<p>One last prompt and I'll relent from drawing away discussion onto the California schools (forgive me, but I'm rapidly planning an expensive trip to the West Coast for the Veterans Day weekend, and want to make the best use of very limited time and money): On our list of college drama departments to visit in the San Francisco Bay Area are: University of the Pacific, San Francisco State, and the University of San Francisco. Assuming even these three are worth a look--say so, if you disagree--are we overlooking any others that we'd want to explore? </p>
<p>Also, can anyone speak directly to the "performing arts and social justice" emphasis that is at the heart of the program at USF. I get the impression that it could be a bad fit for an ambitious young woman who aspires to a professional life as an actress.</p>
<p>CapeDad, I can’t speak to the quality of the schools on your list. However, INHO as someone who sent their D east to college, we do not have a single, good theater city in the bay area. We have a few good regional theaters and several small companies that hardly make a living. And, of course, we get the touring shows. That’s not much for 7 million people. There is no community for theater here so it is an odd place to start forging a theater career. I know there are many ways to approach a career in the theater and many ways to define such a career and there are great theater schools in all sorts of odd places. Still, this is one of those places.</p>
<p>LA has the film industry and a great many more actors (with a lot of time on their hands) so there is more theater there as well. Southern CA makes more sense for an ambitious youngster.</p>