@Crazy2024BFAMom regarding Rider. We have had several kids from our area go to Rider and go straight to Broadway/National Tours! They loved Rider and are reaping the rewards of their education. Robin used to be a part of Texas State’s program until he moved to head Rider’s. Apparently they practice the same mental health wellness as TX State. The success of their graduates over the past 5 years has been remarkable… Look up Colby Dezelek (Miss Saigon, Anastasia), Daniel Maldonado- Jack Kelly in Newsies at Arena Stage in DC, Shelly Lynn Walsh (currently national tour of Escape to Margaritaville, went from graduation straight to off-Broadway in Sistas and then was the lead (Patsy Cline) in the tour of Always Patsy Cline). And those are just the three that I happen to know personally that graduated from Rider. It’s close to NY so they have a lot of master classes and industry in to work with their students. The kids are enormously talented! Crazy good program! What an awesome option to have!
@“2kids2dogs&aclass” @secondtimemt @frisbee3 @minnmtmom @AbigCurveBall @Crazy2024BFAMom My D is a happy BFA MT freshman at Roosevelt CCPA. When things calm down, I will try to answer the specific questions you have posted based on her experience. But right now, we are helping two of her friends get moved out of the dorm in the wake of the switch to online instruction!
@frisbee3 You wondered about the sense of community there. My D started last fall without knowing a soul at Roosevelt. Now she is downcast at leaving all her CCPA friends due to the coronavirus. The freshmen BFA MT, MT-Dance, and Acting majors definitely have a bond. Some of the freshmen curriculum helps reinforce that; more on that later! We have spent some time with a number of her friends, both on and off campus, and we couldn’t ask for her to have landed with a nicer group of kids.
@“2kids2dogs&aclass” We did not consider the other two schools you mentioned because my D had a strong focus on a theatre conservatory setting in an urban location (thereby immensely ramping up my audition stress, as she refused to apply to many great programs!). Making a decision on your campus preference might help you narrow down your choices. If your student likes the idea of being walking distance from a thriving theatre district in the heart of a bustling city and living in a high rise dorm with gorgeous city and lakefront views, then CCPA is a good choice. If your student wants a traditional campus setting with school spirit activities, then go with one of your other options. If you haven’t been to Roosevelt, there are some good dorm photos on their website under Residence Life. (And it really is as nice as it looks!)
More to follow!
@upstaged my D was accepted to CCPA BFA Acting. Please keep me in the loop as well. I’m wondering if voice and dance are available to the Acting kids as well. Thanks!
How do you go upon comparing top choices? I have compared the curriculum, visited campuses, talked with current students and prospective students, and it is so difficult. I feel like the program’s pros and cons are different but there is the same number of them…
@bfayay I helped my daughter with this by making a spreadsheet which started with just a list of every single thing I could come up with about the general college experience that she wanted to have… Things like the quality of the acting teachers, the success of former students, the campus food, the proximity to home, greek life… etc. Like 50 things and then she ranked those things in order of importance. Deal breaker, very important, important, would be nice, not important, which gave all of those things a numerical value. Then she ranked all of those same things for each school to get their score. Of course you can’t give a numeric value to that “feels like I belong here” which is the most important of all, but if you’re really stuck maybe this will help??
@Abutilon Yes, I will add you to the CCPA list! It is not uncommon for MT candidates to accept a Roosevelt BFA Acting redirect offer. Acting majors are required to take ballet. It’s more basic than the ballet the MT’s take. Like the MT’s and MT-Dance majors, they can take additional dance classes for free at Lou Conte, an excellent nearby dance studio, and receive a CCPA course credit and grade. They also have voice requirements. If you go to the Roosevelt website, click on Academic Catalog, and search on Acting BFA, you will find the required courses and a degree map. Sorry, I don’t know whether they can take other CCPA dance and voice electives.
@upstaged Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! It was very helpful to hear your thoughts. We did visit the campus in October and loved the view from the dorms. 
Hello! Current Freshmen BFA Musical Theater major at the University of Utah here! Saw this post and wanted to reach out. Please don’t hesitate to message me with any questions you may have to help you decide.
@CarsonPeas - I have two students who were accepted and are looking for more info about the program. They aren’t on here, but would you be willing to talk to them?
@CarsonPeas I am also accepted and would love to talk to you!!
@CarsonPeas - here are some specific questions my kid has that you may be able to help with 
and maybe they will help everyone else that is on here, but if you prefer to be more candid with you answers, offline, I understand.
