<p>I do agree. I was in Theater for many years and then trained for TV Acting. It was hard, since I was very theatrical and I had to tone it down by A LOT. Now I totally like it better and it seems harder to go back to Theater.</p>
<p>You can definitely get better as a singer although that’s no guarantee of being really good. I’m a living example. I never gave a second thought to singing until I got to an arts h/s where there were some AMAZING singers around, so I kind of just did what was required not expecting much … I could always carry a tune, but it was nothing special. After three years at conservatory, you could put me in the right singing role or the right band where my voice is a “perfect fit” and I can be okay, but … nothing special. I’m definitely no natural born powerhouse who could sing the phone book and make it sound good like Sooz’s D. I dunno … People from home still talk about my gone-over-the-edge singing from when I played Ophelia’s flower scene, but … It was what it was … LOL Again, it’s the same with acting, dance or any other art. You can get better, but it really does seem to be all for naught without “it” and I’ve yet to see anything indicating that it’s not something you’re born with.<br>
Amen.</p>
<p>I do agree 100%.</p>
<p>Nervousashell,
I missed your last post. I won’t go line-by-line, but I’ll say we’ll have to agree to disagree to an extent. Points you make to dismiss “elitist crockery” I dismiss as populist tripe based on my own experience of seeing people who just couldn’t seem to “get it” no matter how dedicated they were or how hard they sweated … and Mozart composed his first “average” works when he was five years old fer Chrissakes! Not a good example if you’re trying to deny the importance of innate talent in the arts … 
I do think we can agree that talent is only part of the equation, though. I’ve seen some very talented people who took it nowhere because they didn’t have enough of a drive to develop it through sweat and some others who just didn’t have the self discipline.
I think that’s probably the crux of any disagreement we may appear to have. There’s hope, though. There was a girl I went to h/s with who wasn’t very talented as an actor, but she had enough of a love for theatre and the innate intellectual ability to be accepted into Yale’s Dramaturgy program this past spring. Another was actually an amazing singer/dancer, but didn’t have a lot of “it” from the acting perspective although she was probably the hardest worker I’ve ever met. She just finished NYU and has gone to work for one of top casting offices in New York planning to work her way up the chain. She also still plays guitar and sings on the side and the acting ability she does have is enough to serve as a reader at auditions. Who knows? She may just stumble into that perfect role one of these days …</p>
<p>My daughter is about the embark on this journey – studying acting in a BFA program with a goal of acting – not being a star, but being a working actor in regional theatre. Who knows how it will go . . . she has some talent, a lot of passion, a good amount of commitment and determination. I don’t know much about this world – but I can make some observations that may be relevant from the sports world (fishbowl - I loved your comment about the kid who won’t make it in the NFL . . . so true). My older daughter was a D-I athlete at USC. What we saw repeatedly was that there were kids with enormous natural talent, but were goof offs – didn’t practice, no commitment. But they did awfully well just on the basis of their gift. There were other kids (like my D), who were not as gifted – didn’t get the physical attributes, just not as talented – but had enormous drive and determination. They succeeded beyond expectation because they worked soooooooooo hard. And then there were the superstars – the kids that went to the olympics, won medals, became first round draft picks. They were the ones that had both. Bottom line, you can succeed with either, but those that have the “full meal deal” are destined for greatness (barring injury or other unforeseen barrier). But it is also true that those with little talent and little drive/passion will go nowhere fast. Not everyone will know at this point how much of that inate talent they have – but one thing is certain, it is dedication and hard work that will allow the average talent to succeed and it is dedication and hard work that will allow the extraordinary talent to soar.</p>
<p>To the two above posters: Thank you. </p>
<p>…and Fight On! :)</p>
<p>I just had my audition for USC and I have to say that the auditors and Lori, the assistant dean, who gave us the info session at the beginning of the day were awesome. They were super informative and, unlike what some people have said here, did not try to “hard sell” their B.A. program. They want to make sure they get students who are serious about acting, and all they do is give information regarding the differences between the two programs. The auditors did not “stomp in”, they walked in and said hello. They were very polite in the audition room, asked a few questions and just let the students do their thing. They were both teachers in the acting program too, I believe.</p>
<p>It was just like any other audition you do for a commercial, movie or t.v. show, except less tense. I was thrilled that they didn’t have everyone do both auditions, because the process only took 3 hours instead of the 5 hours it took at other schools I auditioned at. They even served breakfast! It’s shame that others didn’t have as good of an experience, but I sure did.</p>
<p>I agree whole-heartedly! The Assistant Dean was very funny and put all the kids at ease. And they even accommodated students who had flights to catch. Everyone came out of the auditions and interviews with a smile on their face ~ We were in and out of there in two and half hours and my son was able to watch the Saints win!</p>
<p>Yes Lori was amazing! USC was definitely a school that I got a positive vibe from.
