<pre><code> I've been accepted to Santa Fe's BFA Acting program, but was wondering if anyone knew anything about the program? I know Jon Jory is on faculty and he has a pretty impressive track record, but I have never heard of this school and can't find much info about it online. I also am kind of iffy about living in New Mexico; there's kind of nothing there and mainly I can't afford to travel back and forth between NM and the complete opposite side of America during school breaks. But if this is a really stellar program, I'm willing to pay the app fee and see how low I can get the school fees to make up for how much $$$ I'd have to spend on flights every year.
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<p>Since no one has answered I will tell you what I know. My younger daughter was interested in Santa Fe because she loves Santa Fe and because they appeared to be a bit loose on academic requirements vs creative requirements. But she was looking at ceramics and creative writing not acting which is my older daughter. With this preface, my knowledge of the school:</p>
<p>They have been around a while but ran into some serious financial problems about three to five years ago and had to close for restructuring. I don’t know their reputation before they closed but I would guess that it wasn’t so great given their financial straits. I believe the state took them over and they are now financially solvent and gaining in reputation in many areas. This could be why you can’t find much online about them, they didn’t exist! I believe this might be their third year since re-opening.</p>
<p>My daughter loved the program for ceramics, was mixed on creative writing, but as I said, we didn’t look into it for theatre. The application was quite a handful so in the end, between the application, the time difference from NY (where we live) and the difficulty in getting there, she never applied. I love Santa Fe and the creative community so I would guess that the students accepted would be very interesting and creative but I have no opinion on the program specifically or the school as a whole. </p>
<p>I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful, I just shared what I know. Why don’t you contact the school (now that you’re admitted) and ask to speak with a professor and one or two students. I’m assuming you won’t be visiting so this would be a good substitute.</p>
<p>Thanks, that was a little helpful! When I talked to the admissions people on several occasions they never mentioned any of that, which I guess they wouldn’t lol. They said they give generous scholarships and a classmate was just awarded one…I’ll have to see if I can non-intrusively find out how much they gave her.</p>
<p>I was intrigued by Santa Fe as a fallback for my son last year, but he didn’t pursue it. They were once a Catholic college, called “The College of Santa Fe.” They evolved into a non-sectarian arts-focused school, presumably to capitalize on Santa Fe’s community strengths. I wouldn’t recommend it, if you’re not immediately drawn to the idea of living in Santa Fe.</p>
<p>We hire practicing professionals at SFUAD and were proud of the fact that our theatre majors have the opportunity to audition for mainstage productions their first year here. You can view some of the plays in the Greer Garson Theatre in our photo gallery: [Santa</a> Fe University of Art and Design](<a href=“http://www.santafeuniversity.edu/Galleries/Performances.aspx]Santa”>http://www.santafeuniversity.edu/Galleries/Performances.aspx). There are quite a few attractions in New Mexico, including skiing and other outdoor activities, and Santa Fe is a true mecca for art and culture. Our on-campus Garson Studios also provides opportunities for student internships. For instance, we recently had a new Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg film 2 Guns using our facilities as their base of operations. True Grit and No Country for Old Men and Cowboys & Aliens (and countless others) were all filmed right here in New Mexico. We have A&E TV series “Longmire” shooting on campus right now for their second season. Santa Fe, and New Mexico in general, is a great place for aspiring theatre majors. But dont just take my word for it I strongly suggest you get involved in our Future Artists page on Facebook so you can hear directly from our current students, who can tell you what its like here: </p>
Jon Jory is a Gem. D is learning a lot in this program, and has had many on-camera opportunities with film school productions. It’s a program on the rise. Give it a good look.
