<p>maybe that's different because he's a music major. From what I've heard, all the different arts departments are hearing at different times. Drama majors, from what I've gathered, started hearing a week ago. I'm still nervous, but I haven't given up yet.</p>
<p>I would welcome a school representative to join the conversation and explain why it takes them so long. I am well versed in the numbers of applications etc but my sense is that if these were for profit enterprises the process time could be cut in half. </p>
<p>Until yesterday I have never hear one negative thing about NCSA. And, my D went to their summer program last year and had a very positive experience. The story I got is that several students left NCSA last year and went to other equally elite conservatories. The reason they left (supposedly) is that they felt there was some favoritism being played and that <em>they were training pretty people how to be pretty</em>. That was a direct quote and more than a bit of a slam. Anybody know anything about this?</p>
<p>My son is very excited about the possibility of attending NCSA. Their music program is blooming bigtime...teachers have been added, program is solid, lots of opportunities to play in varieties of ensembles, and for him...one TERRIFIC private instrument teacher. He is patiently waiting to hear in writing from them the specifics...then he's off to the school and is eager to get this all done.</p>
<p>WallyWorld -- I have a few friends in the drama program, and though I don't talk to them much anymore, I haven't heard any talk about favoritism. They've only encouraged me to apply. BUT the "training pretty people how to be pretty" comment really scares me. </p>
<p>On another note, has anyone gotten a rejection letter yet?</p>
<p>Hey, Wally ... Didn't your D see some of the NCSA upperclassmen perform a little Shakespeare when she was at the summer program? Did she sense that they were "pretty people who were being trained to be pretty?" Did any of her interactions with the active faculty lead her to that conclusion? That should answer that question right there. I've actually heard similar things said about Juilliard, Carnegie and Purchase which I guess would put NCSA in some pretty good company! LOL I don't know who told you that, but my sense is that you should probably consider the source. I won't name names, but there is also a head of another conservatory who has been known to throw stuff like that out there when trying to convince a prospective student to attend his/her program over another. If that's who it was, congrats. Congrats anyway. Sounds like she's already in some good ones! :) </p>
<p>Looking at the lists up top and over on the drama thread, it looks like a lot of schools are getting word out a little quicker than in the past couple of years which is probably making some of the others seem slow. Hang tight. April Fools Day is ma?ana. You should hear something this week. It seems like forever ago, but I remember getting a little antsy about this time my senior year. It'll pass.</p>
<p>Fishbowl, </p>
<p>Dont be gettin defensive on me! :mad: It actually was a student at another conservatory who was relaying this tale of woe about another student. </p>
<p>And you know full well that my daughter has had the privilege to sit in the front row for upwards of 50 performances at one of the best Shakespearian theater companies in the business. In fact this company not long ago was ranked the third best place in the world to see Shakespeare only behind two companies in England you may be familiar with. So, yes, she knows what good acting looks like and yes, for the record, the word she used to describe the NCSA upperclassmen performing Shakespeare was <em>amazing</em>. </p>
<p>Her interactions with the faculty was first rate, as have mine (although RB has an odd sense of humor would you not say?) Yet, she did say, <em>I love Tanya but she scares the H</em>ll out of me!* However she is an endearing girl that all teachers like. No telling what would happen to a student who was...well... Unconventional is not the first word that comes to mind but lets just leave it at that for now. ;)</p>
<p>I don't think that was "defensive" per se. Just felt like the rhetorical questions needed to be asked in light of that fairly damning quote. LOL Meh ... If there's a school, it's almost a given that there will be some disgruntled ex-students out there somewhere. Just have to apply a little critical judgement based on what else you know.</p>
<p>I was just teasing about the defensive part. For the benefit of those who have not seen NCSA upper classman do Shakespeare I felt that it was an accusation that needed to see the light of day to be responded to which I think you have done a good job of.</p>
<p>As I have researched schools over the past year or so I have specifically gone looking for disgruntled people (and on a couple of occassions they came to me) to see what their beef was. Some schools have more than thier fair share but NCSA seems to be pretty clean in that department which is why I was surpised at that statement which is why I said, <em>supposedly</em></p>
