I had seen studebt reviews on him, but he even mentioned something about it during her interview. Outside of work, he is supposed to be a great guy. I don’t know if it is a toughen up method or something else, but I hesitate sending my daughter across country into that sort of situation. .aybe I’m just being overly protective.
I would feel the same way. My D had an interview at a different school that suggested a break-down-then-build-up model. It really made us rethink that program – why sign up for a beat-down when there are other fantastic programs with a less negative approach?
Exactly. They will get beaten down enough throughout their careers. Interesting your D had the same impression in a different focus. But I’m glad they were open about it up front.
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True – knowing that philosophy from the interview was a gift, really.
Yes! I feel the same way, where schools replicate the harshness of the industry to “ready” kids vs supporting/nurturing them to be strong artists who can withstand the ups and downs, not the same thing. Also, they are in a developmentally vulnerable time and need that space to grow and learn in a healthy way.
Re the school you mentioned we saw them at a recruitment fair and they said basically the same thing and the person was so intense when talking to us we backed away from table, it was uncomfortable! There are some who like that but wasn’t for us.
Good to have some support about this. I think my D will grow to where she needs to be without being in a negative environment. I know it has an amazing reputation, but she has other great options, so I’m okay with encouraging her to say no.
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Totally supportive - my D didn’t apply there and now I am glad - but didn’t hear anything about this person before seeing these posts. Never heard of such a thing - beat them down? Why would the school keep such a person on staff? My D has luckily had interviews with some lovely people in the theatre design area - who made her feel great and her work appreciated when she got off the calls. And these were top designers in their fields.
My D felt the same way about the interviews. She even liked this guy’s, but blantly admitted he is a jerk to work with.
It’s demoralizing, in my opinion.
I’m really learning a lot from this thread. I am seeking some more information about schools. Any opinions or info you can share about these programs?:
Ohio University
East Carolina
Western Carolina
Virginia Commonwealth
Appalachian State
Shenandoah
Thanks so much!
I unfortunately don’t know anything about any of those programs. I’ve seen Ohio, Virginia and Shenandoan pop-up in some of the other threads such as MT and acting. Maybe @Loganator has more insight?
@PathDad None of these were on my daughter’s list (no reflection on the programs – she was focused on Lighting Design specifically), but I have heard good comments about Shenandoah’s tech program. Sorry I’m not more help!
@PathDad, I am not really a theater mom, but my kids did theater in high school (acting, not tech) and I live in North Carolina. I have alway heard that UNC-Greensboro was second to UNCSA, so you might check it out. ECU and Catawba don’t come up very much in my earshot, but I may just be out of the loop. I think App State has a good music and education program and I have good feelings about it, but UNCG is the one that always pops up in conversation for theater kids. Don’t know about their tech program in particular, but their whole program is really strong.
Oh VCU would also be definitely worth pursuing. Very strong arts school.
I can share technical theatre major info on Ohio and VCU, but that’s different than theatre/drama. What sort of info are you looking for?
The one thing I know about App State (son was accepted, but isn’t going to choose it even though I’d love to move to that area and it’s a nice campus) is that you don’t select a major until sophomore year, so there’s no guarantee you’ll be accepted to the tech theater major. We talked to the director and he said its pretty rare not to be accepted, but given that at his other schools, which are also BFA instead of BA/BS, you interview and get accepted to the major and its right into it with majority theater classes… whereas App State you’d prob do a little more gen-ed stuff freshman year (at least to be safe I’d think).
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That’s interesting to know. Since my D’s portfolio and experience is a little thin, this might be a good route. She is also a NC resident, so you can’t beat the price.
Reputation, environment, opportunities that might be unusual or unique to the school. Thanks!
Don’t underestimate your D’s experience. I thought the same thing about my Ds and she was accepted everywhere she applied, so even though you definitely want some safety schools, don’t be afraid to aim high as well. And there is still time. Have her look at skill sets needed to work in the particular field she is interested in and do some at home projects around that. Not only does she gain experience, but it shows initiative.
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I should start off that our family’s experience is from 2019.
My daughter applied to some BA programs as well as BFA programs. She was centered on a specific area of technical theatre (stage properties and possibly scenic painting), and it was midway through her interview process where she shifted away from BA programs to BFA. (Thank you, interviewers at JMU! You truly helped her focus with your great questions!)
Through this process, she came down to three schools – including Ohio University and VCU. Since she was focused on a specific area of technical theatre, she was able to meet with specific faculty in the programs, which really helped her a great deal. She was able to drill down into not the reputation of the program but of the specific faculty she would be working with over her four years in the program.
Tom Fiocchi at Ohio spent a LOT of time with her in the prop shop, so she could see exactly what types of tools students work with, what projects are in place, etc. Tom has an incredible network of professionals he can reach out to, and he was particularly proud that his student was in the final negotiations to land the head of props position at the Guthrie Theater. My daughter also had “instant friendships” with several other faculty members in wigs and make-up. Lots of great exchanges about Santa Fe Opera. 
At VCU, she spent lots of time with Dr. Aaron Anderson, the associate director of the theatre program. He was not a props person, and VCU doesn’t have a dedicated props person, but he’s another “well-networked” member of the faculty. He spoke about VCU’s relationship not only with Virginia Rep in Richmond, but also the connections they have in place in DC theatre. (We’re from northern Virginia.) Dr. Anderson was very upfront on what the next steps were for VCU theatre, and the support of all student-run productions. They also shared some things they were going to put in place to help their students lessen the stress levels. (As a parent, I appreciated that.)
All in all, two great schools with passionate and caring faculty. My daughter loves where she is, but she would have had a good experience at either of these schools. (Well, except for the pandemic part.)
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Just had to share. D was waitlisted at one school which was considered her safety safety school. She has since been admitted to much stronger programs, so she released herself from the waitlist. Last night she got an email from this school asking if she would come back for a second interview. She got a good laugh. It does make me wonder what they were looking for in a D&T student, but so happy she has so many good options.
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