<p>I already posted this under the NCSA thread (but was not in the MT section) but no one has responded to it at all so I will post it again. So here goes</p>
<p>Does NCSA have a MT program or is it strictly Drama?</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know the acceptance rate into either of these programs?</p>
<p>Thanks you all so much!</p>
<p>It is strictly a drama program. I would say (although I don't have the numbers in front of me) that the acceptance rate is in the single digits. It is considered one of the top acting programs in the country, up there with Juilliard & Carnegie Mellon.</p>
<p>When my daughter auditioned at NCSA they told us the numbers. I am fuzzy on these so I'm not claiming they are gospel but I believe that they said they expected to audition about 550 and would make 45 offers in order to have a class of about 38. These are ballpark numbers but I do remember very clearly that they only made offers to less than 10 over their ideal class. </p>
<p>The program is strictly acting, however, one of the things that drew my daughter to the program is that singing and dancing is woven into the program throughout the four years. I believe they occasionally stage musicals but you could call and ask them to verify this.</p>
<p>Their website lists only 10 musicals in their entire repertory (history), and over 8 times that amount in classical and contemporary dramas:</p>
<p>Hope this helps,</p>
<p>eve</p>
<p>I will try to answer. This thread is always tricky for me as my students tend to be straight actors with very few in MT. </p>
<p>I do have an acting student who is a senior now at NCSA. There was no MT track when she auditioned but they do have much music and dance as part of the currriculum. Especially dance/movement. Great program/faculty.</p>
<p>In fact, she has a great story:
It was extremely competitive at the time she auditioned. They even asked her to audition twice. Once on campus and they called and asked her AGAIN to audition, this time in Los Angeles! They also wanted to see three MORE monologues (this was in addition to the original two) I had a rigor. I thought it was pretty brazen of them to ask this of her, but it showed they were interested and just having a hard time making up their minds. So I advised my student that we wanted to cooperate and should agree to the second out of town audition. But what complicated this was that this student was extremely dyslexic and learnig ONE monologue was a difficult task enough. The thought of learning three more was really not even going to be possible in the time frame they had given us. I told them she would perform TWO new monologues, and that seemed to suffice.
She flew to L.A. with her mother and auditioned again and GOT IN!!! Whew! I think she was one of 9 females in the country admitted that year. I would assume there were the usual number in the hundreds who auditioned.
Happy Ending</p>
<p>Okay, here's the obvious question and it is asked in all sincerity with no prejudice intended. If this girl is so dislexic that learning a monologue or two is a real ordeal, how compromised is she when she has to learn the dialogue for an entire show? In non-professional situations there is often time to learn but in a professional production, and this holds true for learning songs and dances as well, there is often precious little time to rehearse a show and get it on its feet without scripts or scores in hand.</p>
<p>Brava to this courageous young lady but I'm not sure what the future holds for her. Any thoughts Mary Anna, as you helped her and worked with her?</p>
<p>I am so glad you asked that. Working with this student has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences as you might imagine! I have fallen completely in love with her (Although I tend to want to adopt them all!)</p>
<p>First of all, I had the exact concerns you have elluded to. As a parent, I wondered how she would ever learn to DRIVE! This worried me to no end. How would she ever be able to live on her own, write a check, ect. She really could barely read. </p>
<p>BUT, the fascinating thing was, and stay with me on this one, think of Helen Keller. She couldn't see, hear or speak, but her other senses were keanly accute. Ergo, my student had the most uncanny ability to memorize ! She, out of necessity and sheer survival mode, had an ability as an auditory learner that was unlike anything I had or have since seen. She could remember ANYTHING and EVERYTHING she heard. </p>
<p>So, since that was the way she learned, that was the way I taught her. I would speak the lines out loud, read the whole play (or get it on books on tape, if available) or her mother would read the play aloud. My greatest fear was that she would mimick my intonation and so forth as line readings. But she never fell into that trap. We discussed character, objectives, actions and the like and she worked very organically through the process. It was just the words themselves that had to be fed to her. It was kind of freeing, really.</p>
<p>And through it all, her remarkable humor and positive attitude are the traits she posseses that I most admire. These will take her far in life. Father than all the degrees attained at a university.</p>
<p>On a side note, I really got a special satisfaction out of her success because at her high school of course everyone was afraid to partner up with her for scene work and the directors were hesitant to cast her for the obvious reasons you have brought up. Thus, her talent was summarily dismissed in high school. No one ever realized her great gifts.
