<p>I am a high school junior right now, and I'm looking at schools for theatre producing/management or directing. A lot of the schools I am looking at require a portfolio, but I don't have much to offer for mine. Would it be worth it to try anyway or should I just apply to the colleges and not the theatre program and take some time Freshman year to get more experience for my portfolio? Or would that be a bad idea in case I wasn't able to get in the second time around? Would it be better to just go somewhere where they do not require a portfolio even though they may not be as renowned for their theatre programs?</p>
<p>If it helps, I am looking into Fordham, Marymount Manhattan, and Pace. I am also looking at Hunter (which doesn't require a portfolio).</p>
<p>You may have more to put in a portfolio than you think. Even if you don’t have any theater experience, what about art projects, drafting, or project planning? Schools generally tell students what they want in a portfolio and it can vary a lot, with some schools taking a wide range of items. </p>
<p>Are you still a junior or a rising senior? If you are a rising senior, you still have several months to assemble your portfolio. And if you are a junior, you have more than a year. Some of this you can do on your own. For example, as a student director, you could develop a production concept for a play, including sketches for the set and costumes, and copies of all kinds of source material that relate to your concept.</p>
<p>The purpose of the portfolio in not just to illustrate a resume but also to show how you think. As a high school student, you need to show intelligence and potential rather than a finished product.</p>
<p>An interview is required for admission to Fordham’s Directing track of the Theatre major but a portfolio is optional. You should probably contact the head of Directing to find out exactly what they are looking for in a portfolio. While it may be considered optional, I am sure that most applicants will be submitting one…you want to do everything you can to get into the program. It is highly competitive. </p>
<p>I recommend that you do apply to Fordham as a Theatre major because you can be admitted to the school even if you don’t get into the major and you could still minor in Theatre. They might allow you to interview for the major again at the end of Freshman year but again, this is something you should find out from the head of Directing. They do allow Performance majors to audition again but said it is even harder to get into the major this way so I would assume that IF it is allowed for the Directing track, that it is probably also harder to get in as a Sophomore.</p>
<p>[Directing</a> Major Interviews](<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/theatre_department/prospective_students/admission_auditions_/directing_major_inte_69152.asp]Directing”>http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/theatre_department/prospective_students/admission_auditions_/directing_major_inte_69152.asp)</p>
<p>They will probably update the website over the summer and scheduling an interview can be done early Sept before you even send in your application. Note that Directing interviews are not held regionally or by telephone. You MUST come to campus. </p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>You and I pretty much have the same problem. I am not worried about getting into most of the schools I am considering applying to academically but my portfoilo might be another story. I have a lot of random experience. I would do some
summer theatre this summer but the only way to get into community theatre in my town is if you know someone within and summer theatre camps/ college camps are too expensive. Hopefully I can just pull some random stuff together.</p>
<p>Okay, you have no money and no contacts. You may still be able to get some sort of non-paying job in theater. At the very least, couldn’t you usher? This would mean that you had seen whatever theater was available to you, even if you had not done any yourself, and it could give you some good material for your interview.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, stop thinking of your portfolio as random even if you haven’t done anything yet. Your portfolio is your chance to answer the question: Why do you think you can direct/produce/manage? Even if you don’t have the chance to stage a play, you can always explain how you would have done so if you had had the chance. Compared to those with more opportunities, you’ll look like a self-starter.</p>
<p>I am not making this up to make you feel better. A big chunk of my daughter’s portfolio was an idea that never made it off the page. She decided one of her favorite plays would work as a comment on the 60s so she copied images from books on 60s architecture and photographers to illustrate the idea. Since she does not draw very well, she did not sketch anything but instead included some fabric swatches to show what she wanted in the way of costumes.</p>
<p>The other items I mentioned are not random either. For example, drafting shows the ability to think in 3 dimensions and if you ever planned a big party, you can probably organize a crew.</p>
<p>If you had the option of admitting an inexperienced student who was full of ideas and just needed a chance to work them out, wouldn’t you at least consider her for your program?</p>
<p>^well I’m not poor or anything but I don’t have like $3,000 to spend on a one week theatre camp in my area. haha. Plus the camp nearby doesn’t even really have anything producing related; just performance and lighting/sound. The only thing I really need to focus on saving money for is car insurance and I can’t have that go to a camp instead. </p>
<p>Anyway, I see what you are saying. I actually think I have more than I originally thought due to me taking an art class every year and such. By random I really meant more along the lines of very different stuff all pulled in together for my portfolio. I don’t really have a lot of experience in ONE specific area but have tried and sampled in many. I have only helped stage 2 productions so far and will be doing one in the Fall. I would have done more but my dad passed away right when my school’s play and musical were starting up last year and by the time I came back it was too late to get involved. Anyway, thanks for your help. I actually do have ushering experience and will probably continue doing it during the summer and fall.</p>
<p>I’m very sorry to hear about your dad, invisigirl. It must be tough to lose a parent in high school.</p>
<p>It sounds like you’re in pretty good shape as far as college goes, though. Remember, stage managers, directors, and producers are the generalists of the theater world and can legitimately use bits and pieces from all over.</p>