stage/production management

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>i realize that this post may seem out of place in this particular forum. however, i am hoping to major in stage/production management (or possibly arts management)with an emphasis in production for musical theatre. My eventual goal is to become either a broadway producer or an agent. This was the most applicable forum i could find.</p>

<p>That said, can anyone suggest good programs for this particular area of interest. It is a very specific area, and i have had a hard time finding suitable colleges. I have found that many stage management programs offered by major conservatories such as CMU use their stage management program more as an access to free ‘grunt workers’ for the technical aspects involved in their acting based shows, not as an enthusiastic training ground for good stage/production managers.</p>

<p>my current list of colleges is as follows in order of preference (note that i will most likely be double majoring with communications/marketing as my second major as theatre is a very competitive profession and i insist on having a backup plan):</p>

<li>Emerson College (Boston, MA)</li>
<li>Tisch @ NYU (New York, NY)</li>
<li>USC (Los Angeles, CA)</li>
<li>OKCU (Oklahoma City, OK)</li>
<li>SMU (Dallas, TX)</li>
</ol>

<p>Backup schools that have less competitive theatre programs:
6. TCU (Fort Worth, TX-- my hometown)
7. Southwestern University (Georgetown, TX)
8. Baylor University (Waco, TX)
9. UT (Austin, TX)</p>

<p>Can anyone recommend any schools that i have overlooked. Also, can you suggest components that should/should not be included in stage management portfolios?</p>

2

<p>"major conservatories such as CMU use their stage management program more as an access to free 'grunt workers' for the technical aspects involved in their acting based shows, not as an enthusiastic training ground for good stage/production managers." </p>

<p>Not true at all - students in the Production & Technology Management program run crew the first year (with all the other first year dramats), but starting in the second year, they act as Crew Heads for various productions and will begin to ASM. In the third and fourth years, they act as PSM's and Production Managers. If you think this is a "grunt work," then you should probably consider another major - how else are you going to learn without doing?</p>

3

<p>hayhayden-</p>

<p>i didn't mean that statement in an offensive way at all, and i'm sorry if you took it that way. i did not realize that the production department at CMU was so extensive- my statement was from based on info. from the point of view of an acting student at CMU and what he saw. i don't know this person well (he is from another college forum) and obviously i have never attended college at CMU or anywhere else, so i am solely going by what i hear. </p>

<p>my point was that i want to attend a school with a well developed training ground for production and stage management, not schools (which do exist, even if CMU is not one of them) which only bother to teach their tech students as much as they need the students to know in order to run tech for their shows. this would be the same as a school that has a great directing program, but where the acting program is basically in existence for the purpose of providing actors with whom the directors can work to hone their directing skills.</p>

<p>again, i apologize if i offended anyone.</p>

4

<p>don't worry about, you didn't offend me or anything, I just didn't want you to pass up applying to an excellent program due to faulty info!</p>

5

<p>Touche!!
I agree completely. CMU has an excellent program for tech/stage management. So do others you have listed. Let's face it, most of your real experience will come "on the job training" as you get intern positions and begin as assistants at community, summer stock and regional professional theatres.
As for being an agent, there is not schooling for that except to start as an assistant and work your way up.
Also, in the area of arts management/administration, CMU are one of the few schools in the country who offer a buisness/arts duel degree at the graduate level. SMU's long standing program is entering what may be its last year of graduates. They are not accepting any new students into the program this year. There may only be one or two other colleges who offer the dual business/arts degrees.
The arts are in desperate need of this. Without any business minded arts lovers, who will successfully manage our ballet, operas and theatre companies and keep us out of the red?</p>

6

<p>hayhayden and mary anna- thanks for the info! i agree about SMU's management program, and it has increasingly become a backup school for me based on that fact. it is really unfortunate that so few schools offer good theatre/business programs. the only school that i know of to offer such a program at the undergrad level is OKCU. (as a texan, i have some pretty strong dislike for oklahoma- although i obviously am not completely discounting OKCU for that reason) i have some experience as a stage manager, but that is not my specific field of interest. however, at many schools, stage/production management is as close as i can get to an education for my actual career choice.</p>

<p>Maryanna- your last statement is SO true! my dream is to someday own my own theatre company and build my company's home theatre. </p>

