<p>Yes, SHE is interested in and overtaken by MT. I am interested in her finding work. So, for me the spectrum is a little broader.</p>
<p>London Ideas! I can’t find a thread about London theatre but I want to travel there soon and wonder if anyone has any ideas about good plays to see or fun things to do . I have not been there for 20 years and plan to take my daughter who is an MT student. Thanks for any help with this.</p>
<p>We lived in London for several years and my daughters first theatre experience was in the West End watching Beauty and the Beast while sitting on my hubby’s lap! She is now an MT sophomore 
It has been several years since then, so don’t know too much about what’s playing now, but DO go to the ticket booth at Leicester Square to get your same day tickets (similar to the TKTS booth in Times Square)…they open around noon I believe and have many tickets available to same day shows at a discounted price (matinee and evening, but two different lines, so make sure you are in the correct one). We would take the “tube” into the city from our village, get our tickets for that evening, then hang around London until showtime! Have a blast with your D…it will be a trip to remember…I STILL miss it!</p>
<p>Thank you! this is going to be a surprise 21st birthday gift. (I don’t think she has time to read CC now… ) Ticket idea is great. My D is a junior.</p>
<p>Going in May have tickets for Sweeney Todd just opened heard it was great plus Matilda. There is also Ghost most of the others have been around a while.
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<p>Sounds good - also going May - late May. Hoping for sunny days but any way we will have great theater! Really have no ideas about West End restaurants. Also have been looking at Ghosts and Matilda. Didn’t realize ST was just opening. I’ll have a look.</p>
<p>oregon mt mom: a few ideas for your trip -</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If you haven’t seen them, Blood Brothers and The Woman in Black are long-running standards that really fit the mood for a London visit.</p></li>
<li><p>Take the tour of the rebuilt Globe Theatre (walk over the Millennium Bridge to get there for more fun). If you can catch a show, they are usually amazing.</p></li>
<li><p>I would skip the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden.</p></li>
<li><p>You may want to take a backstage tour of the West End theatres.</p></li>
<li><p>Visit Hampton Court Palace and stand in the Great Hall where Shakespeare’s company performed.</p></li>
<li><p>Take the train for a day trip to Stratford on Avon and do all the touristy Shakespeare stuff. I was surprised how much my d liked this, but she is Shakespeare addict.</p></li>
<li><p>Go see whatever is playing at the Donmar Warehouse - usually a great experience.</p></li>
<li><p>Pick up a copy of “What’s On” and/or “Timeout” from a newsstand when you arrive at the airport and read it on the train on the way into London to see all the stuff going on.</p></li>
<li><p>The Tate Modern is a short walk from the Globe and is housed in the old Bankside Power Plant, way cool. The gift shop is lots of fun.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>10 Eat at the Oxo Tower Brasserie for a wonderful view over the Thames to St. Paul’s - best after dark, always crowded (there is also a more expensive formal restaurant there). Make a booking if you can (I forget if they take reservations or not).</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Climb to the top of St. Paul’s for a great view.</p></li>
<li><p>Eat lunch in the crypt below St. Martin’s in the Fields (catch a concert there if you can).</p></li>
<li><p>The Harry Potter Hall is at Christ Church College in Oxford (a fun day trip on the train).</p></li>
<li><p>Visit the Museum of London for great historical background on the city.</p></li>
<li><p>Watch the BBC series “In Search of Shakespeare” (available on Netflix) before you go - you may want to hunt down some of the spots they show.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are interested in Windsor Castle, watch the BBC series “Windsor Castle: A Royal Year” (available on Netflix) before you go.</p></li>
<li><p>Since your last visit, the chain “Pret a Manger” has sprung up seemingly on every street in Central London. Great place to grab a sandwich.</p></li>
<li><p>Every London train station now has an Upper Crust which are my favorite sandwich shops. For day trips on the train we always grab food there for a picnic lunch later.</p></li>
<li><p>Since your last trip, there is now a high-speed train from Heathrow to Paddington (takes like 15 minutes).</p></li>
<li><p>For a fun dinner, eat at Belgo near 7 Dials (Covent Garden area). Post-industrial meets monastery. Its Belgian food, so if you like mussels, then you will really like this place (but they have other stuff as well and even people who don’t like mussels may like the mussels here). Over 100 kinds of beer.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Wow! Thank you so much for these wonderful ideas and the time you took to give them to me. They are more fun and unique than any guide book I have been reading and especially great for a kiddo who loves theater (I mean theatre!) I just printed out this page to take with us. Thank you CC friends! I am even more excited than I was and can’t wait to tell her about her birthday present.</p>
