<p>My son has applied to Tisch, and the application materials urge students to learn as much as possible about the studios before auditioning. We have read everything on the Tisch website and also read a certain number of posts in this forum's archive (not sure exactly how to search for the most helpful ones) and are still confused.
He feels that he would rather be in a studio where various approaches to acting are taught, rather than just one approach. We wonder if that would totally rule out Meisner, Adler, Strasberg.....and Atlantic??
Playwrights Horizons sounds pretty good because it seems to include directing and musical theatre content, both of which my s is interested in. I don't know whether there would be a "down side" to Playwrights Horizons.
The Experimental Theatre Wing, with its summer program in Amsterdam, sounds interesting, but we wonder its focus might be too "off the wall"....??
The main thing my s wants to get out of his acting conservatory experience is learning to be a much better actor, with enough range for roles in classic theatre.
He has also applied to SUNY Purchase (his top choice), CMU, BU, Mason Gross and Montclair, the latter two mostly because of proximity and their relatively low tuition.</p>
<p>NJTheatreMOM,</p>
<p>You may not want to rule out those individual studios. The way the system is set up at Tisch, is that the students are required to spend two years in their primary studios. After that, your son would have the option to audition for another studio of his choosing. This would also give him the opportunity to meet other student in these studios and he could also go to plays put on by these studios. This would give him a better idea how each one is really run.</p>
<p>My daughter stayed in her primary studio all four years. However, only she and one other girl did so. After the two years, her classmates made a variety of choices, which I personally think that is the beauty of the Tisch program.</p>
<p>Many auditioned for and went to RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) in London, some auditioned for and were accepted in ETW. Those students loved the experience. Some went to Stone Street which is a secondary studio for film and TV. There is also a classical studio.</p>
<p>I should mention that my daughter always had full classes. Her classmates would do a semester in either another studio or abroad then rotate back in, which was totally acceptable. It was very clear they had a home at their primary studio.</p>
<p>I should note that my daughter had the opportunity to participate in ETW's Amsterdam program. This is an audition based summer program. Students from all the studios apply for this program and as a result, admission is extremely selective. Again, you were correct, this is definitely a program that would interest your son as it provides a wide range of approaches. My daughter and her friends all agreed that it was a life altering experience.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your helpful comments, klri. One question...I read somewhere on these boards that if a student changes studios, they don't get an automatic chance to participate in the senior showcases, but rather have to audition. Is that true?
The RADA experience sounds wonderful. Is that considerably more costly than spending the time (Junior year, or only one semester, or...?) at Tisch, or is it mostly covered by tuition, except for travel expenses?</p>
<p>Hi NJTheatreMom, </p>
<p>I have a daughter who is a senior at Tisch. I agree with much of what klri wrote. One of the beauties of Tisch is that you can do more than one studio during your four years at the school and so experience more than one approach. </p>
<p>I want to reiterate what klri said that students from any studio can audition to do the summer program in Amsterdam which all of my D's friends who have done it have said it absolutely an amazing experience. She'd have loved to have done it but I can't pay for summer programs on top of four years at Tisch. However, she is experiencing ETW in studio which is like the Amsterdam program but not IN Amsterdam (LOL), though she did go to Amsterdam on her winter break last year! </p>