<p>My sister (who is 31 and double majored in MT/architecture--random i know--in college) and i spent part of this summer designing a state of the art theatre that can basically be converted into an outdoor amphitheatre with the pressing of a button (basically the indoor theatre is underground and the entire stage is on hydrolics which can be lifted, fully constructed set and all, through the roof of the indoor basement theatre to use the same stage outdoors). I would absolutely love to construct that theatre someday and use it as my own company's home theatre. what can you say--everybody's gotta have a dream.</p>

<p>aside from my tangent, does anyone have any information on what should be included in a stage management admissions portfolio. my resources for the portfolio are not particularly extensive as this is my first year to act as PSM for my high school. i have been an ASM for several shows (grease, footloose, little shop of horrors, The beggar's opera to name a few) but ive always been an actress and stage managing came second in the past. </p>

<p>thanks for the help!</p>

7

<p>Admittedly, I am not well versed on programs for your specialty. I would say, however, that Emerson is an excellent choice because you could study both of your interest areas in one place. Off the top of my head, I also thought of Penn State. </p>

<p>Then I went to a directory of schools listed by specific arts majors. While, I would suggest reading about each to see if it is what you are looking for, I will type these up as a starting point for you:</p>

<p>Arts Administration</p>

<p>Viterbo University</p>

<p>Arts Management</p>

<p>Brenau University
Culver-Stockton College
Long Island Univeristy- C. W. Post
Western Michigan Univ. </p>

<p>Producing/Directing</p>

<p>Avila University
University of the Arts</p>

<p>Production</p>

<p>Bradley University
Long Island Univ. - C.W. Post
Penn State
Valdosta State</p>

<p>Production and Management Specialties</p>

<p>Rutgers- Mason Gross School of the Arts</p>

<p>Production Management</p>

<p>Auburn Uinversity
Nebraska Wesleyan Univ.
Ohio Northern Univ.</p>

<p>Stage Management</p>

<p>Boston University
Cal Arts
College of Santa Fe
Cornish College of th eArs
DePaul Univ.
Emerson
North Carolina School of the Arts
Northern Kentucky Univ.
Pace U.
Penn State
Point Park
SUNY- Purchase
Salem State
Southern Oregon Univ.
Austin State
Syracuse
U. of Arizona
U CF
U of Cincinatti
U of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign
U of Miami
University of Minn. - Duluth
U of Oklahoma
URI
USC
UArts
U of Utah
u of Wisconsin- Milwaukee
U of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Virginia Commonwealth
Wright State</p>

<p>Theater Arts Administration</p>

<p>Howard University
Univ. of the Arts</p>

<p>Theater Business Management</p>

<p>Southern Oregon University</p>

<p>Theater Management</p>

<p>Catawba College
DePaul
Longwood Univ.
Nebraska Wesleyan U.
Ohio U
Pace
U of Evansville
U of Miami
URI</p>

<p>Theater Production</p>

<p>Ithaca
U of Arizona</p>

<p>Hope that helps.
Susan</p>

8

<p>Which are undergrad and which are grad?</p>

9

<p>Mary Anna....are you asking me? I just found these in a college directory and I assumed they were referring to undergraduate majors but I would have to read each school's listing individually and I just do not have the time to do that for her. I figured this was a culling of schools with majors in her special area of interest and if she wants to, she can look each up online.</p>

<p>Susan</p>

10

<p>Susan,</p>

<p>Wow! What a wealth of information! You have listed many schools that i had not even considered, and i will definitely look into them. May i ask the source of the college list you provided? I have actually done quite a bit of in depth research, and yet have not even heard of some of the schools you mentioned. Given, most of my research has been through collegeboard.com and princetonreview.com . Unfortunately, both of these websites, which are usually considered the go-to place for college admissions information, have very limited information available when it comes to majors within the field of performing arts. In fact, the ONLY major listed on princetonreview.com within the field of theatre is acting/theatre studies- they dont even list MT. It's as if tech/directing majors dont even exist. Just goes to show how little people outside of the performing arts community know about everything that goes into each and every production.</p>

