<p>Okay, I'm new to posting but I've been looking around here for a few weeks. I've already learned a lot from just reading, but really kind of need some help from people who have experience. Sorry that this will be lengthy, I just want to give a background of the situation but thanks in advance for any help provided.</p>
<p>Okay I am a 20 year old, female from PA. I recently withdrew from my second college because I hated it. I went to a state system college right after high school. My first college was really far from my home (near Pittsburgh) in the middle of nowhere. I decided to study Creative Writing more out of a 'I don't know what to do so I'll study that' type of choice. I knew I wanted to do theatre, but my high school had really sucked the fun out of it for me. It wasn't until my first visit to Broadway for our senior class trip that I fell in love with it again and wondered if I was making a mistake not going to school for theatre. Well the school had an alright theatre program, I was involved in one straight play and ASMed another one. I was in the schools show choir and tradition choir. However it heavily lacked a music department and like I said the theater program wasn't wonderful. So I decided to transfer to KU, another state system school closer to home and major in their music program. Well I auditioned and unfortunately didn't get in, so I decided to go major in KU's Theatre program, I had originally planned to double major since they had no Musical Theatre major. </p>
<p>The summer before I went to KU I decided to take some voice lessons and tap lessons in hopes of auditioning again for the music program later that year. I had never done either, just church, high school/college choir for many years, not real private lessons. Unfortunately I had to stop only have about 8 lessons because do to my class schedule I couldn't continue with my lessons. I took a voice class and an intro dance class and was involved in one really small one act. But I honestly hated it at KU, it's a bigger party school than it seems to let on and I'm not really into that scene. I was sick of having to take math and science courses that I knew I would never need all for only a BA degree. So I left mid-semester.</p>
<p>Now when first looking at schools I thought I wanted a liberal arts college so that I could have a more well-rounded education. But after having to do it for a year and a half I don't want to do it anymore. The schools didn't provide much performance opportunity nor was the training all that spectacular. I felt that once I graduated I would have wasted my time and really be behind everyone else in search of a job. So I'm going to be taking a year or more off. Get a job, continue to study privately in voice, acting, and dance, audition for community theaters in my area, and I also have an audition at AADA for their summer program. After a while I'll begin applying to other schools.</p>
<p>Now I'm thinking that I want to go on the more conservatory route. I really don't want to have to take liberal arts courses anymore and I can never see myself doing anything else with my life. I am not however ruling out a really good BFA program however. I would really like to study in NYC, but if not, that's not a huge deal.</p>
<p>My top choices are:
Circle In The Square
CCM
Neighborhood Playhouse
UARTS</p>
<p>Now the reason I haven't applied to these places already is because I honestly don't know if I could get in any of these places. From years of not getting cast or getting ensemble parts in musicals and plays, I don't know if I'm good enough. </p>
<p>My voice is a strange mix. According to my voice teacher I'm a high soprano, she had me singing Julie Andrews keys for Cinderella and Sound Of Music. However at my first college I was an Alto 1-2/Soprano 2 in the choir, so I have a very well developed lower range. I can belt slightly, but not well enough to do it all the time. My teacher basically said that I just needed continuous training to develop, but the talent was already there. If I would have been able to continue with her, she said that she would have started to work operettas and operas with me, once my higher register was built up some more.</p>
<p>Now though I have the ingenue-esqe voice, my looks aren't. I'm about 5'1, with naturally red, curly hair, and I am pretty heavy(something I have been struggling to change, but it will take a while). I know that some places, especially CCM really considered how you look as part of your audition. So I feel like I'm pretty screwed in that aspect. I have the ingenue face and voice but a characer actor's body. It's really frustrating because I'm wondering if over the years if it was my looks that kept me from parts. </p>
<p>I'm a pretty good actor, I think, and dancing I can pick up choreography pretty quickly, just takes me a bit to master it. I can read music sort of, but I'm really not musical in that I can play instuments. I can slowly play like vocal lines on my sheet music and stuff.</p>
<p>So I guess my first question is what are my chances in the types of schools I want to go to? I'll be honest in that I'm not a great auditioner, I always seem to do better when rehearsing for auditions than actually doing them. I couldn't tell you how many times I was given bit parts during the rehearsal process b/c the director could see that I actually had some talent that didn't show through in the audition.</p>
<p>My other question would be what are the programs like, especially Circle & Neighborhood. Not a lot has been said on here about them and I'm wondering how good they are. On the websites a lot of big names have trained there, so I'm assuming they're good. So if anybody has gone to either school and could tell me about them, like the teachers, success rates, how much you rehearse/work. I really want to go some place that is challenging and works me hard. I really do want to succeed in this business and I know a good education will help me do that.</p>
<p>I commend anyone who read all that:) and if anyone can help me I would be most appreciative. Also if anyone can suggest other schools for me that might be a better fit, please do!</p>