National Portfolio Day for Tech kids?

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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Has anyone gone to this as a way to get feedback on their portfolio, and to make connections with schools?

There’s one coming up near me in a few months, and I’m wondering if it’s worth it. Some of the schools on my son’s list (UArts, VCUArts, and Purchase) are going to be there, and they list theater design and applied theater arts as majors they’re interested in seeing. It might also be a way for my son to learn a little bit more about CalArts and Cornish, before flying all the way to the other coast.

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@Curious Jane -

What is National Portfolio Day and how do I find out more about it?

Thanks,

TM

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http://www.portfolioday.net/

As I understand it, and I just found out about it so I don’t know much, it’s a day when visual arts colleges from around the country set up a college fair type event where HS students can bring their portfolios and get feedback, and to learn a little about the schools. It’s a little like Unifieds, in that there are lots of schools in one place, but it isn’t an official portfolio review, it’s just a chance to get feedback, and I think kids can go at any time during their HS career.

An acquaintance of mine, who has a visual artist, suggested it for my son, and if you look at the lists of majors, theater design and “applied theater arts” are included as majors for certain schools, so that made me wonder. I thought it might be a good way for my son to get some free practice talking about his portfolio, and also for him to find out a little about the West Coast options. They have one that’s very close to us, so we wouldn’t have to travel like we would for Unifieds.

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Thank you for posting this.

I see that Purchase is on the list for my area. I am going to call and find out if the school thinks NPD is appropriate for students applying for the theater tech major.

Has your son begun any work on his apps or portfolio yet? Mine really has not. We set up his common app account and that’s about it. The HS is offering a workshop before school begins to get a headstart on Naviance and the like and I hope that will inspire him.

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Please let me know what Purchase says. I’d love an opportunity for my son to talk through his portfolio, but I’m not sure this is the right venue.

My son has looked at some photos online of previous productions. He considers that “working on his portfolio”, but other than that he has not done anything. I thought he was going to wait a year, and apply as a transfer, but now I am not sure.

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I am also still not entirely sure what goes into the portfolio for a kid who wants to build, and hang lights and organize props, rather than designing things. What is your son planning on including?

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I am in the same boat as you. I told my son to have pictures taken showing him putting stuff together and then of the finished sets but he hasn’t shown them to me. I am going to go through the online photo galleries for the past three shows he did and see if there are any examples of work he participated in and try to get those. He has a couple of drawings he did for his mechanical drawing class freshman year, not theater related, and I think he has a marked up script from when he stage managed a production and another script with some sound and lighting cues in it. That’s about it. He is more potential and enthusiasm than anything else.

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I hadn’t thought about marked up scripts, that might be something my son has. I’ll ask him.