<p>I'm a senior interested in acting and SUNY Purchase is my dream school, but the acting program is highly competitive (only 20 admitted I believe...)
My problem is, I'm at a loss on how they can narrow over 1000 acting auditions down to 20 or so with nothing but a five minute audition. Purchase seems to be a very liberal, unique school, would they like to see more edgy, unique audition pieces? Basically, I would love any information anyone might have who has or knows someone who has auditioned for this acting program. What was it like? What plays did you choose from?
My intention is not to try to duplicate any of this information for my audition, I'm just desperate for any information on the purchase audition process.
Thanks!</p>
<p>My son auditioned at Purchase last year. He was denied there but was accepted at NYU/Tisch and Boston University. I don’t know if I have the “credentials” you are looking for :), but here goes…</p>
<p>If Purchase is your dream school, don’t audition there first. Get some other auditions under your belt first.</p>
<p>Pick monologues that show you off to your best advantage and can be used at all your auditions; don’t try to second-guess what any given school might want in the way of monologues…just follow their general guidelines. </p>
<p>In general, you need to have at least three monologues that you have been working hard on - literally for months - that you are all ready to go with, at audition time. You should have a few backups you can perform also, as occasionally you might be asked for an extra one or two during your audition.</p>
<p>It would be an excellent idea to have a professional theatre person advise you in choosing monologues and perhaps coach you in preparing them.</p>
<p>At any of these super competitive schools, they have an idea of what kind of people they want and need to form a balanced “company” (each year’s BFA acting class at Purchase is actually called a company). </p>
<p>You may seem to them to be a super talented person, but if you don’t fit their vision of what they want and need, you won’t be called back/accepted. It’s really an impossible thing to control. </p>
<p>It’s very important to audition for as many programs as you possibly can, because of these subjective imponderables. Just about nobody, however talented, gets accepted everywhere they apply.</p>
<p>Try to be relaxed and enjoy your auditions as much as possible, with a “che sera, sera” attitude.</p>
<p>There are a few people with kids at Purchase who post here; hopefully one or more of them will respond to you also.</p>
<p>An interesting aspect of Purchase’s audition process is that they do have a callback system. Basically when you arrive you will enter the first round of auditions. Everyone will audition, then after about 30 minutes the judges will post a list of people they want to call back, and everyone is dismissed after that. I guess that might help them narrow it down. I’m also pretty sure they don’t audition over 1,000 actors, although I’m not certain of the exact number.</p>
<p>The callback system Son of Tranquil described is what we experienced last year at Purchase auditions on campus. </p>
<p>A certain number of the people who auditioned at Unifieds (rather than on campus) last year were videotaped for review by the full faculty. Being videotaped was tantamount to a callback, although I don’t think they formally announced it as such.</p>
<p>Schools sometimes change their procedures from year to year, so it is possible that things could be different in your audition experience.</p>
<p>Most acting BFA programs don’t have audition callbacks. It is unnerving not to be called back, particularly if it is your very first audition for a college program. That’s another reason to audition for other programs before you audition for Purchase.</p>
<p>Hey - I’m in the Second Year Company at Purchase!</p>
<p>As you know the program see around 1,000 auditions each recruitment season. Last year the numbers were high due to the reputation of the program and affordability. I think its incredible to receive training on this level and not have to pay an arm and a leg for it.</p>
<p>I would say just choose monologues that shows you off and that are personally close to you. I know that they like to see realness and believability in your work and someone who isn’t scared to take risk.</p>
<p>Also: DON’T WORRY ABOUT NUMBERS! ITS ABOUT YOU!!!</p>
<p>Keep in mind, too, that Purchase does end up each year taking people off their wait list.</p>
<p>NMR makes an excellent point. We know many kids who have been accepted through the years who have chosen to attend other schools. I’m sure they aren’t the only ones!</p>
<p>I second all the above advice but I think it’s also important to note- even though you may already know this - that you should go in with a number of monologues ready; four or even five, in my opinion. Always have something more ready if it is asked for. Having made the rounds with my son last year I can tell you that he felt the people at Purchase went out of their way to make the experience as non-stressful as is possible in that kind of situation.</p>
<p>The most important piece of advice I saw in the foregoing posts is that - in all conservatory situations - they are looking for a company. If you don’t get in - or even get called back - in a particular situation, you should not take it as an indication that you were
“not good enough”. You may simply not have fit into the openings they had available. I wish you all the best on your quest.</p>
<p>Wow, what great tips! Thanks so much everyone.
