How does the CCPA Acting program stack up? Is it as strong as their MT program or do people feel it is more of an MT school? My son has 2 friends in their MT program however he is pursuing straight Acting.
We have a friend who was in CCPA’s MT class who recently auditioned for and switched to the Acting major because they liked the focus. I know there are a few CCPA parents on the boards who can give you some great information.
Hi @remartin67. My son is an acting major at CCPA and very happy with his training. I think that MT Voice is probably the marquee program at CCPA, but the acting track is very strong, too, great teachers, excellent contacts with local pro theater, rigorous classes. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. If I can’t answer, I can ask my son. (He’s a senior this year.)
I am taking my daughter who is a junior to Chicago soon. We will visit CCPA, We are looking at several colleges in the area. Would love any advice and tips on what to ask about and look for at CCPA. The whole process is pretty overwhelming
Hey @bradlofton, my kid is a senior acting major at CCPA, and I’d be happy to answer any questions (or refer them to my son if I don’t know).
Also, I see on another thread that your daughter is interested in Shakespeare. CCPA has internship relationships (that is, it places 2-3 kids per year as interns) at The Shakespeare Project, Lakeside Shakespeare and Chicago Shakespeare. There are also connections between faculty and guest directors and Oak Park Shakespeare, Shaw Chicago and some other classically oriented theater companies. My kid is just coming off an understudy gig at a Chicago-based feminist theater doing a mostly-woman adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew. (And, very exciting, Saturday night he got to perform!) CCPA does a Shakespeare play every other year (I wish they did more, but what can you do?), and in the alternating years, does something more modern but equally challenging (last year it was O’Casey’s Plough and Stars).
Thanks @Jkellynh17. I’ll try to think of anything specific we might need to know and try to stay in touch. Looking forward to our visit at CCPA. We are looking at other schools as well. My daughter really loves Chicago and I think her dream is to go to Northwestern. Still has some academic work to do for NU to be in play. Also looking at Elmhurst, DePaul, Columbia, Illinois-Wesleyan, Ill-Chicago, Loyola (not sure about their drama dept), Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, and possibly N.Illinois or Lake Forest. Based on what we’ve seen CCPA, DePaul, and NU are what she is hoping for. We will have a whirlwind tour of several next week. Hopefully we will have a better idea after that.
Great, my son was also very interested in Northwestern but didn’t get in. It’s a good school and its alums work everywhere. Have fun in Chicago!
@bradlofton I’d love to hear your thoughts after your trip. We’re in list creation mode for next year, live in the Chicago area, and I’m thinking more and more that Chicago is a great place to start out. We’ve visited CCPA and DuPaul, but those were more like “flying at 30K feet” visits than actually getting into the details of the programs. I know that each person has a unique fit, but I do love reading about everyone experiences.
CCPA has a very good acting program. I highly considered attending there initially. The fact that I could be an acting major and still be cast in musicals and take dance/voice lessons was a huge appeal to me. Lots of really cool opportunities there. Also the location is amazing.
Hi! I currently go to a school that is raising in the ranks for Acting and Musical Theatre. There are showcases in NY LA and Chicago and Sutton Foster comes to campus on a yearly basis. For those reasons, and the “reasonable” price I chose it. After my first semester I noticed how different the AOs (acting options) and MTOs (musical theatre options) are treated. I hear from the senior AOs that the training is really good but I see with my own eyes that the MTOs are essentially valued more. I sing and dance too but as an AO, I feel like I will not get the same opportunities without the MTO title. I was accepted into CCPA for acting but declined because of the price. I’m looking to reaudition for next year. Does CCPA have this problem too?
Hey @freshfreshman, I don’t think acting majors are valued less at CCPA than MTs. My son is a senior acting major there. I’m sure he’d be willing to talk or text with you if you have questions.
@Jkellynh17 thank you so much! I have a lot of questions about required classes for actors and if it is at all possible for dance and voice to be added into the schedule :).
I know of a MT major at Roosevelt who actually preferred the acting program and re-auditioned into the acting program for this year.
Acting majors take ballet the first year. There’s another required dance class, ballroom I think. CCPA has a deal with Lou Conte Studios where you can take weekend classes, too. If you have AP credits, it’s pretty easy to use electives to cover dance and/or voice lessons. My son has taken private voice for a couple of terms. The first time, he had to pay for it, the second it was included as an elective. (He came in with a TON of AP credits.)
Does anyone understand the housing application in regards to roommate requests? I don’t know if they are supposed to find one person to request or if they are supposed to find multiple people they think would fit?
I think my son asked for two people and got someone different FWIW.
Do you think it’s worth it to request several people then, if you would prefer a CCPA student for a roommate?
Sure, and FWIW, they do try to put them together. (My S’s freshman roommate was an MT D major.)