Does TPAP give any college audition advice during the intensive? Does anyone remember cost?
@theatrework - TPAP is $3,950 and includes some college audition prep with advice from MT faculty from some well-known programs along with college audition coach Dave Clemmons.
Keep in mind the $3950 for TPAP includes accommodations and food. The $3750 for CITS does not. You would have to find housing and pay for your food on top of the $3750.
Rising seniors who attend TPAP have a lot more audition prep and college info built into their curriculum than juniors or those already in college. They conclude the camp with a family weekend where you get to observe classes and see performances of some of the works done during the camp. They also have seminars for parents on the audition process. It was very informative.
Thanks for the info. I read the TPAP website too , as the two wk intensive is a bit less expensive. I think it sounds great I just hesitate at the “seven days a week, thirteen plus hour days” part since it would be my daughters first real time away from home etc.
Sometimes being that busy the first time away from home can help --they are too tired and too busy to get homesick!! And it does give them a good sense for what college life might be like.
Yes I agree as I definitely want her to go to either a wk or 2 wk program away from home on a college campus to get the feel for college life, I don’t know about 13 hr days , seven days a week replicating college life though. I know they want to immerse the kids in training but ya gotta take a breather sometime! Even college kids take a break one day!
I would say 13 hours a day 7 days a week sounds about right for my college kid…
7am-10pm most days for my college kid @theaterwork! And the 13 hour days at TPAP don’t feel like work… Unlike college! My D didn’t want to leave when the 3 weeks was up!
Hmm …I think my D would balk at a summer program if I told her it was every day ,13 hours.each day…guess that must mean she’s not MT material …shes just a kid that needs down time. But I know if your kid does not want to do training 24/7 it must mean they aren’t “cut out for the business”. She isn’t lazy by any means I think she would just want there to be sometime to go to a show or do another activity during the program.
@theaterwork - I don’t think you have to want to train 24/7 to be successful in MT. In fact, I think one of the hardest things for MTs to do is to find balance in their lives. And I agree they need to have some down time. So do not think your kid is not cut out for MT! Every program has a different feel and schedule. There is one that will be right for your D. I think you already are doing this, but I would look at some of the BA programs that allow more flexibility in the classes you take and your general schedule if you don’t ant to be fully immersed.
Were you able to look at a daily schedule for TPAP? I think there is a lot of variety throughout each day so I don’t think kids feel like they are working 13 hours a day. But they do love being around others with similar interests. Many of the summer programs are called intensives because it is a pretty intense schedule. But they have a wonderful time!
My schedule at Circle in the Square was actually pretty similar to my schedule in college…classes were usually about 9-6 with breaks in between but it varied greatly from day to day. Sometimes I had a three hour break between classes, and sometimes it would be four back-to-back with no time for lunch. I know I had one really light day, and one that was particularly heavy. I went to see something like 15 shows in those 7 weeks, because weekends and weeknights were totally free. I also explored the city a lot! You’re not doing a full production, so you don’t have to go to lengthy rehearsals after classes get out. The classes themselves are intense though. If you want details you can PM me. 
I was lucky enough to have a family friend in the city who let me stay with her for free, so for me the price was unbeatable. I did buy my own food (and grocery shopping and cooking for myself that summer was really really valuable…not to mention doing my own laundry and cleaning up after myself!).
Hi,
My son is awaiting a decision from MPulse, but knowing how extremely competitive it is, he is looking at other programs. Does anyone have experience with the OCU program? Is it as competitive as MPulse? Any other recommendations on programs that have a greater acceptance rate but still a quality program? Thanks!
The Carnegie Mellon program is extremely intense, and when my daughter was there she worked directly with faculty like Gary Kline and Don Wadsworth (who she just auditioned for last week), but there is no audition required. It is a long program, six weeks, but my daughter definitely felt challenged and absolutely loved it there. It was a great test of whether a BFA program in that kind of intense environment was something she really wanted to pursue.
Our D went to OCU’s camp one summer followed by mPulse the next. They were both great experiences. Both were chock full of really talented kids. Both are very busy schedules - OCU a little more so because evenings are spent rehearsing a show in addition to all the classes/training during the day. D has friends from both attending well known programs all over the country. Either would be a great experience. I would also recommend TPAP a (the performing Arts Project). It exposes you to a number of different top college programs while providing excellent training.
@CTDramaMom do you feel like the cost of the Carnegie Mellon program was worth it? I’m not being smart Alec lol I’m just honestly asking how you feel about justifying the cost…I would be curious about those who went to the Univ of M program felt about the cost of that one as well…they both are just SO much money sometimes I feel like you should save that money for college expenses…
Here are things my D got from college summer program:
- Experience with types of classes offered in BFA program. Even though she went to a PA HS there were lots of things like voice and speech, acting the song etc that she had not been a part of. B/c the program she was doing (NYU) offered college credit, she had “assignments” (which she would say now we’re very basic) to go with classes. She got a much better sense of what STUDYING theater would be like. And in the end - b/c she chose NYU, the credits earned offset the cost of the program (6 credits I don’t have to pay for in college- yeah! That and her AP credits have given her a lot of flexibility in classes she takes now)
- Experience being far away from home for an extended period. This was even more important for me then for her- esp with the idea of her being in NYC. To be honest, if she hadn’t done the summer program, idk if I would have been on board for her to go to school there (but that is a ME thing- overprotective)
@theaterwork My D atrended the Carnegie summer program (Drama) last summer, too. She has remarked a number of times as she has been preparing (and attending) her college auditions that she feels well prepared for the process because of her time at CMU. She also got the experience of what a BFA program and extended time away from home will feel like. It is quite costly but in our case, I am glad we did it for her. It was not clear to me that the BFA route was right for my D; it is pretty all-consuming and I wanted to be sure a BFA-type program is how she visualized her college years. She came home with a clear idea that BFA is her preferred route and armed with a really nice start to her audition book and a narrowed list of schools.
@toowonderful Which NYU summer program did your daughter attend? We are looking at both the TIsch and Steinhardt musical theatre summer programs and trying to figure out the differences (other than the fact that Tisch is 5 weeks and Steinhardt is 3 weeks). We are wondering whether they are similar in their training and focus, whether one is more competitive than the other to get into, and whether you can apply to both simulataneously. I know that for college admissions at NYU, you can only apply to one school, but it is unclear for summer programs.
D did Tisch (and is a student at Tisch now) I don’t know anything about the Steinhardt summer program- sorry.