Hi! I was accepted into San Diego State University’s Theatre Performance BA program for fall 2021 and I was wondering if anyone could tell me their thoughts on the program? I auditioned with the musical theatre track and I wonder how competitive that program is/how many people I could expect to be in my class? Also generally how do people tend to like the program? Thanks!
Hello! My daughter was accepted as well but then she followed up with an email to make sure and they said, “you will receive an email from the acting teacher shortly to say whether or not you are approved for the musical theatre classes”. Very confusing and a bit frustrating. So we will wait to see what that says but otherwise I’d love to learn more about them as well!
Yikes. Thanks for the info!
My daughter got an email from SDSU this morning too. She applied for the MT track but was accepted for Acting. We don’t know much about it, would love to hear from others!
Yes, mine applied for MT but got email that literally said her voice is “not good enough” for the MT classes and with some private coaching she might be able to try out again the following year. Didn’t love the way he communicated that. And would he not understand that she’s been with a private coach already for a few years??? Kind of insulting.
Oh my god that’s not fun. Would you mind sharing how soon after getting accepted to the school she got that email? I haven’t received one yet and I’m starting to get worried haha. Did it actually say her voice is “not good enough?” Because even if I do get it I’m not sure that’s an environment I’d want to be in.
Interesting to read this. My son must have received the same letter! I guess I’m glad it wasn’t personal, but this just confirms how detached and insensitive it was. Admitted him to MT/Acting but basically told him not to audition for MT classes! WTH?!!
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“Singing ability not competitive” and then recommended private coaching (which she has had for three years). Just seems unnecessarily insensitive.
Hi-- FWIW I’m a theatre lover living in San Diego and have seen many of the student musicals put on at SDSU. The quality /production value is VERY high most of the time. I think this is largely due to the fact that SDSU also has an MFA MT program (one of only 2 or 3 in the country) and the undergrad MT students get the chance to work with the Masters students, who are older with lots of professional experience, some have even been on Bway. The MFA faculty are amazing. I’ve heard that getting accepted into the undergrad MT program is quite competitive. Congrats to you on being accepted!
I haven’t actually gotten the email yet whether or not I’m in the musical theatre program but I’m trying to learn as much about it as possible before I get more decisions! Thank you for your input! I know the grad students take most of the leads in the musicals, how much of the undergrads would you say you get to see?
It depends on the show. The MFAs are all cast, but undergrads are too, and not just in ensemble roles. I’ve see undergrads in major featured roles many times. The MFA class is usually only 7-8 students, so they almost always need undergrads as well. A handful of very talented undergrads have had good parts in many shows as well as New Musical workshops with guest artists.
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FWIW what we could find online their productions look very good. If you haven’t looked yet though, their housing was the most expensive of all the schools on our list of over 30! More than double many schools in lower cost of living regions, that alone took it off the list for us.