I’ve waited to see if any current students were still on here to respond. Since they are not, I will try to give a few unbiased answers based off of comments I’ve heard from our students.
What do you like about your school’s theatre program?
-Students seem to like all the one-on-one attention they get. They also appreciate the focus on pop/rock and preparing for the business side of things. Many also appreciate the limited number of Gen Ed requirements - there are only 18 outside of the conservatory, the rest are imbedded in the MT curriculum.
What do you dislike about it (or the school in general)?
-The school is in a small town (although growing rapidly), campus life opportunities are expanding but they are not at the level of bigger schools, and no Greek life. Some wish that the liberal arts courses were more stimulating and challenging. There is also limited ability to have a minor without adding an extra semester or taking summer classes.
What is the vibe like between students in the major? Is it a family atmosphere or is it very competitive?
-There is of course competition as there is at all schools, but the family atmosphere far outweighs those competitive tendencies. We do not allow cutthoat activities or attitudes at SU, they don’t belong here and are bad for everyone.
Does your school have a showcase for graduating students? If not, do they help you enter the profession another way?
-This year we are having our first ever D.C. showcase hosted by the Tony Award winning Signature Theatre and their Artistic Director who has numerous Broadway directing credits. We also bring casting directors and agents to campus to do workshops with our students. This allows our seniors to spend around 15 minutes with each guest or pair of guests. We believe this provides them with more time in front of these industry professionals than in a showcase and also enables them to receive immediate feedback on their performance.
I know some schools evaluate an actor’s progress throughout their time at the school, and some even cut students from the program every year. Is there an evaluation process at your school? If so, what does it involve? Is it common for students to be cut?
-We do not have a cut system. We do however evaluate students at the end of each year and if a student is not doing well, we will sit down and have a serious conversation about the student’s future at SU.
What other schools did you apply to, and what schools do you wish you had applied to?
-During auditions we ask students to fill out a form with several questions, including what other schools they are apply to. The top 15 schools from last year were: Carnegie Mellon,Pace, Penn State, CCM, NYU, Point Park, Syracuse, Ithaca, Montclair, Univ. of Michigan, Elon, Boston Conservatory, Rider, Hartt, and Emerson. Not sure what schools they wished they had applied to.
Hope that helps!
~VT