<p>My daughter did five semesters in CAP21 which is the musical theater studio. My D's focus is musical theater. She chose to do her last three semesters in ETW which is by audition. She loved CAP21 and got everything out of it she had hoped. She is now adoring ETW. It is not "off the wall." She said the acting training is so great and really helps actors. It involves physically based acting. Also, in the upper levels, you can choose your courses in studio which is not as common at some other studios that have a required curriculum. Another really neat thing in ETW is that you can opt to do an independent project in senior year and that was one of the reasons she wanted to go into this studio for her final year because she is writing her own musical which she'll stage in spring. If your son enjoys creating theater, there are a lot of opportunities in ETW to do that. ETW also has dance and singing. Playwrights Horizons might very well be a good placement for your son and is also an excellent studio. They do have a MT workshop as well. Lots of student directed shows go on at that studio due to those studying directing. My D was in a musical at Playwrights. Right now at ETW, my D is having an amazing experience working with Moises Kaufman (Tony nominated playwright/director, created various shows such as Laramie Project and has a show he wrote coming to Broadway this season that he is directing, starring Jane Fonda....33 Variations). He came to do a workshop show at ETW and cast a dozen studio students and they are creating the show with him and will perform it next week. The other studios at Tisch are very good too but just giving you some inside stuff on the ones my D did. </p>
<p>As far as the showcases, your information is not correct. Tisch has two showcases which are called Industry Nights. One is straight theater and one is musical theater. You can be from ANY studio and audition for these showcases. But they are by audition. My D will be auditioning next semester for the MT one. As well, CAP21 has a showcase of is own for just the CAP21 kids who have stayed in the studio for seven semesters. My D opted to not do that and to spend three semesters training in ETW. That is not by audition but is just for that studio's students. But even without showcases, industry reps often attend Tisch shows given the location. As well, they often attend classes. This month, in my D's audition class at ETW, for example, casting directors will come to class to view their mock auditions. I know this happens at CAP21 too for seniors. Not sure with other studios. Once an artistic director of a regional theater was watching my D's acting class in CAP21 and offered her to audition for their summer season and she did and was hired. That was freshman year. </p>
<p>I don't have the answer for you about RADA but usually abroad programs cost similar to what it costs to go to college anyway, except some additional fees for travel. I had a daughter study abroad in Italy through a college that was not her own college and her own college paid the tuition to the university that had the abroad program and we had some additional travel fees but otherwise it was not that much different than sending her to college as usual.</p>
<p>NJTheatreMOM,</p>
<p>To answer your question about RADA, that is through a NYU program. My daughter's studio heavily concentrates on classical training, so naturally, the students are drawn to the program. As a NYU program, all tuition and financial aid will follow your son. All travel expenses would be extra.</p>
<p>As far as showcases, Tisch has what is called industry nights and that is an audition only situation. However, as Susan had mentioned, each studio does their own thing. My daughter was in Adler. During her senior year they had a professions class. Through this the students worked with casting directors and industry professionals - many times the classes were held in the casting directors' studios. Adler then held two showcases one in the Fall and one in the Spring. That is due to the fact that students came back from other studios, study abroad programs, and some students took an academic semester, some graduate early (in December) so there is a need to have the two showcases.</p>
<p>Last year, the showcase director was a former casting director at one of the larger casting agencies. She had many contacts that came to the showcase because of her. It was very well directed and enjoyed by the attendees. (As a PS to this - I went to a movie this summer and this particular showcase director's name was in the the credits - as big as life - that's about as close to celebrity that I have come!)</p>
<p>soozievt,</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your helpful comments. Everyone really seems to love ETW! I read in one of the other posts that a student wished she had known more about ETW ahead of time so that she could have requested it as an entering student.
My son is most interested in straight theatre but he also loves MT and would regret not being able to have any singing and dancing instruction/involvement for two or more years. Stage movement is something he likes and is good at even though he has had next to no dance training. He was recently cast as Bernardo in a youth production of West Side Story because he was the only boy who could dance the role. He's a good singer, which is not so rare for guys, but good boy dancers seem to be a much rarer breed...
