MT at SUNY Geneseo or SUNY Cortland

I don’t see SUNY Geneseo or SUNY Cortland on the list of MT schools but they both offer it as a major. Are they missing from the list because their programs aren’t good enough to be worth mentioning? I haven’t heard anything about either one but then I don’t know many people involved in MT so it’s not unusual for me not to know about a particular school. We are in NYS so it would be great to have some in state options (I’m aware that SUNY Buffalo and SUNY Fredonia also have MT and would welcome input on their programs as well but the other two are several hours closer to home which would be a plus if the programs are good). If anywone knows anything about MT at any of the SUNY schools, especially Geneseo or Cortland I’d be very happy to hear about them.

There are many schools and programs that are great programs that are not on the “list of MT schools” - I believe that list is really just a way of organizing threads…

@overwhelmed2019 Generally speaking, I think most would recommend Buffalo or Fredonia over either Geneseo or Cortland.

The list of schools at the top of the page were chosen years ago as the ones that created the most discussion here. There was a limit as to the number that was possible to include.

SUNY Cortland has a great program. They have a wonderful Performing Arts Institute in town, and the awesome Cortland Repertory Theatre in the Summer. It is the one that I am most familiar with-but I would have been very pleased if my D had added it to her list.

We also know someone at Cortland who is a female soph MT and seems content. has no plans on leaving I know that.

By way of disclosure, my S17 is a BFA Theater tech and production freshman at Fredonia.

I looked at the course offerings at both Geneseo and Cortland. Geneseo doesn’t appear to offer an MT program, or I couldn’t find it.

Cortland has an auditioned MT BA but it’s nowhere near as intensive as that at Fredonia.

We didn’t even consider Buffalo for personal family reasons. However, it’s a much larger school than any of the other three, which might be something to consider. All of my kids preferred schools in the Fredonia/Cortland/Geneseo size range. The Buffalo/Stony Brook/Bing size just didn’t work for them.

I personally think that the BFA program at Fredonia is amazing. It’s a program for young people who want to immerse themselves in theater and who dream of making a life in theater. My son’s program has 10 gen eds and it’s too much for him, lol. I’ve seen two shows so far and both were wonderful. The students are so talented and my son says the students are really, really nice. His first week, he called me and said: “Mom, I’m not in HS anymore. People actually say hello and are pleasant for no reason!” I note that Theater BA students can audition for all plays and musicals and can be cast.

You need to decide what you want. When we were looking at programs, we divided them into three groups based on our evaluation- intensive for people who want to live, breathe and work theater, medium for people who want theater in their post-college lives but maybe not as a career and dilettante for kids who enjoyed theater as an EC in HS and who want to continue to enjoy it in college but who plan to go to law school or med school or to become engineers and who view theater as an outlet. An example of the last program (which has since been discontinued) was Stony Brook’s. It consisted of a few courses as a minor that seemed geared to attract smart kids who wanted to perform but who didn’t want to do it for a living. In my son’s opinion, the BA programs were in the middle category. although I didn’t necessarily agree with this because there are many people working successfully in theater who attended BA programs. It was more a reflection of his desire to be in an intense program.

Good luck and give Fredonia a looksie.

@overwhelmed2019 I saw that Cortland was going to begin offering a BFA starting in 2 years? You should inquire, if that is a factor for you between a BA & BFA.

Buffalo - our word of caution: my S is an arts kid, which means he is not SUPERIOR academically. He auditioned and was accepted by the theater dept. for MT within 10 days…he is still waiting for an academic acceptance. I was told that they hope to have decisions out by the end of the month…REALLY??? Needless to say, I am very unhappy about this. UBuffalo does not get it. They have no idea what these kids go through to get into these programs. Any way, for you, be mindful where your child’s stats land within Buffalo’s profile in order to know whether Buffalo will be a viable option right away or a wait-and-see like it is for us. Thankfully S has a number of choices (including Fredonia BFA Acting), but I will tell you that I would have liked to have the ability & time to compare Buffalo to his other options.
Buffalo’s facilities were the BEST that I saw among all the schools he auditioned for. I truly think UB is a REAL hidden gem. And frankly they should take my S, lol! I had no idea how academically competitive UB is - still absolutely NO excuse for such a late decision.

I loved Fredonia, alas my S is pursuing MT so it moved down the list. Fred was welcoming, great size, plenty of rooming option, willing to work with students financially, etc.

@"#booknerdmom" Thank you for the heads up about Buffalo. Academics aren’t my D’s strength so Buffalo may be a long shot for her. I didn’t realize that they could audition for MT but be accepted for acting instead so that’s good to know also. Wow, there’s a lot to learn! I appreciate your help as well as all the other responses and I’m so glad I found CC.

Academics are not my son’s strength or his interest, which is why schools like NYU, Northwestern and even Buffalo were never on our radar, although Buff was never on for any of my kids, for personal family reasons as I mentioned. The beauty of this particular journey is that there can be a school for everyone, as academically intense or not as desired.

@#booknerdmom - Did your son get into BFA Acting but not MT at Fred? All programs can audition for all shows and he might be able to re-audition next year. I actually think that Fred allows people to audition again the following year even if they enroll somewhere else, Whatever your son decides to do, I hope he will enjoy his college experience.

@techmom99 yes, Fred offered him his second application choice, BFA Acting. Based on the feedback from his coach, some that we discussed, and a fellow HS student there, he was very concerned about not getting the dance and voice he is looking for. I think for whatever reasons Fred wasn’t a top choice for him, so he’s moving ahead with deciding between his other MT offers. The Buffalo fiasco just realy, really makes me angry - it was a serious consideration for him after auditions. And thank you for the good thoughts!

@""#booknerdmom"

I am not as familiar with the interplay between Acting and MT. I just knew that students could re-audition the next year, even if they attend a different school.

I completely understand about Buffalo. Good luck to you and your S wherever he goes.

My d just got accepted to Cortland. I don’t dare to suggest that it’s a safety school (after this ordeal, I don’t believe any of them truly are), but I’ll say that it certainly wasn’t on the top of her list. Needless to say, it’s one she is considering. Message me if you want more info. I’ll be glad to share my thoughts on it.

And yes, they are looking to turn it into a BFA. But from what we heard about it, the curriculum is of equal rigor (but more gen ed courses, since it’s a BA).

I suggest to everyone considering different programs to look at (I printed out) the degree maps and curriculum descriptions for the programs you are considering. Some BA’s are almost equivalent to a BFA, some are not. Some have more of a focus on the tech and backstage aspects, some don’t. Some have more gen ed or core requirements than others. I suggest this especially for people deciding between different SUNY programs because the price differential is not likely to be that huge so that may not be as large a choice factor as between a SUNY and a private. Even with the tech programs, we looked for programs that would give S17 the most opportunity to work with lighting and the least gen ed requirememts.

I used to teach at SUNY Cortland and I really like all of the performance faculty there. Kevin Halpin is the head of the program and a very nice guy who is vested in the students. The voice faculty get really good results and when I was there they were great at teaching dance to those who had very little experience. I left for a full time gig 8 years ago, but I have great memories of working there.