I would make an estimate that the Theater Studies probably has about double the students, I would guess probably something like 40 or so. </p>

<p>Though I have to admit, personally at such a place like Montclair, I wouldn't be very willing to accept the BA program. They have two BFA majors and I think that would make it almost impossible to get cast in much of anything. Because if you do get cast in the mainstage musicals or plays, then something is wrong since the faculty/chair were the ones who deemed the BFA students to have the better audition and be more worthy of the advanced training. Not to mention you're probably not allowed to take any of the BFA level courses so it just feels like you get screwed out of things. I don't know if that's the case at Montclair, but it something I've been thinking about if the situation ever presented itself.</p>

<p>We were just at Montclair for the "TheaterDay", and thought the program looked good. We saw Cabaret, and they did a wonderful job. The lead was a BA student. The vocals were good, dance was amazing, and the costume and staging fabulous. We were quite impressed. They also indicated they took about 20 MT students, and next year will be participating in the unifieds, and putting stronger emphasis on academics.</p>

<p>wmonmtdad.......Thanks for the reply...turns out I talked my "D" into sticking with the March audition. Last audition out of 4 MT and 3 Dance. Can you say MARTINI???? Lisa G</p>

<p>Sarahlsmom - That's great to hear! We never got to see a play at Montclair the two times we visited because nothing was running. It's also encouraging to see that a BA Theater person got cast in the lead. As has been pointed out in this forum many times, there are many different paths that people take in this business to reach their goals. I believe that a BA Theater program such as Montclair's is a great, viable alternative to a BFA program if that doesn't pan out.</p>

<p>Does anyone know when you should be finding out the results of your audition?</p>

<p>My D auditioned today for the DanceProgram...we were told 2 weeks</p>

<p>My D auditioned 3 1/2 weeks ago and no news yet!</p>

<p>MY D auditioned 1/20, and actually didn't hear about her acceptance until the first week of March! When I called about an unrelated issue, I was told that she was supposed to have been informed within a week whether or not she was in the running, it just got overlooked. I would call if you are curious, but sometimes they seem a little swamped, and other times are very available. Just try to be patient when you call. It's hard, isn't it?</p>

<p>tashmu - Thanks for the input. This is very hard. She auditioned for one school the 1st week of Nov and just heard the outcome last week. I will see if she wants to call or email. Thanks again and best of luck to your D, it seems like a wonderful school.</p>

<p>My D auditioned on February 3. The following Friday she got a call from the theater department stating that she didn't make it into the BFA Acting program but that they wanted to interview her for Theater Studies. She interviewed over the phone for Theater Studies with the chairperson of the department on February 20. I called them a couple of weeks ago to see how she did on the interview and they said that she had been accepted to the Theater Studies program. However, we have not received an acceptance letter yet from the Theater Department, only Admissions. The people in the Theater Department are very friendly and helpful, but as Tashmu said, I think they are swamped right now.</p>

<p>Yes, my D has the acceptance from admissions also. It makes it hard since some schools want deposits as early as 4/1. I had to request an extension until 5/1. Congratulations to your D.</p>

<p>Hi Everybody....about Montclair, I do not know if some of you are referring to Dance or just theater but this is what we heard yesterday. We are dance...long audition but sweet and friendly, a mom told me that she talked to a girl who aud earlier in the month and already heard she is in the dance program. We have not heard from the University admissions but we were told we should hear from dance in 2 weeks. They are definetley disorganized as I have said in other posts but it really just takes a call and they make up for it in a lack of cut throat attitude and warm enviroment. Has anyone been waiting to hear from BOCO dance? My D audition went well and we are cautiously optomistic and hopeful. Good luck all.</p>