<p>I agree with what you said about emerson- that's why its my first choice. I have heard (although we know from my previous posts how dangerous that can be) that it is very difficult and even frowned upon to double major (esp. if your second major is in a non-fine arts field)at some schools. An NYU admissions officer, who was not directly from Tisch but associated with general admissions, went to great lengths to discourage me from even considering double majoring if i really wanted to attend Tisch. The Emerson admissions representative with whom i have spoken seemed more open to the idea, even noting that double majoring is not that uncommon at Emerson. That's one of my favorite things about the school.</p>

<p>I'm glad to have as many options as possible. One thing really causing me to second guess my choices is the climate of certain areas (Boston and New york included). I'm a TEXAN born and bred (Fort worth, specifically), so the mere thought of more than an inch of snow outside of a ski resort is pretty scary. In texas we have 3 seasons- 'light sweater/MAYBE a rain jacket' season, the hot season, and the hotter than fire don't go outside season. Truly cold weather is completely foreign to me- i tend to complain if it ever gets below 50. And honestly, anyone who says that the weather has no impact on where they choose to go to school is either really naive or lying. I'm waiting until november/december/january to visit/audition/interview at schools up north so i can see how i handle the cold. It is sure to be quite an experience.</p>

11

<p>Hi again. I can appreciate your feelings about going to school in an entirely different region and climate from where you grew up. Only you can decide if you want to take that leap. Some of those schools are in very cold climates and some not quite as cold but definitely colder than Texas. I have one D who had to be where she could still ski so that ruled out your region, lol. Another said, mostly East Coast, not South (no offense to the South). So, everyone has their preferences. Please notice U of Miami, Catawba and U of Arizona on those lists (warmer!!). Also, I have a D just starting Tisch (for Musical Theater) and I know you CAN double major though that would be difficult as a BFA takes up oodles of time but do consider the idea of a minor in your other interest area as another possibility. Tisch is one conservatory where you can definitely do a bunch in the liberal arts as well. If you like the idea of being in the NY area, look into CW Post (and it helps to have some "safer" schools anyway). </p>

<p>As far as where I got those lists.....(for one thing, I will add that I have been to Emerson twice, NYU a few times, Penn State, Syracuse, Ithaca on those lists) but I copied the lists according to related majors you mentioned out of Peterson's Professional Degree Programs in the Visual and Performing Arts which is a directory.</p>

12

<p>iwannabeaproducer,</p>

<p>I compiled a list of undergrad arts admin/entertainment business/etc for my d. It has 47 schools. While I did not find any undergrad programs in TX (I understand, both my parents were born and raised in Houston - I am the only "yankee" cousin) there are quite a few in the south. If you're interested, I can e-mail you my research.</p>

13

<p>I should clarify that the lists I gave you were all under the general topic of THEATER and I could also have listed schools like Illinisue is offering you that deal with arts management/administration and music business and the like. Her list likely covers those as well.</p>

14

<p>illinisue: please do e-mail me any information that you are willing to share. my email address is <a href="mailto:jaime131@thatmail.net">jaime131@thatmail.net</a> -It would be a great help.</p>

<p>Another question, do most/any BFA theatre colleges/conservatories open up at least their basic acting classes to tech/management/production majors? Although i am sure that business and production are the side of the business that i want to pursue professionally, i have been continually involved in some aspect of performing (be it show choir, dance, or acting)since i was three years old- most of you probably know how addicting performing can be, and i'm not sure i'm ready to break away from it completely. Opportunities to participate in some aspect of performance, even if it was the most basic acting class or voice instruction, would be really important/beneficial for me. I see it as a kind of therapy, really. Also, i would like to continue to develop some knowledge of the directing field. I am currently serving as student director for the intermediate theatre class at my school- we will soon be holding auditions for A my name is Alice. Even though i don't feel that i have a strong talent for directing, i think it is incredibly interesting and would love to take some classes. It is probably impossible to study all of these interests that i have in addition to an in-depth production education, but the possiblity of it would be nice.</p>

15

<p>In case you are wondering why it may be that SMU, CMU and OCU are not on the long list above, it is probably because their programs are at the graduate level. I only pont this out because those are schools you had mention from the outset.</p>

<p>Although, I don't know for sure, I am sure others can clarify about the degree level. </p>