So anyway, ETW or Playwrights Horizons both sound good for him. In addition, we were impressed by reading that the Atlantic studio is extremely rigorous in its acting instruction. My son loves rigor...when it's theatre related, at least! Possibly he could do third year training at Atlantic if he requested and were placed in ETW or Playwrights initially? This is assuming he even gets accepted at Tisch in the first place, of course!!</p>
<p>klri</p>
<p>You mentioned that your daughter's studio, Adler, heavily concentrates on classical training. Would you say that it is the most "classical" of the primary studios? In addition, I've gotten the vague impression that one of the other studios, Atlantic, especially appeals to students interested in film acting. I wonder if there is any truth to that? My son is certainly not at all averse to the idea of film but his greatest interest is the stage.</p>
<p>njtheatremom, I sent you some info about Atlantic via PM.</p>
<p>NYTheatreMom,
AlwaysAMom would know a great deal of specific information about Atlantic since her D graduated from that studio. I hear it is a fantastic acting studio and quite rigorous (but I think most studios are rigorous). </p>
<p>Just so you know, Strasberg studio has some singing and dance. </p>
<p>Adler is supposed to be a great acting studio. My D has had many friends in Adler but then some did CAP21 for their later years and some moved into ETW. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that even if your son is in an acting studio, he may audition for the Tisch musicals such as the Mainstage ones and the student directed ones called GAP shows or musicals directed at Playwrights. It is very common for acting students to be cast in major parts in musicals at Tisch. Also, some studios put on musicals such as Strasberg does and so does ETW. Of course, CAP21 does but just for their own students. </p>
<p>I forgot to say that CAP21's own senior showcases for their own studio students take place in both semesters for the reasons that klri said happens at Adler. </p>
<p>Again, there are Tisch wide showcases called Industry Nights by audition for both straight drama and musical theater that anyone can audition to be in even if in showcases at their own studio. And of course, agents and casting directors often work with classes in studio, let alone attend productions at Tisch. My D said that her upcoming Moises Kaufman show this weekend will likely have some industry folks in attendance.</p>
<p>NJTheatreMOM,</p>
<p>I really can't tell you whether Adler is the most classical of all the primary studios. It was the only studio that my daughter was involved with. Maybe Soozievt or Alwaysamom could answer that one better. All I would know about the other studios is the information listed on the Tisch site.</p>
<p>I should note that Adler's curriculum offers a movement component that may interest your son. In fact the first project for the 2nd years is a movement project. My daughter's friends enjoyed this process so much that they did a student directed piece that was well received and eventually produced in an off broadway venue.</p>
<p>However, there is not a voice component in the program which your son seems to want.</p>
<p>Soozievt, with regard to auditioning for musicals, my son will be glad to know about that. Interesting that both Strasberg and ETW, as well as Playwrights, put on musicals that are open to students from other studios. One question.....are you talking only about third and fourth year students? I had assumed that in most BFA conservatory programs, the students had no opportunities to perform in plays during their first two years....though I realize this varies a bit from school to school.</p>
<p>Klri, I would be interested in hearing more about that movement project at Adler. Is there any way you can describe it a little? Do you mean a performance that consists of dance, mime, etc, with no spoken dialog? </p>
<p>My son would be willing to forgo a voice component in his studio. His primary goal is to receive the best acting training available in the studio that is the best "fit" for him. Possibly he could find a way to obtain vocal instruction "on the side" (?). I understand that students in some of the studios carry double majors or at least have minors in other areas, so perhaps that might not be too far fetched an idea.</p>
<p>Ok, there is a little confusion but it is understandable. First, I apologize for calling you NY Threatre MOM when you are from NJ, ha ha...sorry about that....I'm from Joysey originally and so I should have gotten that straight. </p>
<p>Let me clarify about auditioning for musicals. No matter which studio your son is in, he could audition for the Mainstage Musicals. He could audition for the GAP musicals (student directed for all of Tisch). He could audition for the student directed musicals at Playwrights Horizons. If he is not in CAP21, he could not audition for CAP21's studio musicals. If he is not in ETW, he could not audition for ETW's faculty directed musicals but could audition for ETW's student directed ones. Not sure about Strasberg's musicals. I think many of their musicals are for their own studio. However, in my D's soph year (she was in CAP21), she was in a musical at Strasberg that was open to all studio students. In any case, no matter which studio your son is in, there are a plethora of production opportunities throughout Tisch he can audition for. Some productions are only open to their own studio but many other productions are open to anyone at Tisch. While at Tisch, my kid has done Mainstage, GAP, Playwrights Horizons, ETW, Graduate MT Writing, and Strasberg shows (as well as off campus shows). Ironically, she has never done any CAP21 shows even though that was her studio for five semesters but that was due to not being able to audition for them due to being cast in other shows. </p>
<p>The policy about auditioning is that freshman may not audition for productions. After that point, all Tischies can audition. So, it is only the first year with no shows at Tisch (it is CMU that has the two year policy). My own kid, while a freshman had other performance opportunities such as she was the MD for a GAP musical and also was in an a capella group. She just could not be cast in shows at school.</p>
<p>NJTheatreMom, if your son is not in CAP21, he can take private voice lessons through Tisch for credit.</p>
<p>If your son is in Strasberg, Playwrights, or ETW, there are some vocal classes. </p>
<p>PS, I know you said you read the Tisch website but make sure to visit each studio's OWN website that is more thorough and often lists the curriculum in studio.</p>
<p>Soozievt
Aha, I got it! A plethora of performance opportunities.....AFTER the freshman year. Thanks. That's really good. Besides CMU, SUNY Purchase is another acting BFA program where there is basically no performing during the first two years, though the kids do get to do something right at the end of sophomore year I believe. BU, the other "biggie" that my son applied to, is pretty good for performance opportunities, as I understand it.
