<p>I haven’t seen any shows at SDM since 2005. I have seen a few videos such as if I have a student who goes there and they send me samples (I have on my pile at the moment to watch RENT from last summer in fact that one of my rising seniors sent me) and sometimes I see clips on YouTube. I have seen some from The Producers and I know two of the talented male leads from that production. I’m sure from time to time there is a show that is not as good as the best shows at the camp. </p>
<p>As far as going to a pre-college theater program next year… I will give you my opinion. No, I don’t believe that your D needs to go to one of these. I would never choose summer activities for the college app!! I think your D should do whatever summer program or activity she wants to pursue! My girls never looked into pre-college programs. My D who attended SDM went there all the way up until she entered college and never considered switching to a pre-college program. I do know plenty of kids who did spend their summer before senior year at a pre-college theater program and did not return to SDM (though none of my D’s friends fell into this category and all stuck with SDM and all got into top theater colleges by the way). The only reason I can see your D going to a pre-college program is that she wants to do that more than SDM. Some feel that it gives the student a taste of what a BFA program would be like. But your D is not planning to apply to BFA programs. I have had many students, however, attend these programs such as Cherubs at Northwestern, NYU/Tisch, CAP21, Carnegie Mellon, and several other ones. These are GREAT programs. But your child does not need to do them. If she wants to sample what a college theater program would be like, then maybe she would like to do this. As far as prep for pursuing theater in college and beyond, SDM is just fine. It certainly never hurt my kid to stay there. She would never have considered switching summer programs (this topic never arose) and that was fine by me. Again, if the issue for you is getting into a college theater program, trust me that my daughter’s talented peers at SDM (the ones that she was friends with anyway) all ended up at very well regarded BFA programs and other BA schools (ie., Yale) for theater or Musical Theater. </p>
<p>I don’t see summer activities or even school year activities as being chosen for the resume for college. My kids never did. They pursued the interests they wanted to pursue and enjoyed and the rest followed from there. Did not consider any of these choices with college in mind whatsoever. The only thing they did with college in mind was to get good grades. </p>
<p>I would let your D choose what she wants to do next summer and simply as a matter of preference. And for that matter, a pre-college program doesn’t look better on the resume/app anyway, than SDM. Colleges will see, either way, that your D pursued and was immersed in her field of interest. The reason to attend the pre-college program would be more if she wants that particular experience and seeing what a college theater program may be like (though many who do those programs are seeking BFA programs, though not all do). I have had some students go to Cherubs at NU who wanted a BA program for their colleges years, and so your D may really enjoy Cherubs as every kid I know who has attended loved it. My kid would never have given up SDM and that’s fine by me. If your D really wants to go back to SDM, I think that would be great. And if she really wants a pre-college program, that’s good too. I don’t think it matters one bit when it comes to the college app which one she opts to do.</p>
<p>My youngest D attends a small LAC (Bryn Mawr) where she’s involved (acting) in the
mainstage theater productions. These are joint Bryn Mawr/Haverford productions. She’s taken drama courses at Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore (the two colleges in the tri-co that offer these courses). Last year, she had to declare a major and decided on theater, which is an independent major. Bryn Mawr required her to put together a detailed plan and rationale for her course of study. It was a good exercise because it made her think about what she wanted out of a theater major. </p>
<p>I don’t think she or her theater colleagues feel marginalized. Perhaps they’re more quirky/bohemian than their fellow students majoring in other areas but my sense is that these kids feel they are part of campus life and don’t see themselves as slackers–I don’t think other students view them that way either. I’ve observed a great deal of tolerance for fellow students and their pursuits on the part of today’s college students. In addition to the mainstage productions (which are organized by the faculty) there are numerous student-run theater groups for kids who want to be involved in theater. My D feels that while she may or may not pursue a career in theater, she’s getting a chance to study what she loves and still follow a liberal arts curriculum. IMO it’s a good middle-road for a kid who isn’t sure about a career in a performing arts.</p>
<p>Soozievt,
Thank you so much for the last post! I have got to be the one to kick back, take a deep breath, and let my D make the choice for herself. I would not be surprised if it is SDM. Many of her friends are a year younger so she’d be giving up a year with them. Now, if the kids move on to other theater programs, that will surely inform her decision. It’s so hard to hold back when it comes to the whole college thing. </p>
<p>Our town is very competitive, but the smartest kids aren’t the “cool” kids, if you know what I mean. It’s a very preppie town. Most kids apply to a school I’d never heard of until last year. I won’t say the school name, because it would be a dead giveaway, but D would “shoot” herself before apply there because it would be 4 more years of HS again–aside from its not being a top-tier school. I couldn’t believe the huge number of kids applying/accepted. It was the same this year. </p>
<p>I did the math. Appx. 20% of the 5% of the smartest kids go to the top-tier schools in her HS. This may be slightly off because as I’ve gained knowledge of the top-tier schools, I may not have included all of them when I did the rough calc. In the overall class, 5% went to strictly Ivy League. I don’t know if that mirror the typical HS or not.</p>
<p>Re: SDM.
