<p>I'm new to the Theater/Drama section, but I'm trying to get some help for a friend. Friend's son wants to study stage management. I'm not sure how much help he is getting from the high school guidance department or the theater program at the high school. The family could really use some suggestions on schools to consider. Also, should they be looking outside a degree in 'stage management'?</p>
<p>To answer your last question first, it’s not necessary to get a BFA in Stage Management to become a Stage Manager. It is likely the quickest way but not a prerequisite. You can learn what you need to know in any good theater department and in internships. A varied background is a different kind of asset. It depends on the student. </p>
<p>Lists of excellent BFA programs are readily available on this forum. Most of them have programs in Technical Theater and Production/Management. Here is a by no means complete list (in alpha order), just the ones my daughter and I investigated so I can recommend them. A quick search of this forum will turn up others.</p>
<p>Boston Univ
Carnegie Mellon
DePaul
Emerson
NCSA
NYU
SUNY Purchase
UCLA</p>
<p>For more info, check out the forum on technical theater here:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/623794-technical-theater.html?highlight=technical+theater[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/623794-technical-theater.html?highlight=technical+theater</a></p>
<p>Hi- Has your friend’s son looked at Ball State University? I am a freshman here and the Production (Stage Management and Directing) option is very strong program. Here is a link to the production page of the BSU website: [Ball</a> State University - B.A./B.S. Production](<a href=“http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/CollegesandDepartments/TheatreDance/ProgramsStudy/Production.aspx]Ball”>http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/CollegesandDepartments/TheatreDance/ProgramsStudy/Production.aspx) </p>
<p>I hope this helps, and if you have any questions feel free to message me!</p>
<p>theater mom and taylor 11,
Thank you for your advice. I have passed the information and links on, and they are very appreciative.</p>
<p>Despite the fact that I go to NCSA, CCM has a really good stage management program…</p>
<p>Also I’d look into UArts, they have a great program (called DPP - Directing, Playwriting, and Production)</p>
<p>Fordham LC has a very good BA program which offers courses in Stage Management.</p>
<p>[Design</a> and Production Major](<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/theatre_department/prospective_students/training__curriculum/_design_and_producti/index.asp]Design”>http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/theatre_department/prospective_students/training__curriculum/_design_and_producti/index.asp)</p>
<p>My son is a senior at Syracuse University majoring in Stage Management. He has been pleased with the program especially with the new head of the drama department.
He also applied to DePaul, Emerson, Webster, Otterbein, and Virginia Commonwealth.</p>
<p>could any one tell me, would stage management be a better option?</p>
<p>or design and production?</p>
<p>(considering, that I can’t draw or paint as well as most people)</p>
<p>I can’t draw or paint but I really do love the idea of designing at a theater.</p>
<p>For a listing of colleges that offer BA, BFA and MFA programs in stage management, see: [Stage</a> Management Theater Degrees - Theater Colleges Student Center (BroadwayWorld.com)](<a href=“http://broadwayworld.com/studentfield/Stage-Management]Stage”>http://broadwayworld.com/studentfield/Stage-Management)</p>
<p>Many schools train wonderful stage managers without offering a degree specifically in stage management. :)</p>
<p>^^^ Correct. But, I could also argue that spending $200,000 in tuition to any college is a complete waste of time and money, when you could apprentice with or do internship with an AEA Broadway Stage Manager and get a paying job before any of your cohorts graduate.</p>
<p>^^Yes – but CC tends to be about College options:) </p>
<p>I was simply saying that the lists on BroadwayWorld are incomplete, since it appears they have done limited searches for degrees and major names. Not actually researching the specifics of programs… for example… NYU - Tisch does not pop up as having an undergraduate Musical Theatre Program because the degree is actually in drama. So, while one wonderful resource, it should not be considered a comprehensive list. I did not say that you were saying that it was comprehensive… but so many people read these threads… and they have a tendency to come “back from the dead” for years to come! 
So, I believe it is important to point out for future readers. </p>
<p>College education is both about career skills and education and edification as an individual. I agree with you that $200,000 for an undergraduate education is an awful lot to spend. Some families can afford this, others cannot. Most 18 year olds cannot on their own without family assistance. </p>
<p>For some, choosing to go directly into the profession from HS, bypassing college for the time being (or forever), may be the best option. However, those student will often be competing with recent college graduates for those apprenticeships in the field. In some cases they may be able to earn them. In some cases it may take them longer to be able to meet that goal. It all depends. If forgoing college is the right choice for an individual there will likely be opportunities to pursue to build a career. </p>
<p>In terms of college options – there are many wonderful schools where students can gain both professional skills and liberal arts education (if they so desire) for much less. If a student is lucky, and well advised, they also can secure paid summer internships (or semester long internships) in their field while in school. </p>
<p>At the schools where I have taught recently even OOS students have graduated having paying far less than $200,000 total for their education AND (in some cases) have been able to earn both prestigious awards in their areas of expertise, as well as internships and full time positions in their fields pre and post graduation. Post grad many are also working professionally in high level regional theatres, educational institutions, pursuing graduate degrees (where desired), as well as working on and of Broadway, and LA. I would venture that students from many institutions could say this… as could some who did not complete college at all. </p>
<p>There are so many wonderful paths to a career! :)</p>
<p>I was merely pointing out that there are MANY different paths to a career in the arts. Some involve formal education, some do not… and not all schools that may provide wonderful training and experiences will offer a degree with that particular name… I am not trying to be argumentative, just sharing information. 
