<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I am wondering which summer theater program is the most serious and reputable out of Northwestern Cherubs Theatre Arts, Yale Summer Conservatory, Vassar Powerhouse, and Brown TheatreBridge.</p>
<p>Thank you so much!</p>
<p>I can’t really compare as I only have experience with the NHSI program at Northwestern.
My son attended last summer and his experience was both intense and very rewarding.
It is definitely not a place to go if you are looking for leisure time. They work 7 days a
week, 14-16 hours a day. When you are not is a core class you are rehearsing your show,
or working crew on other shows. This suited my son perfectly and if the program had not had a definite end I think he might still be there. He also found some good friends who will I think last him a lifetime. From my perspective I saw the raw talent that I had always known
was there filtered through newly acquired technique and, I feel, a changed attitude about the responsibilities of being an actor. The staff were very talented, very supportive and their
expectations for the students are quite high. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Mason Gross School of the Arts - New Brunswich NJ</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted and is so excited. It is a summer program that does not seem to get much attention, but it is one of the top BFA Acting schools in the country. They take a total of 36 students, and the program looks very intense. Twelve of which are part of the Musical Theatre Track. It looks impressive. We will let everyone know at the end of the summer of her experience. </p>
<p>Link is Mason Gross School of the Arts - Theater Arts</p>
<p>We’ll be able to tell you all about RADA’s Shakespeare course after this summer. You have to be 18 for this one but they also have high school courses that are offered in one week increments. They subscribe VERY quickly, before February even, especially the musical theater week if that is your child’s interest. There is no weekend supervision of the students whatsoever, though, so it probably wouldn’t be suitable for anyone under age 16 or so.</p>
<p>“I am wondering which summer theater program is the most serious and reputable out of Northwestern Cherubs Theatre Arts, Yale Summer Conservatory, Vassar Powerhouse, and Brown TheatreBridge.”</p>
<p>These are all strong programs… Yale and Vassar’s programs will have HS students, college students, and some students out of college… I am not sure how housing works for HS students at Vassar, but I believe at Yale the HS students are housed separately with a little more supervision than the college students, post grad students. I know people who worked at Vassar years ago and I went to visit them. I know the college interns and staff lived in dorms with no supervision (obviously, because they were all adults :)), but I am not sure where the HS students lived. At Vassar the students will be exposed to a lot of professionally produced theatre over the course of the summer – Powerhouse is like Williamstown in this regard. </p>
<p>The Cherubs program and the Brown program are for HS students only… so the feel of the program will be different… focusing only on pre-college students, training, and issues.</p>
<p>Thank you so much to everyone who’s posted so far; this has been really helpful.</p>
<p>I know this wasn’t one of your questions, but I thought my input would be helpful to someone out there.</p>
<p>I attended NYU/Tisch Summer High School this past summer, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you can get in (there’s no audition, it’s all academics, personal statements, and recommendations), it was an incredible experience! In addition to the INCREDIBLE classes and workshops, you are in NEW YORK CITY!! You go to museums, parks, and I think my Broadway show total for those 4 weeks was between 20-22.</p>
<p>I was in the CAP21 Pre-College program and it was the best month of my life!!!</p>