<p>I thought that might be what you were up to, but that red frowny thing says "mad" when you put your curser on it. :eek: When I wrote before, I hadn't noticed that your D had made Rutgers final. It just so happens that I know two of her future classmates. From what I've seen of their work and what you've told me about your D, 2011 should be a really good class! Congrats again! :D</p>
<p>Ha! I didn?t know that when you put your cursor over the faces the descriptive word popped up! I clearly chose the wrong face.</p>
<p>None the less thanks for the congrats, she is very excited. Give yourself a pat on the back also. Nobody has taught us more about how to go about this than you have. I don't know if you saw this link posted elsewhere but when D read it her response was a line from the Foreigner.</p>
<p>HOE LEE CR*AP!</p>
<p>I just got the waitlist letter...</p>
<p>Anyone know how many they normally waitlist vs. how many of those kids actually get in?</p>
<p>My d got her official acceptance letter today.</p>
<p>Anyone know why an NCSA thread is on the MT forum?</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I think its here because it really doesn't have another good home that quite fits - there is also some overlap with its technical theatre program - another program that doesn't have a perfect fit home. A lot of good information has been shared through this forum. I don't think it hurts having it talked about here.</p>
<p>My D (and I) are nearly at the end of this whole audition process. She has not yet heard from NCarts, and I was figuring that it meant that she probably didn't get in. However, these late acceptances and phone calls could indicate that she is still in the running. My D has been accepted into another BFA musical theater program, and is looking forward to it, but she might reconsider if she is accepted in NCarts. What she loved about the NCarts was the strong emphasis they had on voice and dance as well as on drama. Although it is primarily a straight acting program (and a great one) and they don't necessarily put on many musicals, they do included much more voice and dance instruction than most other BFA drama programs.
We went to visit NCarts (flew up for a day) last October and we were so impressed by the drama/movement class demonstration performed by a freshman class! If this was what the school could teach them in four weeks, we could only imagine what the students would learn in four years!
It kind of seemed like "triple threat" training with a stronger emphasis on acting, which, for my D, was an ideal choice.</p>
<p>i agree with everything singalong mom has said!</p>
<p>What is going on? I still haven't gotten anything from NCSA...</p>
<p>singalongmom,</p>
<p>Because NCSA is difficult to get into and has a good reputation they get to choose from the best of the best applicants. Those kids are not normally containing just a whole bunch of un tapped God given talent. Normaly they have been working on thier story telling vessel for many years at the point of becoming a freshman at a conservatory. Many of them likely have come from arts HS's where they have been working on such things in a conservatory (or semi-conservatory) setting for years. So, I am not surprised that you were impressed with thier freshman class, I am sure they are impressive kids yet what you observed does not mean they came from zero training and refined skills to what you saw all in a couple months as you seem to imply.</p>
<p>As an aside for MTers who are looking at NCSA: a former teacher of my D's graduated from NCSA's actor training program some years ago and affirmed that it is top notch. However, she is (and was then) primarily a musical theatre person, and she admitted that as great as the program was, she sorely missed doing musicals, though they do stage some there. Accordiing to her, NCSA doesn't really offer what most MT people would consider a true "triple threat" MT (as in dance, singing and acting) option, simply because the "voice" training actors there get is not concentrated in singing, but rather in stage voice training (Lessac, Linklater, etc.), and their movement training is not (or was not, according to this particular graduate) the usual ballet/tap/jazz offered by most MT programs. Instead, it's movement for actors, which is different. Of course, this may have changed, as it has been a few years since this woman graduated. I would be interested in knowing if that's the case. In any event, there is NO question that NCSA is one of the tippy top best actor training programs in the country.</p>
<p>I graduated from NCSA's boarding school high school program and did my freshman year there, but I am transferring. The Drama majors in college do take dance. I know for a fact they take tap, and do jazz and i believe some modern. There also is a dance studio (where i took dance outside fo school) and classes are only $10.</p>