<p>I would love to hear from any students or parents of students enrolled in the tech track of a college theater conservatory program or majoring in theater with the aim of working in technical theater. Are you getting what you wanted? Do you think the program is too narrow or not specialized enough? Do you get enough experience on campus productions or in internships? Do you think you will be ready to look for a job when you're finished or do you plan on graduate school?</p>
<p>I'd also like to hear from other juniors or seniors or parents of students applying to these programs. Which programs are you or your children considering? Why? Any stories about the application process?</p>
<p>My daughter is a junior interested in stage management. She is a good student (best grades are this year), not so good SATs (starting tutoring next month), a lot of leadership experience, and about a year's worth of one production after another as a stage manager. We are considering the following schools:</p>
<p>NYU
CMU
DePaul
Emerson
Ithaca
SUNY Purchase
BU
UCSC
UCSD
Eugene Lang
Hofstra</p>
<p>Posts directed at actors suggest slots are very competitive and they should apply to a great number and range of schools and should start everything earlier. It must be easier to get into a tech track program, though, so I'm wondering how much, if any, of this advice applies to the prospective techie. Does anyone know? </p>
<p>Theatre Mom-My son just finished his first semester of his freshman year at Syracuse University. He is a theatre major getting a BFA in Stage Management. He is working very hard and seems to be very happy with his program. As a freshman he worked on backstage crew (sound) for the fall musical. In the spring he will be assistant stage manager for one of the black box productions. He applied to some of the schools your daughter is interested in. If you want specific information you can PM me.</p>
<p>I don't know if this is specific or not, JudyL, but which schools from the list did your S apply to and how did the experiences differ? I also wonder if you think tech theater kids need apply to a greater number and range of schools than kids without declared interests. How tough was the portfolio review and, by the way, did you do it at the schools? All info welcome and, I'm guessing, not just to me.</p>
<p>I dont know if this helps you, but I'm currently a hs senior and I am applying for directing and stage management.<br>
I've applied to Carnegie Mellon, DePaul, Illinois State, and Webster.<br>
I think tech programs are less selective than acting programs (less i want to be an actress! mentality) so I didn't apply to that many programs, just good ones that i like.</p>
<p>My portfolio consists of random art projects i started for the purpose of my portfolio, and plays (basically scrapbooked with any production scripts attached). I've gotten into Illinois State based on my portfolio review/interview so far so I think its ok.</p>
<p>At that interview they basically just said "go!" and i had to explain myself through my portfolio, i wasn't expecting this so I kinda fumbled but i guess it worked out ok! haha</p>
<p>Hooray for fellow stage managers! :) Thought we were a rare species haha.</p>
<p>I'm also interested in hearing from students who are in technical theatre programs, especially in NYU-Tisch. Is the tech track appropriate for stage managers? Or is it more for technical technical theatre, like lights, sounds, costumes, etc.?</p>
<p>I'm applying to NYU, UMich, Northwestern, and DePaul. NYU's my first choice, simply because I think it'd be the best in terms of building connections and I know connections are what gets you jobs in the professional stage management business. And it's in NY. :) I've heard great things about tech theatre in UMich and the Stage Management BFA program in DePaul as well.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what the rule is to posting links in the forum, but here's a forum on colleges/grad schools for stage managers: College</a> and Graduate Studies</p>
<p>Have a look, it's helped me out quite a bit. :)</p>
<p>P.S. It'd be great if anyone who's had experience with tech tracks in any colleges could post their experiences. I really have no clear idea what I'm getting myself into, so anything would be appreciated. :)</p>
<p>BE_SOMEBODY: Thanks for the forum on colleges/grad schools for stage managers. Good advice from all over on schools and what happens after. And thanks for the info on portfolio reviews.</p>
<p>RONIT: My daughter really likes DePaul but we haven't visited (we're in California) so what does it really look like? Is it your first choice?</p>
<p>DePaul is in a very nice part of Chicago (lincoln Park). the pictures are a pretty accurate representation id say, a lot of brown stone and vine covered buildings, also a fair amount of new modern structures. </p>
<p>DePaul is not my first choice (reserved for Carnegie Mellon :) ) because all the performance spaces are in the loop (a different part of chicago) and from friends who go there, they say it is a hassle to move everything through small loading doors and the spaces they have aren't adequate. They also cut from all the programs im pretty sure so I dont really want to throw away tuition if i might be dropped from the program.</p>
<p>Carnegie doesn't cut from its program? We know someone who didn't finish in costume design (although she now works full-time in film!) and she said a lot of people in her class didn't finish although she didn't say they were all asked to leave.</p>
<p>How long ago did she graduate? I believe CMU used to make cuts. I know this was the case when I interviewed there in 1990. I think that now CMU may ask students to leave who are not working or passing classes (like most colleges), but they do not purposly accept more than they intend to graduate, knowing that they will cut a certain number of students no matter how well they are doing in the program.</p>
<p>How long ago did she graduate? I believe CMU used to make cuts. I know this was the case when I interviewed there in 1990. I think that now CMU may ask students to leave who are not working or passing classes (like most colleges), but they do not purposly accept more than they intend to graduate, knowing that they will cut a certain number of students no matter how well they are doing in the program.</p>
<p>Theatremom my son applied and was accepted to 8 schools. Emerson (early action), Penn State, Syracuse, Virginia Commonwealth, DePaul. Webster, Muhlenberg, and Otterbein. He also looked at CCM (decided not to apply because of their cut policy), Wright State and SUNY Purchase. He presented his portfolio at most of the schools. Emerson wanted his portfolio sent several weeks before his interview at the school. He was able to send his portfolio electronically to Muhlenberg and Penn State and had phone interviews with them. He presented his portfolio at the Chicago Unifies for Webster and Otterbein. My son applied to 8 schools since he was told the low numbers each school accepted, DePaull accepted 4, Webster 3-4. DePaul was his first choice but was originally wait listed. By May 1 he needed to send in his deposit into a school and choose Syracuse. He learned he was off DePaul's wait list by May 15 but by then he emotionally saw himself at Syracuse.