You should have seen the looks on the arts faculty's faces when she told them she had been accepted as one of 9 girls to NCSA! There jaws dropped! Ah, sweet revenge.</p>
<p>I agree that this school has an outstanding reputation. We didn't look at it since there was no MT. If you consider it, you may want to find out if they have a cut system, which we heard that they do. Please double check me because my information is third hand.</p>
<p>Mary Anna,</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing her story. What an inspiration! I hope she meets others along the way who are willing to work with her as you have done to insure she is able to share her talents, and maybe even more importantly her story, with others. Well done!</p>
<p>NCSA claims not to have a cut system in the truest sense of the word. They do lose a number of students particularly after first year which they say is due to natural attrition. I think Thesbo posted on this on another thread. NCSA runs an EXTREMELY time-consuming and soul-consuming program. It is just not for everyone. Some kids just are not able to hack it. However, NCSA is aware of this and strongly encourages multiple pre-admission visits including overnights and full days of classes to truly understand the demands they place on their students.</p>
<p>Re NCSA "Cut System": At the high school level, students have to be invited back for each subsequent year. Drama students are only admitted for the senior year in high school, so this is a non-issue. They are allowed to audition for college program, but very few make it, two last year from what theater student from there told me (he was not admitted). I have no information about how undergraduate works. However, most demanding music schools have a sophmore barrier exam which functions exactly the same way, with the student needing permission to continue in performance area of degree program. There may be a corresponding process in theater/drama departments.</p>
<p>I want to go to NCSA so bad. It is my 1st choice school. I am applying next year for the HS Drama Program, and then for college I want to go into the Wig and Makeup Design Program, does anyone have any information about this program??</p>
<p>theaterbrat,</p>
<p>My d has also been considering auditioning for the hs program next year. She has the paperwork filled out but has been hesitating. We have heard many good things about their theater program and my d knows many kids there in various programs (we only live 20 minutes away). I think the thing holding her back is that the drama program is just that ...drama. She loves musical theater. Loves to dance, sing and act. The only "dance" the high schoolers get is yoga and any voice is done as a group if at all. </p>
<p>My d is at a small performing arts high school now (not with the reputation of NCSA) and at least 5 of the 22 kids in her drama department are auditioning for the senior theater program next year! They are all tremendously talented but we know that they will not take 5 from this one school. They tend to space out their acceptances so many from this NC county so many from out of state etc. Plus my dauther is the one MTer out of the 5. The rest are straight actors. They would thrive there. I am not sure my d would. </p>
<p>A really good friend of hers attended 2 years ago who loves all aspects of MT as well. He said he was very disappointed....Great drama training yes, but he felt like he lost an entire year of training in dance and voice and there really is no time for outside lessons. What I have heard as well is that you are not allowed time off to audition for colleges (I guess unless you leave campus saying you are sick or something). They go as a high school class to the Chicago unifieds and you are expected to attend with your class.</p>
<p>I know of people who went through the costuming program and are currently working in their field but we don't know anyone who went through the wig and make-up dept. Good luck to you! If theater is your thing...that is definitely the place to be!!!</p>
<p>kaysmom</p>
<p>Kaysmom, as great as that program is at NCSA for seniors, I'd advise YOUR D to stay the course and not go there. Based on all I know about her talents, background, what you even posted now, and her aspirations for a BFA in MT, I think doing that drama program is not a good "fit". I doubt she'd be happy not training in voice or dance, let alone it is not great going into the BFA audition season where she really needs to keep honing her skills and preparing. I'd not go with the flow of peers but stay the course. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Kaysmon- we are considering NCSA for dance/ballet and then contemporary at grade 11 for my D. I am interviewing for jobs in NC and looking at other options for arts schools in NC for D. She wants to MT not ballet, but is deep enough into ballet that she has a reasonable chance of getting in there. Could you send me a pm or email and let me know where your D is at school currently and if you know anything about other arts schools in NC?</p>
<p>Keepingcalm,</p>
<p>I don't know what areas specifically in NC that you are looking at but Durham School of the Arts in the Raleigh-Durham area seems to have a very well regarded program. It is a public magnet school and offers excellent academics and athletics for a more traditional high school experience than NCSA offers if that has any appeal. <a href="http://www.dsa.dpsnc.net/%5B/url%5D">http://www.dsa.dpsnc.net/</a></p>
<p>Thanks Caromom- Raleigh and Greensboro are currently where I am looking. I will check out the Durham school of the arts. Moving will be a very hard sell for my D as she is at a performaing arts school here that she loves and is very successful at. I will be in Raleigh in early december and maybe can check it out specifically.</p>
<p>Hi Susan,</p>
<p>Thank you for your perspective. It is really mine as well. And probably my d's too! I think it was the reputation of that program that appeals to her. It's definitely not that her friends are auditioning that is swaying her. My d is extremely independent and actually her best friend will not be auditioning there. She has been very focused this year on getting the best training possible here and she knows they offer so much in terms of drama. </p>
<p>The guy I mentioned who went there two years ago actually made it so clear to her that he didn't think the program wasn't for her either. He said he really thought she would miss the dance and voice. She really would. I don't think it's ideal for an MT lover like my d. The voice program is strictly classical. (my d has studied classical music but it is not her love for sure)...the dance program is also modern/pointe based....(she loves to dance but is more of a jazz/tapper, although she has added serious classical ballet study this year 3 hours a week)... But telling her all of that, the decision to audition will be hers. Maybe she would be just happy enough knowing that she got in or didn't. I know she is extremely happy in the school she is in now and is enjoying being able to do shows and train. She would have to give all of that up if at NCSA for high school. You can't do shows either. I think with it being her last year before going away to college, she would miss not being in anything. She was just cast for Seussical as Gertrude and knows she would have to give all that fun up! Hmmmm...nt sure what she will decide.</p>
<p>kathie</p>
<p>keeping calm,</p>
<p>I sent you an e-mail! Let me know if you have any more questions!</p>
<p>kathie (kaysmom)</p>
<p>Susan,</p>
<p>FYI with regard to NCSA not being a good fit if you are pursuing MT, I know that there are 2 sophomore MT's at UM who came from the Drama program at NCSA. Maybe those interested should check with NCSA directly about the statistics of their drama students auditioning and being accepted to MT programs. </p>
<p>Clearly their program won't be a perfect fit for all MT's, but I don't think it's a completely unreasonable option</p>