<p>Good luck to you, fellow Texan. I am a 3rd generation Texan myself!</p>

<p>Best to you in your endeavors.</p>

16

<p>Oklahoma City University's (not really OKCU, but close!) Stage Management and Technical Theater degrees are undergraduate programs. They should be on the list above.</p>

<p>Also, OCU offers an Arts Management program through our School of American Dance and Arts Management.</p>

17

<p>its really OCU not OKCU? thats weird bc their website is okcu.com and i have a friend that just started as a freshman there and he always calls it okcu whenever he refers to it. that's so confusing!</p>

18

<p>Oklahoma City University is OCU...not OKCU. However, the school's web site does end with "okcu.edu". Yes it doesn't make sense, but that's not our fault! It was chosen by the state and not by the school so we had no say in it.</p>

<p>And I'm sure your friend will learn shortly that it is "OCU".</p>

<p>For all admissions needs, the OCU web site is <a href="http://www.tgimatocu.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.tgimatocu.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

19

<p>Cal Arts (<a href="http://www.calarts.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.calarts.edu&lt;/a&gt;) has a good design & production program, and also offers an MFA in producing. UCLA offers a BA in Theatre, but has the option of several different sequences including Design & Production and a Directing sequence. <a href="http://www.tft.ucla.edu/dot_ba/index.cfm?action=elective%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.tft.ucla.edu/dot_ba/index.cfm?action=elective&lt;/a>. However they do not allow you to double-major.
Both the USC and UCLA programs have an excellent reputation for industry networking and contacts. Cal Arts also, as most students work in L.A. and do productions at Redcat in Disney Hall. Penn State has a program in Stage Management as well as Production, however the Production program is evolving into a Design & Technology program which incorporates design theory from majors outside of theater as well. My daughter is currently in that program. I think you will find many tech and production major offerings will actually require at least one acting class, either within the acting dept or for "non-majors", to ensure all non-performing majors have some exposure to all the dimensions and breadth of theater. (In fact I think D is most looking forward to taking the Bob Fosse dance class as she's a huge fan of that style and thankfully, doesn't mind that she'll stand out as the "Lucille Ball" in a class full of graceful swans.) Cornish in WA also has a great reputation in production. We visited but decided not to apply. I can also highly recommend the programs at NCSA and U of Cincinnati (CCM) where she did apply. However, you need to have some idea of whether an arts conservatory or university-style education is for you, depending on how focused or how much cross-educational classes you want with your degree.</p>

<p>As far as your portfolio, I've heard feedback from several professors saying how they are always fascinated to see how students interpret this requirement because no two can ever be alike, and it shows the range of the student's creativity and resourcefulness. With that said, I've only seen one link discussing this in much detail here: <a href="http://www.edta.org/rehearsal_hall/the_tech_portfolio.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.edta.org/rehearsal_hall/the_tech_portfolio.asp&lt;/a>
However my best advice would be to talk to someone who works in stage management--a friend in a production, or a teacher, but find someone who actually does work in the field you are interested and ask to see their portfolio. Their working portfolio is not going to be very different from one used to apply to a school. Most of them love to show off what they've done and you can get great ideas and tips for what to include and how to best organize it. You can use photos, diagrams, your theater notes based on productions...the key is to start creating or collecting your materials well in advance, and keep getting as much hands-on experience as you can.</p>

<p>Finally, there's nothing wrong with being concerned about wanting a good training ground for yourself. I will say that in your favor, there are usually not enough production/tech students to fill the available slots so what often happens is any acting students with a modicum of interest in production are enthusiastically recruited to help with those tasks. The only issue you may find with some theater schools is that if there's a graduate program, the graduate students will have seniority with regard to stage work and assignments, so be prepared to be more of an indian than a chief in that context. On the other hand, even the menial work is considered an expected part of the whole "paying your dues" aspect of this industry, but the point should be as long as you are learning something new and expanding your skills, it's all useful. So the line between "working" and "learning" should become more indistinct with time.</p>

20

<p>Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts only selects 5 students each year to their Stage Management program. My daughter is a MT major this year there and her roommate is a Stage Management major. It is highly selective and I have heard a wonderful program!! Here is the link to their website: <a href="http://www.webster.edu/depts/finearts/theater/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.webster.edu/depts/finearts/theater/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>