Musical Theatre- Comparing Top Choices

@frisbee3 @marksmith811
Since my D is only a freshman at CCPA, I know very little about the senior showcase. Casting agents from NY and Chicago attend. Some NYC-based casting agencies have Chicago offices. Agents also attend the CCPA spring shows to watch the seniors. The NYC showcase can be a big out of pocket expense for students, so that is a savings at CCPA. As @mamboyz said, the showcase was not a big decision factor for us, since there is no guarantee of representation. However, Chicago is the third largest city and metropolitan area in the country, with a professional theatre market that is generally ranked second only to NYC. Many Broadway shows preview in Chicago, and some Broadway tours have lengthy Chicago runs. (Hamilton ran for over three years.) Three network TV series are based in Chicago. Agents find scouting in Chicago to be worth their while. You can support yourself as a performer at a much lower cost of living than in NYC. CCPA gives students a professional network; if you read the faculty credentials, and you will see why that is true. In addition, juniors and seniors can audition for professional productions in the city and receive CCPA credit if cast.

There are some comments on these boards about CCPA not being warm or being very tough, and they appear to be hearsay. That has not been our experience at ALL, from the CCPA dean to the faculty to the various office staffs to the students to the other parents. It may have been the case under the previous head of the Theatre Conservatory in the past, but not currently. My D has found it to be a very supportive environment.

@“2kids2dogs&aclass” @AbigCurveBall @minnmtmom @Abutilon

Hi, Is any one considering accepting at either Syracuse or University of Arizona? We are working on gathering more information on both programs. Appreciate input and feel free to PM me and we can exchange info. If there are any parents of current students out there, I would love to hear from you. Thanks!

@onette Many schools have casting directors that come often to their campuses and maybe have a relationship with the school. That does not necessarily translate to a relationship with the students. Also, having a casting director coming to campus doesn’t mean anything in terms of getting a student representation. (I hope I am not coming across as sounding rude or anything! My D has had NYC representation since she was little so we have no skin in that game- I am just making sure people realize what it’s like for all the students we have seen and many of D’s friends. It’s a very tough game.)

Some programs hold auditions for their seniors to participate in their showcases - not all seniors automatically get to go.

@24mtjourney There has been some posts on this thread on OCU @vvnstar D graduated and provided some feedback and @NYYFanNowMTdad posted some notes from his D audition as did I. hope that helps.

Correct about not all seniors go . I think Syracuse was one that said that. @stagedoormama My child has had nyc representation as a child as well. Much easier for ten year olds than 17-24 right? Anyway another thing to see “from the other side” is that the schools are paying fees and travel for the CDs to come to the schools. Casting Directors do not make a lot of money and it is a great way to supplement your income. CDs are always always looking for new talent (especially bankable types) and won’t hesitate to sign them so it’s all good. They can tell students current trends and really can speak to what works and doesn’t work in an audition setting. Can be valuable if professors are at the schools in remote locations and potentially could be “out of the loop” of what’s happening currently in the NYC market It’s a win win for everyone.

@stagedoormama I hear you, but I have heard of some schools having “visits” from various casting directors and agents…and other schools who have an ongoing relationship with a particular agent or casting director who has ongoing workshops and gets to see watch how the students progress. I have worked with several students in the past that have professional rep and from agency to agency, it can be a completely different experience (and results). I think having various people come “see” the students could pay off…just like a showcase. But having one or two agencies/agents/casting directors who have a longterm relationship with a school (or schools) could potentially be more fruitful. Since your D has rep, you know that sometimes sheer talent isn’t the most important thing. Being at the right place at the right time and knowing the right person can open roads and paths you didn’t even know where there. Schools that are off the beaten path (outside of NY or Chicago or one of the other major markets) AND have a history of attracting strong talent and providing great training could potentially have success with this model.

Weighing in late here, but as the dad of a BFA MT junior I don’t check in as often these days.

One thing I did when my S was deciding between the three schools where he was accepted was to print out the curricula on separate pages. The pages did not include the name of the school, though we were all familiar enough with the programs that wasn’t purely a blind comparison. I grouped courses together by type: acting, voice, dance, general theater/MT, music theater, general ed. This made the side by side comparisons easier.

Its just one more way to look at the schools as you get down to that final decision. The other obvious one that I think everyone usually does is for the student to write down the pros and cons of each school. Not just the program but the school, the city it is in, everything.

Good luck in this final stage of the process. If you have multiple schools to choose from, you are now in control. The auditions are over and now you get to choose them!

Be well everyone.

@UMiamiMTDad I take it your S attends UMiami? Can you please post a little bit about it? It is one of my Ds top contenders at the moment! The campus itself is STUNNING. When we visited we felt like we were on a Caribbean island - I can only imagine what winter must be like!

@MadameT well there is not much of a winter! But two weeks into his freshman year my S came home due to Hurricane Irma, then again this year as a precaution for Hurricane Dorian (which turned north and missed Miami). That is rare, though. At the freshman parent orientation in 2017 they said the school had not been evacuated in 25 years. And technically, the school did not evacuate for Dorian, only Irma.