I saw the original premiere of the student edition of Rent at SDM, which I think was 3 years ago. It was SRO, I squeezed myself in, ended up sitting next to the director. I sang the whole score (ok…quietly)–hey, he was impressed–that I knew the whole score–not my singing lol. MY fave play of all times. A few impressive leads. One of whom was also one of the unbelievably great leads in the Producers last summer. I know we both know who we’re talking about!</p>
<p>They’re supposed to be doing the student edition of Spring Awakening–or so the gossip is going. I suspect your D was there at the same time as one of the boys who was on Broadway in the show…My D only met him at the show when she got his autograph, and shared memories of SDM. His little sis has the bug and has been going there for, I think, a few years now.</p>
<p>OMG we must be boring everyone with the SDM talk!!!</p>
<p>No, your high school is not typical. And our HS is at the other end of the spectrum. When my older D went to Brown, she was the only person in the entire class who went to ANY Ivy League school that year. </p>
<p>Yes, I know who you mean who was in RENT and Producers and in fact, I recently met his mom who came to a performance of my D’s in NYC recently. MY D is older and so did not overlap these kids who are there now much at all. The RENT video on my desk that I need to watch was last summer’s (one of my students was a lead in that). The boy you mean is returning to camp next session for his final time and he is headed to Northwestern in the fall. Very talented. </p>
<p>I have never heard of a student edition of Spring Awakening. However, as you know, SDM has ties with MTI and in the last several years they have workshopped student editions of new musicals for MTI which later became licensed (such as RENT, Avenue Q, Sweeney Todd, and HS Musical). Maybe a workshop is in the works? I have no idea. Yes, I know the boy you mean who was on Broadway in the original cast of Spring Awakening and he actually is one of my daughter’s friends. She went to camp with him and was in shows with him (the most recent being Nine in which he played the lead in 2004) and then they went to NYU/Tisch/CAP21 together as freshmen but he then left Tisch to do SA on Broadway. They are still friends. I saw SA on Broadway (separately from the time my kids saw it) and so we went to the stagedoor to congratulate S since we know him quite well (my D has even stayed at his family’s home). It was so funny because on that particular night, who was at the stagedoor but his parents with their other kids and we all laughed because it was like old times standing together at the stagedoor at Stagedoor! BTW, the female lead in the Broadway cast of Spring Awakening also used to go to theater camp with my D. </p>
<p>I’m not as up on SDM “gossip” as my D and her friends are all quite past that now. I hear things here and there as I have some students with whom I work who attend the camp. I miss it but we have moved on. College was kinda a SDM magnified! :)</p>
<p>Bromfield,
Thanks for the info. I’ve been hearing more and more about schools that are linked together offering a breadth of opportunties to their students, which is amazing. Even Brown has started a fairly new linkage with RISD. Imagine having to be accepted by both those schools separately to participate!!!</p>
<p>We have lots of paths to consider thanks to all of you extremely well-informed and experienced posters! I’m so glad I accidentally stumbled onto this forum googling the differences in the two confusing Cap 21 or Cap 21 and Cap acting program in NYC–I’m still confused, app. 2 years ago. Yes, I’m an avid researcher of all things! Anyway, I printed the forum pages, shoved them in a file for future college research and here we are, my D is now a junior and the time is upon us!</p>
<p>Quickie on SDM gossip. I just asked my daughter re: female SA and SDM. I forgot about that. Yes, interestingly, she, I believe, only went one time and, at least when we got her autograph (so cute), didn’t sound like she had the experience at SDM that our kids had/are having…</p>
<p>The female lead in SA went to SDM when my D did. I saw her in Side by Side by Sondheim and my D was in Our Time Cabaret with her. </p>
<p>I really encourage you to read the Musical Theater Majors Forum and the Theater/Drama Majors Forum on CC as both have a wealth of information. You may wish to then participate on those forums as there are many people there more familiar with some things related to your D’s college search and admissions process. </p>
