A place to address the ONU MT Program from a current MT student!
Could you please give me a thorough description of the program and the pros and cons? Thank you!
I’d be happy to share my thoughts on ONU. Message me as there’s a lot! 
@MTheaterMom I am a first time poster but would like info on Ohio Northern as well. I don’t think I can message yet.
Hi @MTMama23! I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. What would you like to know?
I think that most of us looking at this thread would like to know any information. Such as why people have chosen this school, what the courses are like, what acting techniques are focused on, what is the culture of the school like (close knit community? competitive? clique-ish? Frat/Sorority oriented? supportive?), is there more focus on acting, dance, or voice? are the teachers currently or recently working in the industry? How well attended is their NY showcase? What do you love about the program? What would you change about it?
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Does Ohio Northern have a NYC senior showcase or something like that to help it’s graduates find work? Thx!
@MTheaterMom - My brain is mush right now, but I’ll ask as I think of things. I’m interested in the senior showcase question @mommyMT asked too.
What about the area? I know Ada is small but I see there’s Lima just a bit up the road.
Do you have anything you wish you or your child knew about the program that you could share?
I appreciate the help! ?
Hi! I totally understand the mushy brain syndrome!! The students do not do a showcase. There has been some talk about the “bang for your buck” of a showcase and so they don’t. I honestly don’t know the ins and outs of that decision and would defer to any other parents who might. Doesn’t seem to stop students from working after graduation though.
The “area” is a village LOL. Lima and Findley are just up the road and my D goes on the weekend to shop, eat, etc. with friends. She is extremely busy so I couldn’t see her doing any of that during the week anyway. Her classes keep her busy, plus she’s assistant stage managing the musical right now (all students must complete a SM position before they graduate) and she’s working a few hours in the costume shop for extra money and the experience. She adores ONU and the size but that’s EXACTLY what she was looking for at the time. She went to a small high school and was looking for a place that was like family…she got it!
Ada is small and quaint. There’s a movie theatre and a bowling alley down the road, as well as your typical fast food places, banks and churches. It’s really beautiful! Of course the students joke about how small it is but I think they find it endearing.
There’s nothing about the program we wish we’d known. We did a TON of research! She is thrilled with her work at ONU! The professors, students, entire dept are pretty awesome. What I wish I had understood better (this was our first kid to college) was the policy about living on campus for 3 years. I originally thought that was grand…not such a fan any more hahahaha. She’ll be moving to an apartment in the Fall which she is very happy about but it’s still “on campus”.
I hope I answered everything! Let me know if you have any other questions and HANG IN THERE!!
@MTheaterMom so how does ONU help the kids after graduation? Do they have guest directors or master classes taught by people from NYC or something? Just wondering. How is the vocal part of the program? Are the teachers classically trained or do you know? How about the dance? Does your daughter feel like she’s getting adequate training in all aspects of MT? Thanks!
@MTheaterMom
Thank you for the help! I saw about living on campus. My thought was that it was a smaller community so it wouldn’t be so bad. I am not sure when the deposit for housing is due, but we need to figure out which dorm would be the best fit for a musical theater student. Any opinions on that?
We live in a larger city and my daughter seemed to want that, but after visiting a smaller school she decided it was really more about the training and the program feeling like family, so it sounds like a good fit for her.
Oh! And can you speak to how the seniors are prepared for getting work after graduation if there’s not a showcase.
Hi @mommyMT as far as the Senior Showcase, Northern does not do a traditional NYC showcase as they discovered (as a lot of programs are now), unless you are one of the biggest programs, a New York showcase is not really effective in getting students work. (One of my friends who graduated last year from what many would consider a top-tier program did the NY showcase… and not one person in her entire class got work because of it). Instead, we have a “Senior Experience,” where the school brings agents/casting directors to us on campus and we get one-on-one time with them and immediate feedback. This is much more effective! (We do also do a senior capstone which is a traditional showcase cabaret, and we can choose the location and invite whoever we want, but the senior experience is more similar to the purpose of a NY showcase.)
Northern works hard to bring the guest artists and experiences to us here in Ada. For example, I am currently in Young Frankenstein directed by James Gray, who was dance captain/Igor US in the original Broadway cast. He’s incredibly close to Susan Stroman and we are learning and performing the original Broadway choreography. We have had masterclasses with Andrew Lippa, Faith Prince, Phil Reno, Dave Clemmons, and more. The opportunities are brought to you! There has been a guest artist involved in some capacity in every production I’ve been involved in at Northern. You will make connections.
Please feel free to PM me with any more questions!
Thanks so much for the info @PrincessFiFi! If they bring casting directors to you, that is great. That’s pretty much what I wanted to hear. I know another program my daughter auditioned for does the same thing. Seems to be a trend. It sounds like you are enjoying your experience there.
They do have a lot of guest directors and master classes.
Her voice teacher is fabulous and is classically trained. I’m not sure about the others, I haven’t done the research there.
One of the reasons she settled on ONU was the dance minor and the possibility of dancing every day. I’d say this is an area they could be even better at though. D feels as if she’s getting excellent training, especially in acting.
I can’t say enough though how happy she is with the “family” she has developed at ONU. It’s a special place for sure!
Does anyone know if ONU has an accepted students Facebook page? tia!