Thanks for the tip about visiting the studios' own websites.</p>
<p>NJTheatreMOM,</p>
<p>I would love to try to explain the movement projects, I will try but I know my description will not do justice to the projects. To me they are abstract. My daughter had me watch the previous year's performance so that when her turn came along I would understand. (As you can probably tell, I am not real theater savvy.)</p>
<p>The one I did somewhat understand, was the student directed one. It was based on the seven deadly sins through the perspective of woman. It started out with the girls each reciting a poem pertaining to her sin. Then there was a dance (or I guess movement) to each sin with each girl being the centerpiece and the others being the background. </p>
<p>The girls had one of the boys from the studio do the sound track for the piece which in itself was incredible. Some of the sound track was music but there was also a voice over component which I swear was a piece from Roseann Barr.</p>
<p>I hope that made some sort of sense. Bottom line the piece included dialogue, dance (movement) and singing. I guess the point to act out the piece with as much movement as possible.</p>
<p>Regarding your discussion of voice (singing) lessons, I contacted Tisch when my daughter was a freshman, highlighted her singing background and asked for recommendations. It was well worth it. They gave a list of suggestions and ultimately the teacher she chose ended up being a friend and mentor. (We paid for this privately, however, as Susan said you can have voice lessons as an elective course.) For whatever reasons, my daughter did not want her voice lessons to be a graded class.</p>
<p>klri....with my D with private voice.....here is what she has done....She was in CAP21 for 2 1/2 years and so she got private voice lessons in the city (had to travel to the voice teacher's home studio) through CAP21 and it was required (and yeah, she got a grade for it). When she transferred into ETW a year ago, she knew she could get private voice lessons through Tisch as an elective but she did not want to switch voice teachers (the CAP private teachers are for the CAP students). So, in order to stay with this same private voice teacher for the rest of college, she has to pay for the lessons (even though she could get private lessons included in tuition as an elective but not a CAP21 teacher). I really can't pay for more on top of what we already pay considering she could have gotten voice included in tuition. But I understand her desire to stay with her CAP21 private voice teacher. It so happens that in the last few months, my D has gotten three more scholarships on her NYU statement (surprise!). We did not expect these on top of the four year scholarship she already has. So, we let her take one of the scholarships and use it to keep private voice lessons this year with her same CAP21 private voice teacher. She no longer receives a grade for it (nor credit but doesn't need credits) since she is paying for the lessons herself.</p>
<p>soozievt: I tried to send you a private message, but you are full.....</p>
<p>I prefer emails.</p>
<p>Adler turns out disciplined well trained actors who can handle a variety of periods and theater styles, move well, act well. The teachers are great, the work is rigorous, and your son will come with solid technique that will serve him well in any medium. There is certainly an argument for choosing an acting studio and supplementing with outside voice and dance lessons, if MT is your interest. Good actors get work, and leads. So-so actors who can sing and dance get into the chorus.</p>
<p>Datripp, thanks for that great endorsement of Adler! My son is primarily interested in developing solid acting technique and that is why he is applying to acting BFA programs. Hmm....I kind of thought that ALL the studios at Tisch could be considered "acting studios." :-)</p>