<p>Update: After looking into the work visa requirement and speaking with a few talent agencies in the UK, D has decided to pursue the opportunity at Boston Conservatory. It was a tough choice and means Dad will put off retirement until 78 vs 65 yrs of age.</p>
<p>^^^^ I am already part of that club. Welcome!</p>
<p>^^^ Us too! Instead of vacations and fine dining, we “staycation” and go to our local tavern. Easy to make the sacrifice when your child is thriving at a school. Welcome to BoCo!</p>
<p>Hi! I’d love it someone could help me as well… I’ve been accepted to Univ of Leeds for this fall, but that’s only a BA Theatre and Performance course. I’ve also been accepted to smaller, newer univs like Chichester (BA in MT) and Buckinghamshire New Univ. Across the pond, I’ve also been accepted by Loyola Univ CHicago for their BA in Music with MT Minor. But as all of these are too expensive, I’m now thinking of community college in LA (LA City College) and then a transfer to university. I’d like to know if a degree is worth the amount of debt I’d accumulate, as I am an international student. Loyola will be $162,000 for 4 years, even with a scholarhsip of $10,000 per year for 3 years.</p>
<p>Also, if I finish 2 years at LACC, what are the chances that I’d get into a good music program as a junior?? Being taken in as a sophomore or freshman would just up my financial budget and I won’t be able to get a degree in the end. Thanks!</p>
<p>Lasoprano, if you’re looking for a transfer into a BFA program, it is unlikely that you would be accepted anywhere as a junior. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that happen. The curriculum at a BFA program would just not allow for someone to start midstream. It’s possible that you might be able to transfer in as a sophomore but the more likely scenario is that you’d be placed in freshman studio classes. As for actual music programs, rather than MT or Acting, I’m not sure. You’d be well-advised to check with individual schools in which you’re interested.</p>
<p>I think I can speak for every parent here when I say that to graduate with anything remotely close to even half of the $162,000 number you’re citing would be insane.</p>
<p>@alwaysamom - it is may not be common, but I know of some applicants that have been accepted to audition-based BFA programs as Juniors and have graduated within two years (from CC’s with strong theatre programs in the same state). It is always best to check with each school individually to find out the specifics of entry for transfer students to get the facts from the source.</p>
<p>It’s definitely rare, EmsDad, and no prospective student should count on that possibility. What BFA is it where you’ve seen that happen?</p>
<p>@alwaysamom: no doubt its not common, and its not a typical path, but it can be possible. Since these may be very specific circumstances (not sure, I am not an expert), I don’t think its fair to point those out by name in a public forum. I will say that the ones I know of are from state schools in areas in the South and West. It never hurts to ask.</p>
<p>Following on to my previous message, I will point out for example, here in Texas, state schools have to accept transfer credit for these courses taken at a CC in Texas (as I understand the rules):</p>
<p>DRAM 1120 Theater Practicum I (1 SCH version)
DRAM 1220 Theater Practicum I (2 SCH version)
DRAM 1320 Theater Practicum I (3 SCH version)
DRAM 1121 Theater Practicum II (1 SCH version)
DRAM 1221 Theater Practicum II (2 SCH version)
DRAM 1321 Theater Practicum II (3 SCH version)
DRAM 2120 Theater Practicum III (1 SCH version)
DRAM 2220 Theater Practicum III (2 SCH version)
DRAM 2121 Theater Practicum IV (1 SCH version)
DRAM 1323 Basic Theater Practice (single-semester course)
DRAM 1330 Stagecraft I
DRAM 2331 Stagecraft II
DRAM 1141 Makeup (1 SCH version)
DRAM 1241 Makeup (2 SCH version)
DRAM 1341 Makeup (3 SCH version)
DRAM 1142 Introduction to Costume (1 SCH version)
DRAM 1242 Introduction to Costume (2 SCH version)
DRAM 1342 Introduction to Costume (3 SCH version)
DRAM 1322 Stage Movement
DRAM 1351 Acting I
DRAM 1352 Acting II
DRAM 2351 Acting III
DRAM 2352 Acting IV
DRAM 1161 Musical Theater I
DRAM 1162 Musical Theater II
DRAM 2336 Voice for the Theater
DRAM 2361 History of the Theater I
DRAM 2362 History of the Theater II
DRAM 2363 History of Musical Theater (single-semester course)
(there are similar courses in taken in dance)</p>
<p>Thus, you can get credit for many of the first two years of courses in a state BFA program (if you are admitted through audition as a transfer).</p>
<p>Once again, I am no expert, but I do know of students who have done it.</p>
<p>For the record. I am someone who is over 100K in debt for one child and I am not insane at all. I just happen to believe in my daughter enough to be confident the money spent was very worthwhile.</p>
<p>162,000 home equity loan is about $774/mo for 30 years. Not an insurmountable amount.</p>
<p>beentheredad, I thought it was clear that I was referring to a student graduating with that amount of debt, not a parent carrying it. Lasoprano made it sound like it would be her accumulating that debt, not her parents. My reply was addressing that.</p>
<p>Right, big difference if the kid carries the debt. We are not having our kids pay any of the college loans but we have loans for two colleges and two graduate schools that we are paying off. Yes, it is worth it. But that would be too much for a young graduate to carry, particularly in the arts.</p>