<p>What schools have showcases at the end of their program?</p>
<p>They are listed in the FAQs thread at the top of this page. Click on the link.</p>
<p>Opinions sought: if a school does not have a showcase, is that a deal breaker?</p>
<p>Definitely not a dealbreaker in our opinion. In fact several schools bring directors onsite to work with/audition their students as opposed to having a showcase. And only a few of the schools that have showcases actually attract the people who have the authority to sign the talent.</p>
<p>I guess that for those of the Broadway or Bust persuasion, a showcase is important. For those of us who will most likely pursue an MFA or build our resumes in regional theatres before we bite the Big Apple, however, a good network of working alums is more important.</p>
<p>I just got back from the CMU West Coast Showcase. Very glad I went. It was very impressive. The seniors are out here for a week. They perform and also network with people in the industry. There is a very supportive drama alumni group out on the west coast, (east coast too) with very impressive members. This business is all about networking, especially on the West Coast, (film and TV). I think this is a BIG plus for CMU grads. The seniors also spend a week in NY a few weeks prior to coming out to LA.</p>
<p>What you might find interesting is that the CMU MT's, as well as the actors, show their acting chops, (not singing) in the west coast showcase. There are no musical numbers or scenes. Only comedic/dramatic monologues and scenes. The musical theater stuff is showcased on the east coast.</p>
<p>wct - Thanks for posting about the CMU showcase in L.A. D & I were sorry we couldn't make it and were very interested in hearing all about it. That is very interesting that they didn't do any singing. That makes sense. Did the entire senior class of MT's and actors come? How was the turnout?</p>
<p>The turnout was very good. I saw the last of three showcases over a two day period. It was run very professionally/state of the art. 19 seniors performed. There were a lot of industry people there. They performed at the Falcon Theater which is owned by Garry Marshall. It is a very nice 130 seat performance space in Burbank:
<a href="http://www.falcontheatre.com/ourstory.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.falcontheatre.com/ourstory.htm</a></p>
<p>CMU did the showcase on their own, not with another college.</p>
<p>I'd have to say this would be a deal breaker for me. If you read this month's Dramatic's magazine, the casting agent for one of the soaps also says, while taking to a group of theatre students heading off to college, that they should take a school that has a showcase. Many schools will say they will bring people out to their school, but not many New Yorkers will do this. This guy says it is a tough business that beats you down very quickly. Many kids lose their sparkle very quickly. You need all the best advantages you can get. We knew someone that went to one of those schools, and the people who did show up at the off-site showcase, were not of the caliber to make those decisions, were low level assistants. If you are MT BFA, the showcase is actually your final. CCM takes MT kids to NYC, and Peter Filicia, writer for Theatermania, says it is the best and the most attended. CCM Drama goes to both NYC and LA. I would look skeptically at any college that, one, used general study students in their shows, as this is not a "dedicated" program; and, two, at a school that does not do a high-quality showcase. Best to do some exploring, see how many kids from non-showcase schools get work and what kind of work, whether it's legit or regional, etc. This year, CCM had one young man pulled out of showcase and into the new revival of Sweeney Todd as one of the main characters. Last year, young woman was pulled at and into the lead of On The Record. Another got into national TV commerical, a Broadway ad, and one of the B-way shows. These kids do get legit stuff. This is the toughest business in the world. Give your kid every advantage. My opinion.</p>
<p>My d just have me that article to read as well. The author certainly made it sound imperative to attend a school with a showcase!</p>
<p>This topic was discussed on 2 threads on 4/17/05. One is on the colleges for musical theatre - part 39 thread and is currently at page 19. The other is a separate showcase thread that I will try to bump back to the top. Lastly, I mentioned this in one of my very first posts about our visits back in Nov. - after my summary on the visits to OCU and Elon:</p>
<p>(side note - both of the above schools do not do senior showcases in NY, and after hearing their thoughts, I'm no longer worried if a school doesn't offer this. Their grad's are very successful. They bring casting directors and others from the business to the school to meet students and see shows).</p>