Does anybody out there have a kid, friend, relative who’s in the BFA programs (acting or MT) at Otterbein? It looks good. But it’s very small and we don’t have a clue about the vibe. Any insight welcome.
@MTMajorCook has a son there I asked her to check in and give you some info
@bisouu Thank you!
@MTMajorCook - great program? Would a city kid be a fish out of water?
My kids have a number of friends at Otterbein (in both Acting and MT) and to a person, they have all been very happy with the program. The seniors are in NYC now - that has been a fun journey to watch! It is small and the school has very much a liberal arts small college feel but the kids in the acting and MT programs really seem to love it. Otterbein is about 30 minutes outside Columbus so your student could get smaller “city fix” now and then. It depends on what your child is looking for. If he/she is looking for 10 carry out restaurants at 1 am on a Tuesday, it will be a different feel.
Westerville abuts Columbus, but downtown is about 30 minutes away. Lots of shops and a mall nearby. My son discovered Doordash and an Uber delivery service for food fix, especially during long rehearsals at night ;).
My daughter is a junior at Otterbein (BFA Acting). For what it’s worth, she’s from NYC, and she really likes Westerville and Columbus. She couldn’t be happier with the program and the school overall.
Hmm. “Couldn’t be happier” is a strangely ambiguous phrase. To be clear: She loves the program – students, faculty, and curriculum. And that includes voice (her voice teacher has been amazing) and dance.
Thanks to everyone! Good to know. @StringPop - your phrase tells me a lot!. If S gets the callback after unifieds, we’ll definitely visit the campus.
My son is in his final semester and although there have been some up and downs he would not change his choice to attend Otterbein. He feels stronger as an individual as well as a performer. He would tell you Otterbein does not produce “cookie cutter” MTs. If they are in shows each semester the schedule is quite grueling. Looking back…he probably would not have auditioned for summer work. I know I’ll get eye rolls like we should feel lucky he was hired but it really burnt him out to the point he was comtemplating quitting. Just some food for thought, we all get so wrapped up in them getting this role and that role its easy to forget they are young adults trying ti figure out who they really are. College casting is no real precursor to future success so no one should freak if they aren’t cast frequenty in college shows.
I’m not sure if you are aware but their final semester they intern, there are many options. My son is interning at Roundabout Theater Company/Jim Carnahan casting. This week he sat in on auditions for Harry Potter and Moulin Rouge. He won’t tell me anyting lol but…he really loved this experience. And he’s already certain he really never wants an office job.
He is subletting from an Otterbein alumni, he rommates with another alumni. It could not have worked out better, he’s a 3 minute walk from the subway, nice neighborhood etc.
It important to mention you still pay tuition during this semster. I do think this experience is invaluable although really expensive.
They are ready for showcase and have a rehearsal coming up. Otterbein’s showcase is combined with CCM acting. I’ve got my tripped booked I can’t wait to see them all on a Broadway stage! They’ve all worked so hard the last 3 1/2 years. Otterbein added an incredible guy last year and the class of 2018 was lucky enough to have him direct their showcase. Thom was Timon in an incredibly successful run of Lion King on Broadway., he was also in the first natl tour. He brought the sparkle back in my son’s eye, Thom is truly one of his heros.
Otterbein has to have a high % of successful alumni. You don’t see their names ofter because there are so few in each class but I personally know many of them on Broadway, touring or hired at great regional theaters.
All of them get out of just about any program what they put into it. I’m not sure about being a fish out and honestly there are so many options to perform its likley they’ll have more trouble finding downtime than being bored.
Check out Ottersintheapple Big stuff going on for both MTs and Acting
@MTMajorCook i second what you said about summer work. My D’s program actually discourages summer stock work. Although they do support doing internships or trying to do a summer in NYC to get a feel for living there before deciding to move there. So your son’s internship sounds fabulous! We also know Juilliard students who do non theatre things over summer to get a break, earn money, explore other passions, etc.
I’m sure summer stock is great but it is ok to do other things too. Thx for bringing it up.
@MTMajorCook thanks for this great insight! The schools market the programs, but the students (and parents, of course) are living the reality. Very good to hear about taking different paths in summer, high % of successful alumni and the reminder that they are young adults on a journey. Any kid in performing arts must be tough and brave. NYC - sounds like a good and expensive semester. (I guess that rules out semester abroad.) 9 auditions coming up in the weeks ahead. Lots to consider.
Internship is probably my favorite part of the program for that reason. It feels like a trial period and there is no pressure yet to start working. He won’t be auditioning until his internship is complete, which is mid March. His sublet is up the end of April…so give him 6 weeks to audition and find a survival job. I can’t even believe we are near the end of this journey and ready to start a new one.
Syracuse has the tepper semester - which I also thought was a great “trial period”. Of course, my kids ended up going to school in NYC- so is ready to handle city life 
@toowonderful, what is the tepper semester? Syracuse is on the audition list.
@Atreuh - the opportunity, either 1st or 2nd semester of senior year, to live/study in NYC, master classes, industry exposure etc. sounded really cool- and a great “dry run” for life in NYC
Drew University offers a NYC semester as well.
My D is a Design/Tech student at Otterbein and I will echo most of what others have said. The program has a close knit group of interesting students who are serious about their work, and some very caring and successful teachers. There is a culture of kindness in the program. She finds Westerville boring but safe, and has generally enjoyed her time there. There is very little down time in the program. The non theater academics are easy, but the theater work grueling and she is learning so much. I think her biggest complaint is the dorm food. She did Tech at Otterbein Summer Theater and enjoyed it. I thought it was a great option because housing is provided and they get a stipend.
@reckless can you elaborate on the food? D was there over the weekend for auditions and that seemed to be a complaint among many students she spoke with. (Though, really, how bad can it be?)
@momof2lefties, I don’t have a lot of solid information; I just hear a lot of complaining about how it has no flavor. When we visited I thought the food was fine, but a bit bland. They also have the option of a Starbucks type coffee shop on campus that takes “Otterbucks”, and a number of reasonably priced places in uptown which is a five minute walk. I think the school food is edible, but nothing to write home about.