Point Park MT Major & Dance Minor, here to assist!

StepInTime · April 16, 2010, 8:18pm

jbmmom:

I believe, they take about 15-20 Acting students.
I am an MT, so I do not know much about the “straight acting” program.
However, I do know that the BFA degree is very tough to attain in any degree here.
There is no set number to how many they give out, but for MTs its generally from 12 to 25. It changes based on what the faculty sees each year.
If you are talented, and you have people fighting for you on the other side of the table, you have a better chance.

In terms of the MT BFA, and from the opinions of most students here, the only difference from the BA is a few more dance classes and electives. The training is almost just as preparatory, and rigorous.
Here, students generally go after the BFA degree for reasons beyond performing in their future careers (Ie. Teaching, prospective MFAs, etc). MOST PPU alumni that I have seen in tours and Broadway productions state that they have only received BA degrees from the school.
Great training, is simply great training…The BFA, although coveted by many, is NOT the end all and be all. Especially not here.

The atmosphere in the dorms is exciting! COPA students are sociable without a doubt. Students in other majors are not so much, at least not until time allows for them to come out of their shell. The food in the cafeteria seemed really great at the beginning, but I feel that as time went on, our chefs got really lazy. The food in the, other, “student cafe” is always good!

Most acting students can graduate from within 3-4 years.
Here at PPU, you can test (CLEP) out of many general education courses to graduate early, and/or to have a strictly conservatory based type of learning.

I attended private school until I went to high school, and I think that PPU’s GE courses are very stimulative. I was able to learn a few things here and there.
The general ed courses that COPA kids are required to take are the bare minimum of any BA degree in any department. For example, students who are not in COPA are required to take a class that exposes them to the performing arts on a basic level.
Perhaps that is why you heard that they weren’t of high quality?

Transferring credits varies according to each program’s curriculum. I would seek out the sought school, and then contact them when the time comes to cross that path. However, I will say that COPA does expose its students to more during the 1st year, than MOST other conservatories in the country. So, any outgoing transfer would leave with a “more than decent” amount of credits, and knowledge, under their belt.

If you have more questions, or need more specifics, feel free to let me know!

StepInTime · April 18, 2010, 8:39pm

mom2mt wrote to me earlier, and I thought that interested parties might be intrigued as well:

“Wondering about what type of jobs you see the graduating seniors get. Do they get agents? How helpful is the showcase?
What year are you? Do you feel that acting component of the program gets people jobs or do most of them go into dance chorus jobs?
thanks for your help.”

I replied:

Hi mom2mt,

According to Playbill, and other sources, Point Park has more alumni working on Broadway than any other program. All biased notions aside, Point Park is great at training the well rounded performer. In the industry, PPU is known for turning out great dancers who sing, and performers who act songs very well.
As a result, graduating seniors and alumni are often cast as featured roles, and/or ensemble members in National tours and Broadway shows. Many of PPU’s current students and grads work in other NY theater, Off-Broadway, and ESPECIALLY regionally (MUNY, PCLO, etc…).

Realistically, the fact is, there are more ensemble roles in the world, than there are leads. I know that is a fraction of the reason as to why I came here (being an Actor/Dancer/Singer)…
However, a GREAT deal is still expected from students in COPA. As you might have heard, it is a difficult program indeed.
They train us in both respects of learning how to undertake a leading role, as well as understanding what it is to perform as an ensemble member.

The showcases, as any, are helpful! It gives you a chance to be seen by very important people in the industry. A few students, if not most, do walk away with agents or with an offer of some sort.

I am a 2nd year, and as I stated before, the acting component of the program (specifically whilst singing) gets people jobs, but most pay the bills by going into “dancing chorus” type jobs.

A few notable alumni who have made their marks professionally, just to give you more of an idea, are:

Rob Ashford - Tony Award-winning choreographer & Broadway dancer
Megan Sikora - Broadway performer & Dancer
Tony Yazbeck - Broadway performer
Neil Haskell - Broadway performer & Contemporary dancer/ So You Think You Can Dance contestant
Billy Hartung - Broadway/TV actor & Dancer
Melina Kanakaredes - TV actress & Daytime Emmy Award nominee

Summer program:

Josefina Scaglione - Broadway actress & Dancer
Stephen Hanna - Former principal dancer for NYC Ballet & Broadway dancer

The list goes on and on, but from personally speaking, I have seen at least one PPU alumni in every national tour that came through the city last and this year. Students who graduate from the program are consistently working, which is always a great attribute in my mind.