Any other information would be fantastic, I’m obsessed with this stuff :)</p>
<p>I say go facebook and look for current students and ask them questions! I know a lot of people who have done that.</p>
<p>Really? That wouldn’t be weird/annoying? I don’t want to bother anyone.</p>
<p>I’m a graduate of the SUNY PURCHASE Drama Conservatory and I just think you should be informed before deciding this is your school of Choice.</p>
<p>First of all- the 1000 applicants thing is something that’s used for publicity. There was one year like this when I was in school and the other years -NOT. One year it was as low as 600 and in that year they still publicized that there were 1000 applicants. I worked in the office that screened the auditioners.</p>
<p>2- SUNY Purchase USED to have an amazing conservatory because the teachers there were legendary and boy were they tough/scary and boy were they good at teaching the craft. BUT They are all long gone now, replaced by subpar professors and the school uses the name that the previous teachers helped build to attract money and applicants to the school By my second year at the school all the greats save for one had retired.</p>
<p>3- SUNY Purchase has TWO drama programs. One is the conservatory that accepts 20-25 people. The second which ALSO offers a bachelors is the regular drama program which accepts virtually EVERYONE who applies! What does this mean? It means that both Conservatory trained and regular students can leave with simular degrees and go on to their auditions and say - “I graduated from SUNY Purchase’s drama program” and put that on their resume. And this causes the school to lose face in front of professional auditioners because they may have 10 people come in with that on their resume and maybe only one actually went to the conservatory and they think “wow, at least that school got ONE person with talent.” They don’t confirm whether you went to the conservatory or the regular drama school and this makes you just like everyone else.</p>
<p>4- The only thing of note the school has is the drama program which like I said above got it’s name from great teachers that no longer work there. So the top officials of the school would do their best to get funding from people by using their art status and use the money instead on the academic programs. Why? Because the Drama school only accepts 20-25 people a year and the academic program accept hundreds per year…more students equals more money/funding. So they would do all they could to attract more academic students even if that meant putting all the funding towards them and leaving the conservatory in the lurch. I kid you not when I say the regular drama classes had way more funding for their shows than the Conservatory had. One great teacher grew so tired of fighting with the administration over how they use the conservatory’s reputation to gain money and never gave the conservatory barely any of it - that he left. The great teachers always had offers from other schools so it was way to easy for them to leave to greener pastures such as julliard who DOES FUND their plays. The school’s top administrators didn’t care because they knew with or without these teachers the applicants would still think the program is legit because of the reputation the teachers who left or retired helped make for them.</p>
<p>Conclusion: I went years ago so I don’t know how the program is now. It could be suddenly great again for all I know- but I DO know that this is what went down when I was there and I DO know that the drama conservatory’s reputation is solely built upon professors that are no longer there. I’m greatful that I went to SUNY PURCHASE Conservatory. I learned alot about my craft within the first two years I was there. But by my Junior year all the greats were gone and I can honestly say I didn’t learn much at all during my last two years and others in my class agreed. I DO regret not dropping out after my second year. An acting degree won’t get you any type of job anywhere (which I’m sure you already know) so the only reason to get the degree at all is for some kick-ass training. If you don’t get the training the degree alone is definitely not worth it. You can still put Suny Purchase conservatory on your resume if you drop out of it before the 4 year mark so I really shouldn’t have stayed after I realized there was nothing left to stay for. </p>
<p>I think you should still definitely try out, but DEFINITELY be informed before you make any school your #1 choice. Don’t go by reputation alone. Often reputation has more to do with the past than the present.</p>
<p>Looks like Purchase is going through some changes that may affect the conservatory program.</p>
<p>[Strategic</a> Planning Blog 2010-2015 Strategic Plan DRAFT 06/25/2009](<a href=“Welcome to Purchase College”>Welcome to Purchase College)</p>
<p>Would be interesting to hear from current students or recent grads.</p>