</p>
<p>Gibby – I think you and I are probably on a similar page I apologize if you thought my post was somehow “attacking” you. That was not my intent at all!</p>
<p>All the best.</p>
<p>KatMT: There are indeed so many wonderful paths to a career! I graduated from Boston University with a BFA in acting some 30 years ago. In the intervening years, I have worked all AEA, SAG and AFTRA contracts. I hold a 40+ year combined pension in SAG and AFTRA (unfortunately not so in AEA). </p>
<p>I am equating acting and stage management with plumbing – both are crafts – and both professions do not necessarily require a college education to succeed. In fact, if I were to do it over again, I would not spend the equivalent of 200k for college, but instead go immediately into the acting field right out of high school. Having nothing to fall back upon propels one to succeed!</p>
<p>As a self-taught designer, I’ve got to disagree. An art education develops your skill and your eye. A management education lets you know what problems you will be facing and strategies to solve them. Without an education, you’ll learn, over time, by trial and error. That’s what I did. But if I had it to do over again, I would choose college. If you were the employer, which would you rather have: a college grad who knows theory and practice and can demonstrate talent or someone with raw talent who is eager to learn.</p>
<p>As an AEA Production Stage Manager with both regional and Broadway credits I can say this: Skipping undergrad to attempt to get a jump start on your career might work in many fields, but I don’t think stage management is one of them. It would take a very mature, well trained individual for me to consider making an 18 year old a PA. There is a level of focus, maturity and thinking required that I think is best nurtured in an undergraduate setting. In addition, at the very least I need to know that people I choose to mentor have broad knowledge of both theatre and life, something I don’t see in most high school graduates. It’s also important to understand that life is hard enough for college graduates getting a toe hold in professional theatre, even more so if you are attempting to work in commercial companies. Logistically I don’t see how younger folks could support themselves on a PA paycheck, but then again it’s been a long time since I was a PA…</p>
<p>I think it’s just as important to note that it is not vital that one attend a dedicated BFA program for stage management. I attended the University of Kentucky in the late 80s, not necessarily a hotbed of progressive theatre. What I and my classmates lacked in in high-end faculty we made up for in sheer enthusiasm. The most important thing about young SMs is their attitude, not their technical skill. I am a firm believer that SMs are born, not created. Any good theatre program can teach the basic stagecraft and expose students to acting, directing, playwriting and even dramaturgy. If you have a BA in theatre and are bright with a great personality and a willingness to put in the hours I will hire you any day.</p>
<p>My personal experience started in undergrad as you may have guessed. Standard education. The summer of after my junior year I did an internship at Seattle Rep, funded by my parents, as SRT back then paid interns a whopping $50 a week! This internship was incredibly helpful. Not only was I working in a major regional theatre, but I was being exposed to a level of craft I had never seen. Long story short a visiting PSM took me under her wing and brought me to NYC to do a re-mount of the show we did in Seattle at the Roundabout Theatre. I quickly became an Equity SM and followed another show from the non-profit Roundabout to a real Broadway house, which incidentally went on to win a Tony! Heady stuff for a 22 year old… All that to say I know for a fact my mentor wouldn’t have given me a second look if I had been the kind of person I really was coming straight out of high school. More importantly my story illustrates how truly blind career opportunities are when looking at stage management BFA programs. In the end I never did graduate from Kentucky. My career had started and I was afraid of losing momentum, a huge issue working as an SM. Jump ahead many years for reasons of my own I decide to go to graduate school and redeem myself for never finishing undergrad. I applied and attended the Yale School of Drama, graduating as one of the oldest SMs to come out of YSD at the ripe old age of 35. I don’t think graduate school is needed for everyone. For me it was a personal thing and I was willing to let Yale teach me what I already knew, just in a different way. But that’s a different story.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that if someone is right for the job and puts themselves in a place where their talent can be noticed there is no reason for them to fail. For me, it was choosing the highest level internship I could possibly get myself into. There was nothing about my mediocre education holding me back. It was all about attitude, aptitude and drive.</p>
<p>I hope you can tell that I take the development of young SMs seriously. If anyone reading this knows someone interested in the field, please feel free to PM me and I’ll do my best to help.</p>
<p>Thanks for letting me express myself. I completely stumbled upon this thread by accident!</p>
<p>^^^Welcome to CC and thanks for sharing your experience! It is sure to help others considering a career in Stage Management! :)</p>
<p>USC offers a B.F.A. in Stage Management as well as B.F.As in Design and Technical Direction.
The school was founded by playwright and director Willam C. DeMille and has a long history in the drama field. There is much interaction among the students in the theatre school, Thornton School of Music and the USC School of Cinematic Arts.</p>
<p>Over 60% of SC students receive financial aid. Last year 23% of freshmen received a merit scholarship. The School of Theatre offers some scholarships as well as special awards for continuing students. Here are examples of some of the monetary awards:</p>
<p>Jack Nicholson Award for Outstanding Actor
Jack Nicholson Award for Outstnding Actress
Stanley Musgrove Award for Most Outstanding Creative Talent
David Dukes Memorial Scholarship
James Pendleton Award for Outstanding Contributions to the SOT
John Ritter Memorial Award for Outstanding Comedy Performance
Ritchie Spencer Memorial Award to an outstanding graduating designer</p>
<p>This is a bit out of the box, but anyone looking for a B.F.A in Stage Management, a B.F.A. in Technical Theatre Production or a B.F.A. in Theatre Design might want to consider the University of Alberta (in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - 500 miles North of Great Falls, Montana). [Home</a> - Drama - University of Alberta](<a href=“http://www.drama.ualberta.ca%5DHome”>http://www.drama.ualberta.ca) . It’s one of the best university theatre/drama programs in the country, and offers 7 undergrad programs and 5 grad programs. Tuition is similar to studying out-of-state.</p>
<p>you might also look at Ithaca College–their production management includes lots of business classes as electives that seem like they would be essential in the real world. Also, I think University of Central Florida might have stage management and I have heard they are heavily hooked into Disney for internships and jobs.</p>