Yes, the campus is gorgeous, though lots of construction as they just finished one new residential village and about to demolish and replace the two freshman towers over the next four years (barring any storm related construction delays).

Program-wise, my S is loving the U. They aim to keep the incoming freshman class around 16 students. The Class of 2022 was an anomaly with 24 students, so I think they are likely making fewer initial offers and going to the wait list more than in the past. That’s a good sign that more students who are receiving offers are accepting them.

The strength of the program, and what sold my S on choosing Miami over the other two schools, is their focus on acting. It’s a musical theatre program and the acting, singing, and dance disciplines are well covered, but everything is taught from the acting perspective. How do you look when you perform the dance? What is the dramatic subtext of the dance, the lyrics, etc.? Acting is the foundation of everything. Since his strength is his voice, he really wanted a program that would build his acting skills. And his dance has improved a lot. The program added a new dance instructor this year, strengthening that leg of the MT triad.

Freshman do not perform in shows, but in the other three years they are guaranteed and required to do one show each semester. Every freshman student can elect to have a mentor (most do). The mentor is a sophomore, but that sophomore’s mentor then is the “grandparent” and the senior of that “family” is the great grandparent, so there is peer support system for every student in the program who elects to be a part of it. The mentor program is completely student run; it is not run by the department.

I would be happy to answer any other specific questions either here or in private.

@UMiamiMTDad I do have more questions, can you please message me?

NYU Steinhardt BM VP with MT Concentration vs Molloy/CAP21 BFA Theatre Arts

Very different programs. NYU has academic strength and diversity that Molloy does not. It also means no commute time. It is a BM in Vocal Performance with concentration in MT. Strong music focus, which is my daughter’s forte. Is this better, to build on her strength for longevity and diversity? Or does Steinhardt sacrifice acting and dance? Questions we hope to get answered in a call on Friday. Molloy has the advantage of a potential cohort my daughter has bonded with already, MUCH warmer feel from faculty and staff than she has gotten at Steinhardt. And significantly cheaper.

Thinking out loud, as we’ve spent so much time on it and have narrowed down to this, but we’re stalled now. Any pros/cons out there we may not have thought of? Thanks!

@Libish I have some similar questions regarding NYU Steinhardt BM. Do you have any resources regarding recent grads and where they are now working? I read that NYU is #1 for representation on Broadway but I can’t find stats about who went to Tisch and who went to Steinhardt. Do you have insight? The voices coming out of Steinhardt are just AMAZING!! But I also am curious about the acting and dancing component of the training as well. If you hear of anything, please let me know!

Yes, of course. Check your messages.

@RVCVRN1 - my D is considering Arizona and she did an on campus audition at Syracuse but got a no there. We have never been to the campus (Arizona) but we both did the virtual tour and she loved it. She’s worked with Hank and Christie several times in the last couple of years - Christie the past 2 summers by taking her workshops at International Thespian Festival and Hank - last year at Moonifieds Jr. She really enjoyed working with both of them. She’s also been connecting with students in the accepted students group on FB (is your child part of that group)?

As for Syracuse, we really liked her audition there. I worried that the students were cutthroat there (we had heard that) but they told us during the program overview that one of the reasons they don’t let freshman audition for shows was so that they could become a family before the competition starts so that the kids can encourage each other rather than just compete. The dorms and rest of the college is quite a ways from the theatre building so that was a concern especially for my southern warm weather loving D but she wants to end up in NYC so we both decided it might be good to get used to the weather. LOL Overall, it would have been a strong contender if she’d gotten an offer from them.

@frisbee3 @upstaged Congrats to your daughter Frisbee on the two schools. My daughter is in at CCPA, U of Arts and Columbia. Waitlisted at Molloy and Marymount. She’s narrowed it between UArts and CCPA and assuming nothing will move on the WL schools. First, this entire process sucked and I feel bad for all the kids (and parents) who didn’t get in where they wanted. I don’t know how she’ll pick a school. She’s been at a performing Arts high school (MT major) these past four years and really wants a solid, challenging program. My wife and I are big fans of Chicago, but Philly is nice as well (and being near Boston I’d prefer the 5 1/2 hour drive to Philly vs. 16 to Chicago haha). I’m considering perhaps putting a deposit on both schools and hoping they open in the summer for a visit, but need to look into this and see if really an option. If anyone wants to share their experiences with either CCPA or University of the Arts I’d appreciate it! If any parents out there have seniors who are looking at these two schools I’m happy to share my daughter’s info as well. Good luck everyone!

Do not place more than one deposit. The Common App has specific rules against doing this and most schools don’t allow this on their individual applications as well. Your acceptance could be revoked if you are caught double depositing.

@marksmith811 Is your daughter on the UArts accepted students FB page and MT group chat? I think connecting with her cohort at UArts may really help her decide if it is the right school for her. According to my daughter, they have all really bonded. I believe 40 kids were accepted to MT this year and half of them are on the group chat.

Thank you! Good to know, glad you chimed in!

She will be shortly - she hasn’t been on FB in a long time, she’s in the process of reactivating her account now.