And all of the schools want financial aid stuff before they send out the acceptance letters, that way they know how much money to give someone.</p>
<p>I’m just so irritated at the idea that this craft can be taught. To a degree, yes. One can be taught to imitate speeches. But the natural ability to pick up a script, read depths into these characters, and bring them to life with a sparkle CAN NOT BE TAUGHT. Yes, to a degree it is subjective whether or not one likes an actor. But all of this is to a degree. In the end, it’s the natural sparkle that defines an actor and the training which helps that actor learn to use it. That’s what potential means.</p>
<p>sassystage I hear you - I truly do and in many aspects I agree with you. But as a person who has a MFA in fiction from an excellent program, who threw his hat in as a book publiscist (talk about a crash and burn) and has a brother that was reviewed several times by the LA Times for his art work and a son who audtioning, I have to say this and please don’t be mad with me - “Talent is overrated.”
I believe, I have seen and felt the spark, not sure about the sparkle but like an iceberg it is merely the tip - the depths of character - subtext is part of brain based learning and that is something that vast majority of people have access to, that other 90 percent that really matters - true one might be to lazy or to disinterested to do so…
I think we as artist, especially in since the 1930’s in this country have tried to make being an artist something magical when in actuallity it was really and still is to a great degree, just something exclusive designated by a great deal ones social-economic condition. I saw and anyone can see this clearly in the book business - The question is does one feel the spark and are you teachable and do you work hard?
But that is my two cents minus a penny - I could be wrong and frequently I am.</p>
<p>Peace</p>
<p>THIS IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION.</p>
<p>I originally applied to USC for BA Theatre as a safety/non-audition school. Then, since all of my other schools are BFA, and I realize that I really want a BFA, I decided I would audition with BA as my second choice.</p>
<p>I WOULD NOT ADVISE YOU TO DO THIS.</p>
<p>At the audition, Lori made it clear that her stereotypical vision of a BFA student has “blinders on,” “doesn’t want to take the core academic classes,” and “if they don’t get into BFA Acting at USC, they will go to DePaul or Carnegie Mellon or somewhere else for a BFA.”</p>
<p>She then described the stereotypical BA student as one who “doesn’t have blinders on” and “might want to pick up a double major, or be enriched by the USC academics.”</p>
<p>Basically what she meant was, if you are auditioning for BFA Acting, she doesn’t believe that you will really attend USC for BA Theatre - she thinks you will go somewhere else. Now, I’m not saying you can’t be accepted into the BA program even if BFA is your first choice, but it seemed to be MUCH HARDER to get into the BA program that way.</p>
<p>Please reconsider if you are planning on doing BFA first choice and BA second choice, and USC BA is your fallback or safety, like it was for me. EEK!</p>
<p>Is this the impression you got during the individual interview? Because this was not the impression they gave me or my son during the introduction. S attended a few weeks ago and while they clearly talked about the B.A., I think they do it to make sure everyone in the room has the understanding that being a B.A. at USC is a great opportunity. In fact, it seemed, if you are really looking for performance opportunities, it’s a great way to go. Little chance you’d end up in senior showcase at the end of four years, though.</p>
<p>I’d be curious as to other people’s feedback. I’m holding out hope that the interviewers actually have some influence as to whether kids that auditioned and don’t get the BFA would be recommended for the B.A.!</p>
<p>The introduction by Lori and the interviewer gave me the impression that the BFA is nearly 180 degrees different in educational philosophy. I interpreted their description of the programs that any student interested in the BFA is not likely to be interested in the BA. </p>