<p>I would have to say you are false about SUNY Purchase. The new faculty members at Purchase which includes Lisa Benavides-Nelson, Charles Tuthill, J. Allen Suddeth and Christopher McCann are some of the most known teachers and working professionals in the New York industry. The chair A. Dean Irby has taken over the program and transformed it into something great. Budget cuts are happening every were. At every top acting program in the country. Julliard recently had 20 percent of their budget cut this year … so what does that tell you? We are in a recession people.</p>
<p>The point is Purchase has an amazing faculty and hungry, driven and beautiful students. The work that is being done at that program is great. Those students know how to make something out of nothing. No, its not glamorous and all that jazz but its REAL. Real artist are being made at that program. Just like at CMU, Juilliard and Rutgers.</p>
<p>Amandagoogle, as you said, you went to Purchase years ago. My son is a current, second year student inside the Acting Conservatory. I hear first-hand about the program directly from him and he speaks very highly of the teachers and classes. As mentioned in a previous post, some current faculty teach classes at Julliard, Yale, Circle in the Square and NYU. My son’s first year acting teacher has outstanding credentials. He has coached Laura Linney (a Julliard grad) and other Broadway, TV and film actors. </p>
<p>There is also a huge difference between the Acting Conservatory (BFA) and the Drama Studies major (BA), which I believe you referred to as the “regular drama program.” This is a non-performance program. We spoke with a couple 3rd year Drama Studies majors at last year’s orientation and they loved the program. Performance was limited to in-class scene reading and that was about the extent of it. It is my understanding that many of these students DO NOT want to work as actors after graduation and therefore do not engage in the rigorous physical training. </p>
<p>As far as not completing the degree, it seems this can and does happen at many schools, even Julliard. Well-known actors (Kevin Spacey to name one) and not so well-known did not complete the program and went on to successful careers. I don’t think Purchase is any different. When you say “nothing left to stay for” after two years, I would imagine that earning a college degree is something? Simply putting SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory on a resume after two years of training might work in auditions, however, I would imagine anyone out there applying for a 4-year program would have the intention of graduating and training for all 4 years. </p>
<p>I’m sure Purchase is not the only school facing financial constraints and cutbacks. Still, in my opinion, it is one of the best values for a quality Conservatory program. </p>
<p>It’s funny how the tough football-like reputation seems to stay with the program. You would think that “tough and scary” wouldn’t necessarily translate to great acting. The conservatory program is still extremely demanding, perhaps not tough by legendary standards. I can’t agree with you more about choosing a school based on reputation alone. Nothing ever stays the same.</p>
<p>billyliar, if you’re still reading this thread I would advise you to pay particular attention to the link posted by SRED. Any prospective or current Purchase student - conservatory or otherwise - would be wise to keep very close tabs on this situation.+</p>
<p>Yes, I’m still reading. I looked at the link…that’s alot to take in.
From my understanding it seems as though their concerns were over the new draft pushing conservatory programs and professional arts to the side. Do we know if the writers of the draft heeded to these concerns?</p>
<p>I don’t know where it is or where it will end up. I would be engaging in conjecture to say anything else. But I do stand by my advice. Anyone with an interest in Purchase should keep a very close eye on how this situation develops.</p>
<p>I’m a currently student at Purchase and yes we all know about that situation but, its happening everywhere. Its an economic problem! The BFA Acting program is still training some of the best. </p>
<p>I think its a little wrong for people to try to scare people from auditioning for the program. Please do your research on the faculty, guess directors, and visit the school (see a production). Have your own opinion.</p>
<p>If you are referriing to my post I am not trying to frighten anyone, simply inform them. I deliberately drew no conclusions and simply advised keeping an eye on the situation. Not too much different from your advice about doing ones’ own research, with which I absolutely agree.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth I believe the program as it exists now is the at the least the equal of any in this country, and at a bargain price - even at out-of state rates. May it continue to be so for some time to come.</p>