MT students at Ithaca

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>Ithaca has been one of my “dream schools” so to speak for quite some time. Since I will be auditioning there this fall I was wondering if I could get some current Ithaca MT students to answer some of my questions…</p>

<p>I have a friend who auditioned at Ithaca about 3 years ago and he did not get accepted but many of his friends did. He told me not to “waste my time” auditioning at Ithaca because supposidly his friends hate it there. Apparently they said that getting cast in musicals at Ithaca is near impossible. I had always assumed that if you are talented enough to get into Ithaca then you are talented enough to eventually get cast there as well. </p>

<p>What are your experiences with the school? Do you find the casting for shows to be fair? Also, how do you like the different aspects of the program? Such as the voice classes, dance classes, and acting classes. Any complaints?</p>

<p>Thanks for your time! I look forward to hearing the truth about Ithaca :)</p>

2

<p>Hi! I haven’t posted on here in quite some time and found myself stumbling back onto this website three years after coming to Ithaca. I am a Junior MT currently studying in London. I don’t know who your friends friends are, but that could not be further from the truth. Getting cast at Ithaca isn’t as easy as you’d think, I’ll warrant that. But it is definitely more than plausible and no way near impossible. I haven’t seen a Musical Theatre major walk through the doors yet that hasn’t been given a chance to shine onstage. They even cast many freshmen and acting majors in musicals, so I am not lying when I say everyone is fair game. It is a cut throat program, so I’m assuming your friend’s friends may have been underclassmen who were not cast, or maybe even upperclassmen, but possibly were used to being cast in every role they wanted in high school so it came as a shock when you had to work 10 times harder for it in the world of Ithaca’s program. Everyone is coming from being the star in high school, so it does become more challenging to get the roles you want, yes. Impossible, absolutely not! I have been cast in all 3 of the fall main stage musicals, Freshman-Junior year. I have not had a leading part in any of them, but I have been cast, so it is very hard for me to see how no one is being cast in the musicals, when my friends, although all talented, are of varying degrees of talent and are getting cast. </p>

<p>The good thing about the school is they try to give everyone a part before they leave, even if that means a musical theatre major has a lead role in a play. That, believe it or not, is sometimes more helpful to that particular person than a musical role could ever be! I promise you, the program gives students the opportunities to perform on the mainstage and off alike, and I’m going to squash that rumor right now because it is false. </p>

<p>To answer the other questions (trying not to go into TOO much detail, I dont want you to have to read this for hours! lol), I think the casting is fair as can be. As I said, they try to give everyone a chance to shine on the mainstage, and generally upperclassmen are the ones given that chance before they graduate, although, if there is a freshman who deserves the part- they give it to them. It is basically an equal playing field. </p>

<p>The program is definitely Acting Intensive the first two years. It is a conservatory program so there are few gen eds (4 to be exact in all of your years) to get in the way of the goal, to come out a refined performer. The music school is one of the best in the country and the voice teachers reflect that. I came into this program as mainly a singer, and then a dancer/actor. I now would callmyself an singer/actor (on an equal basis) followed by dancer-not at any fault to the program however, just my own suits! The acting training is among the finest, I can say that with the utmost confidence. The dance training at ithaca is great, I will say the teachers know what they are doing and care tremendously about the students. However, I must admitt that it does sit on the backburner to Acting/Singing because I believe the focus of the program is to produce leads, and not shell out the same stereotype of a chorus girl/boy. There is nothing wrong with programs that do this, and I love dancing and have had extensive training previous to college, but it boils down to the fact that if you come to Ithaca a dancer, you will remain a good dancer and will get better. If you come with no training whatsoever, you can graduate being able to make it, or fake it, through a broadway call. </p>

<p>The best thing about Ithaca is the sense of family and community the whole environment conveys. It is a beautiful thing, nothing like I have ever experienced. Everyone is super welcoming and generally wants everyone else around them to succeed. The teachers are encouraging and, although tough, know what is best for you as a student and as an artist. I wish you good luck at your audition next year and if there are any other questions you may have feel free to ask! : ).</p>

3

<p>Thank you Bwychic for this info about Ithaca as my D has it on her list. She is applying to acting programs, though she does sing well, and can do light dance now. How does Ithaca fair for acting majors? Can they audition for musicals as well? Any info you can give would be greatly appreciated.</p>

4

<p>The post by Bwychic is about 2 1/2 years old and so I don’t know if she’ll be back. Meanwhile, I do know that acting students at Ithaca can be and are in the musicals. I know some MT background type students from my area who have attended or who now are at Ithaca for Acting and are taking voice and dance and are in musicals there. They didn’t get into the MT program but were accepted for acting and chose to attend but are still involved in MT.</p>

5

<p>Heartsongmom, my D is current MT junior at Ithaca. Even though bwaychic’s post is now
rather dated, it still rings true. Primary emphasis on training is acting, but dance and
voice are so much a part of the curriculum from day one as well, for MT majors. The MTs
and Acting BFAs take acting classes together and really are considered as “one class” if you will throughout their 4 years at Ithaca. They all audition equally for the department’s fall and spring seasons, at the beginning of each semester, and, as soozievt points out, can be cast in either musicals or straight acting shows. That is true of this semester as well, which was just cast a few weeks ago.
My daughter is extremely happy with the program at Ithaca and I am glad to try to answer any other questions or concerns you may have about the program. Best of luck to your daughter. You will have a memorable year together getting through this process!</p>

6

<p>Thank you no business for your response! I’m just getting back on cc after the big organizing crunch. We’re excited about Chicago unifieds and LA as well. Really appreciate all the advice and info.</p>