<p>My advice is to either pick BFA or BA and market yourself honestly as to why one is better than the other (not why both are good). If you really want both, prepare yourself for the challenge of overcoming a faculty that doesn’t understand why someone would be benefitted by both.</p>
<p>The auditors make selections for the BFA program (then check with admissions to make sure candidate meets basic guidelines), but if an applicant does not make it for BFA his or her application will still considered by the USC general admissions committee for the BA. For this review, they look at traditional attributes (essay, gpa, SAT, LoRs, etc) and admit based on that.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about going for the BFA and ruining chances to be admitted to the BA. However, it is not possible to enter as a BA in theatre and switch to BFA later. I guess I’m saying–I don’t think there is a big downside for auditioning for the BFA unless a student truly does not want the rigor of this intense program.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Collegesearch26,
Admittedly, I know nothing about you or your qualifications. That said, it is unusual that USC (BA) would be a safety school for someone. It is a very selective college academically and the acceptance rate is 24%. For someone who is a top student (I don’t know if you are or not), it might be a Match/Target school, but not truly a Safety school. Safety schools are sure bets and I can’t see USC (as a university…BA, not BFA) as a sure bet for anyone to count on.</p>
<p>Non-audition schools are not necessarily safety schools. Some are; some are not.</p>
<p>I’ll chime in here! With 2 of my own kids in the USC BFA program and having coached 12 auditionees for the BFA this year, I feel strongly that putting the BA as your second choice does not diminish your chances for being accepted into the BA program in the least, as long as the School of Theatre thinks you are a strong candidate for that program. </p>
<p>As Lori said in her info session (and at this point I have been to 6 of her info session over the past 4 years -haha :)) They are looking at different factors for the BA - Students who are interested in playwriting, dramaturgy, directing, stage design, costume design, etc - but they also want actors - There are specific BA productions each season and only the BAs are allowed to audition for those shows. </p>
<p>I strongly encouraged all of my students this year to put the BA as their second choice, knowing if they did a great audition but were not considered the right fit for the BFA Class of 2015, they would be considered for USCs excellent BA program.</p>
<p>That said, to make it into the pool of those considered for the BA you need to meet USCs rigorous academic standards. </p>
<p>According to US News and World Report dated September 17, 2010 these were the stats for the incoming class of 2010:</p>
<p>Average standardized test scores for the incoming class are in the 96th percentile. More than 85 percent of incoming freshmen were in the top 10 percent of their high school class and around 10 percent of them were valedictorians. The average GPA of the group was 3.7. USC received 35,794 applications for 2,972 places in the fall 2010 freshman class. With this years applicant pool, USCs admission rate was 24 percent.</p>
<p>For the BFA those standards are not as strictly adhered to and, in truth, my son was definitely below those averages.</p>
<p>The School of Theatre faculty teaches both the BFAs and BAs and they do not discriminate one type of student against the other in fact, in my daughters current BFA production a former BFA classmate - who switched to the BA - was cast in the show.</p>
<p>Hope this helps and good luck to all of you! Its a fabulous program!!</p>
<p>Actingmom loves this program truthfully though the school is huge, it is outstanding. My son didn’t have a very good audition for them but it cannot be be denied that their program has a great deal to offer; especially given the fact of the connections and bing theatre is right next to that new city block called a production studio.</p>
<p>Just wanted to chime in and say that I applied to USC this fall, and my first choice was for the BFA, with my second choice for the BA. USC accepted me to their BA program before I even auditioned for the BFA, so I don’t think it’s true that applying to the BFA hurts your chances of getting into the BA.</p>
<p>how did you hear about being accepted to the BA?</p>