- We understand no senior showcase because it is not the philosophy of the school, but we heard there is a different method employed to get students exposure to Casting Directors as seniors. Do you know anything about this? Have seen conflicting reports on College Confidential.
- Do you have guest professional directors directing shows, or are all shows put on by the department directed by Denny Berry?
- What shows did you do this year?
- Can you talk about the freshman showcase? Do you do those every year for each class? Is it just for families and friends to come see what you have been working on? We saw a video and were really impressed by the level of talent in your class :??:
- Do you live on campus?
- As a freshman, how do you like the SLC area…assuming you are not from there? If not, what is the over all culture of SLC like and the general UoU population?
Thank you for any insight you can provide! So many have been so helpful so far and we all appreciate it so much! We had a trip planned but the department has told us it would not be a good use of our resources, which I understand and appreciate.
@upstaged Thank you so much for sharing!
- We understand no senior showcase because it is not the philosophy of the school, but we heard there is a different method employed to get students exposure to Casting Directors as seniors. Do you know anything about this? Have seen conflicting reports on College Confidential.
Answer: Yes! At the current moment, we do not have a senior showcase, however, certain upperclassmen are working on getting a showcase for our Seniors in NYC to perform. Currently each Spring we invite Tara Rubin, an extremely respected and prominent casting director on Broadway, to come to the University and have a chance to work with each of our seniors one-on-one. - Do you have guest professional directors directing shows, or are all shows put on by the department directed by Denny Berry?
Answer: In previous years, Denny has directed most of our shows, however, next season we are producing Shrek and A Chorus Line, directed by David Eggers and Eric Sciotto respectively. Both have worked on Broadway and are professors at our school! David teaches Acting classes and Eric teaches our highest dance level course. Next year, we have a guest director from San Francisco coming to direct one of our plays, “The Night Witches.” - What shows did you do this year?
Answer: This past year, as usual, we did six shows. Four plays and two musicals. The plays were Macbeth, The Odyssey, She Kills Monsters, and Tartuffe. For musicals we produced Dracula and Floyd Collins. - Can you talk about the freshman showcase? Do you do those every year for each class? Is it just for families and friends to come see what you have been working on? We saw a video and were really impressed by the level of talent in your class :??:
Answer: First off, THANK YOU! Secondly, YES! Freshmen are able to sign up for “Musical Theatre Ensemble.” Most, if not all, Freshmen take this course. It is offered both Fall and Spring semester of your freshmen year. It is available each year. We have the class every Friday after Dem Lab (our performance workshop) for about two hours. We rehearse the entire semester and have the actual performance towards the end of the semester. Parents are highly encouraged to attend (regardless of hometown - I’m from Michigan and my family attended!) Current students from all grade levels also attend the showcase to see us Freshman have the opportunity to perform. - Do you live on campus?
Answer: I currently do not live on campus. I committed to Utah super late in the process and live in an apartment off-campus with a fellow Freshmen musical theatre major. Typically, the dorms would have room, I was just a different circumstance. However, I’ve heard amazing things about the dorms in general! - As a freshman, how do you like the SLC area…assuming you are not from there? If not, what is the over all culture of SLC like and the general UoU population?
Answer: I’m originally from the Detroit area, so coming to Utah was a huge transformation for me! I absolutely love the area! It’s so rare you find a thriving theatre community while also being so close to an amazing city! SLC is truly one of a kind, and provides amazing performance opportunities ON and OFF campus! Socially, there’s ALWAYS something to do in Salt Lake. Hiking, downtown, and skiing to mention just a few!
Please feel free to reach out with any more questions you may have
Carson
@onette Of course! Please reach out! You can message me here on CC or message me privately for a phone number or social media:)
@bfayay For sure! Message me on CC or this forum for questions, or message me privately for a phone number or social media details!
Thank you so much @CarsonPeas - so helpful!!
@CarsonPeas sending you a DM!
@K&Tmom
I’d love to talk to you about Utah! My D would be a transfer, too! I can’t DM you… I guess I haven’t commented enough? Would you be able to send me a message?
@K&Tmom, I’d love to talk to you about Utah! My D would be a transfer, too! I can’t DM you, though, because I guess I haven’t commented enough? Are you able to send me a message when you have a chance so we can connect? Thank you!
Trying to tag K and T mom… coming out funky unless I leave spaces?