Keep posting!
Hope this helps :)

bwaybank123 · April 22, 2010, 3:34pm

a few questions:

What year do you have to be to declare either a minor?

Is it possible to double minor in both dance and MT? (I was accepted into the Acting Major)

On my acceptance letter it said i was accepted to the Bachelor of Arts for Acting. Can I move up to BFA sophomore year? Or is it only BA? If this is the case, are there any freshmen automatically put into BFA their first year?

StepInTime · April 22, 2010, 9:57pm

bwaybank123:

You must be a sophomore to “officially” declare a minor.
However, they do hold auditions for the dance minor at the end of the 1st year.

Yes, hypothetically, it IS possible to double minor in MT and Dance, but because both of the programs here demand a lot, it is very difficult. There is NO way that you would be able to graduate in even 5 years with that plan in mind.

Everyone is accepted into COPA as a BA student. No freshman are put up for the BFA.
You may audition for the BFA in the middle of the 2nd year and thereafter.

Please feel free to read the earlier posts about the BA vs. BFA, or PM me for more insight!

StepInTime · April 22, 2010, 10:27pm

I have gotten a flood of PMs inquiring more about the BA vs. BFA.
Like I said before, the BA training at PPU is excellent, and only a few credits and electives away from the BFA degree. Most walk away with a BA because it is the minimum that the program offers, and eager students can graduate in 3 years if they successfully test out of general education courses.

When I was looking a schools 2 years ago, I came across this GREAT website that is, unfortunately, no longer up and running. However, I was so lucky enough to have copy and pasted the information onto my computer. I have held onto it for so long, and I guess that it is now serving its purpose :)

Here you are:

BA

BA stands for Bachelor of Arts. A student who studies toward receiving a BA in musical theater will usually take a selection of general education courses required by the university and then fine arts electives, just like a student who aims to receive a BA in language or business. This is a good choice for students who enjoy studying a broad range of topics as well as performing, although they may not be able to take quite as many fine arts courses as someone studying for a BFA.

BFA

BFA stands for Bachelor of Fine Arts. In general, this degree is given by schools that favor a conservatory approach to training (though there are a few exceptions). This means that the majority of a student’s courses are taken in musical theater-related areas and that the student has far fewer general education courses in subjects such as language, math, or science than a regular college student would. Depending on the school, fine arts-related courses may make anywhere from about 60% to 95% of the student’s total coursework. This degree would not be a good choice for students that are not absolutely certain that they will want to pursue performing in musical theater as a career.

In addition, a small quiz has been created to help students figure out which might be the best program for them:

Bright, academically-inclined students are often torn between the BFA and the BA degree. The BFA offers pre-professional training and (perhaps) a quicker route into the profession, but at the cost of a broad liberal arts education and the chance to study other disciplines. The BA offers the latter, but likely will not provide time for daily work on the voice and the body. So how to decide on the best path?

First, some clarification. A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree is typically around 60-70% of the total curriculum, with the remaining work in general studies and electives. By comparison, a Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) is typically around 30% of the curriculum, with the remaining work divided between general education and electives, including other majors. As for the classes themselves, most BA courses, as is typical of college classes, will meet two or three times each week for an hour or two. Many BFA classes will meet daily for an hour or two or more. The educational assumption of BA classes is that students will be doing most of their learning outside of class, reading and studying. The assumption of most BFA classes is that students will be doing most of their learning inside class, performing and receiving immediate feedback on their work, and watching others do the same.

It should be obvious that the BA degree offers a much greater degree of flexibility in the program. It also has a lot more “free” time.

So which is right for you? Try answering the following questions by circling the appropriate number from 1 to 7, where 1 = strongly disagree and 7 = strongly agree.

<ol>
<li>I absolutely cannot imagine being anything other than a professional actor.</li>
</ol>