<p>I am going to be Junior in high school come this fall and am very interested in pursuing Stage Management as a career. I am very active in the drama club at my school and do a lot of technical work and am planning on stage managing or assistant stage managing this year or my senior year. When applying for a stage management program at a college, what types of things do they look at? I know they look at how much experience you have, but do they look at GPA's, SAT/ ACT scores, community service etc? Also, is it okay if your "experience" is limited to only things you have done at your high school? I have also heard that when applying, most colleges ask for a portfolio. What usually goes in it? </p>
<p>Also, what are good colleges (preferably in NY) that offer BFA's in Stage management?</p>
<p>AVraney - Usually a stage management portfolio consists of photos and drawings from productions you have worked on, with explanations as needed. You should study each school’s requirements carefully, and consult with your stagecraft teacher/mentor about putting it together. Sometimes, students keep journals of some sort, to indicate what work they did. Most strong theater schools also have stage management and tech programs. In NY, Fordham-Lincoln Center expects students to qualify for the college academically, which means pretty strong grades and boards. It is a BA program, with full liberal arts requirements (ie. math, science, foreign language, etc.). NYU/Tisch is “50/50” in admissions: it requires that applicants meet standards in terms of talent and academics, although it’s said that they will compromise on academic qualifications to some degree if the talent is impressive. I don’t know much about their “Design For Stage & Film” major. Pace requires acceptance into the university; I’m not sure they even demand a portfolio, because the Tech & Design concentration is part of the Theater Arts BA major. You might also consider SUNY Purchase, Montclair State, and Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, which are all within an hour of NYC. After that, you may assume that any highly-regarded theater school will have a strong program. I would single out Emerson, DePaul, and UArts, which all have close affiliations with splendid, historic “opera houses.” I’ve also heard that Carnegie-Mellon is outstanding for tech and production training.</p>
<p>The University of North Carolina School of the Arts has an outstanding program in Stage Management. The program director, Frank Lombardi, has an extensive list of Broadway credits in Stage Management.</p>