<p>As far as Brown and RISD go…while there is a new joint program whereby a student must be admitted to both schools…Brown and RISD students have always been able to cross register classes and that is still true for every student who is not in this joint program (small program in fact). Actually, my D took two courses at RISD during her time at Brown. Later she got into RISD for grad school but did not choose to matriculate there.</p>
<p>About the birkenstock sightings…definitely a few on parents of kids visiting Brown yesterday! It’s a metaphor for me, not my daughter, who did not even know what Birkenstocks were! I think of it as very “hippyish” people, and no, there’s nothing wrong with that–to each his own, but she likes fashion and probably wouldn’t fit in with a culture innundated with the hippy type of person. Does that make any sense???</p>
<p>Brown has all types. Some werar Birkenstocks and some wear trendy fashions. I would not sum up the student body as one type in terms of this aspect. You also saw who was on the tour. Brown is full of independent type kids who do and wear what they want and don’t necessarily follow the crowd.</p>
<p>Vassar!!! Your daughter sounds a lot like me - I was strongly considering going to a conservatory for MT or dance, but I love academics too much to give it up totally, so I picked a strong academic school with great extracurricular opportunities. I’ve only done student theatre at Vassar, and I do more dance than I do theatre, but the opportunities are endless. We have some videos up on YouTube from our student MT productions - look up Vassar Future Waitstaff of America We operate on a teeny tiny budget, but we work hard and we pull stuff off. Our drama department is doing Rent next semester, too, which is awesome. We have students who have worked professionally (a girl in the class of 2012 was an original cast member in a recent Broadway show!) and students who COULD work professionally… and of course, Meryl Streep went here!</p>
<p>dc89. Thanks! BTW, Meryl Streep is one of my all-time favorite actresses. I love how she’s raised a large family–out of public view, and re-invented the market for “older” actresses. And, I hate referring to ourselves as “old”…She’s phenomenal in everything–pretty much, that she has done and an inspiration for any young actress coming up the ranks. Too many several hit wonders…don’t really see longevity with any particular actress…in the current generation. That goes for the guys as well–not seeing the Dan Day Lewis’s or the Ralph Fiennes or I’m showing my age…whatever. We’ll def look at the youtubes you rec’d. I have one for you, if you haven’t seen it already. I thought it was so incredibly creative. Apparently it was on collegehumor.com or something like that. Hope this link works.</p>
<p>eifc7 - rest assured that not every girl who applies to Wesleyan is “an actress or aspiring theater major”. That’s just a rather condescending trope. With her stats, almost anything your D reveals by way of a passion or avocation would only help her case with the adcom.</p>
<p>johnwesley,
I have to believe if my D keeps up her stats and her passion for the perf. arts then she will be competitive for top-tier schools. There are some areas she’ll have to round out to present the “holistic” person, the schools all claim they want, but she should be in the running. She’s definitely interested in Wesleyan. We need to plan a visit, but after a few visits, I’m finding that we really need to be on campus when it’s in session to get a better feel for the school. What do you think?</p>
<p>eifc7, nope, it was written by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere. It was off-Broadway for awhile, almost made it to Broadway but then everyone realized that the lyrics are terrible (at least, that’s my theory :-D). It’s a really moving show and was totally fun to perform. Thanks for your kind comments (and that great video link!).</p>
BTW, the female lead in the Broadway cast of Spring Awakening also used to go to theater camp with my D. </p>
We operate on a teeny tiny budget, but we work hard and we pull stuff off. Our drama department is doing Rent next semester, too, which is awesome. We have students who have worked professionally (a girl in the class of 2012 was an original cast member in a recent Broadway show!) and students who COULD work professionally… and of course, Meryl Streep went here!</p>