Hope this helpful, please let me know if there are other questions.</p>
<p>I just thought that I'd give my two cents worth about the difficulty or competition involved in getting into a tech theatre program. </p>
<p>I'm actually based in Australia, and am starting in the tech theatre program (although I'm concentrating in set/costume design, rather than stage management) at one of our top theatre cons. I had also questioned the difficulty of getting into these courses before I applied. What I can say is this: across the board, I don't think there's a single college theatre department or conservatory who would deny that the pool of tech applicants is significantly smaller to that of the acting applicants. Indeed, the school that I applied to auditions something insane like 3000 people for it's acting program (ultimately accepting roughly 20-30 people). In stark contrast, though, the tech program auditioned just over 100 this year, for a program that generally accepts between 10 and 20 people. </p>
<p>While the audition pool is significantly smaller, I'm not sure that I'd necessarily say that the competition is any less high than an acting program. In terms of the volume of acting auditions, it is worth considering a number of factors - primarily, the number of young people who "want" to be actors. I found the competition very high for the tech program I got accepted into. What really has to be considered is that there aren't many young people who can say that they necessarily want to be stage managers or scenic designers or tech directors or whatever else. Those are very focused careers, and I found that the other people in my callback definitely mirrored that: they were all very, very focused and very passionate about what they wanted to do, and I guess that the competition came out of that factor. I guess the moral of what I'm trying to say is that quantity doesn't always equal quality.</p>
<p>Well, I guess 1 or 2 in 10 is a lot better than 1 in 125 but it still sounds like a lot of competition to me. And you think commitment makes the difference? Are there other differences (grades, test scores, theater experience, etc.) between the people in your program? Or do you think it all comes down to the intangibles that schools uncover in recommendations or interviews?</p>
<p>JUDYL: I'm wondering about your list. Why not CMU or NYU? Why was DePaul the first choice and Syracuse the second? You have a great acceptance rate so it seems like he was a good fit for the schools he wanted!</p>
<p>thought i'd provide some insight from a student prospective(and your child's competition)
I am a junior looking at similar schools although not CMU or BU for personal reasons.. But i am looking at Point Park, Penn State, Muhlenberg, Franklin and Marshall, and Baldwin-Wallace. My first choice is Penn State
Honestly, I don't know the calibar of the shows she's been doing, but it sounds like she has good chances, though not great chances....SHe does need to make sure her portfolio is fantastic</p>
<p>I am planning on going to school for s/m too, and have been preparing for nearly 3 years</p>
<p>This is just a sample of what she's up against (myself). I have done over 40 productions in the past three years. I have stage managed 3 of my high school shows as well as 3 adult professional shows and 4 children's professional shows. Ive worked two summers in regional theatre and have an internship lined up at a university for this year. I've also s/m ed local dance shows and done load ins at a local theatre for traveling shows such as Weird Al and Teagan and Sarah....
On the academic side I am 3rd in my class out of 447, got an sat of 2150(not great) and an ACT of 33. I also work part time and volunteer</p>
<p>While there may be less compeition, dont think its non-existant. I am worried about getting into school because i know there are far better kids than me out there, so let your daughter dream big, but keep her realistic as well...</p>
<p>Feel free to message me for any more info....i'd love to share experiences</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman at Montclair State U as a BFA Theatre Production/Design major. She has already been ASM for a fall show, as well as done carpentry and lighting for other shows. She's been assigned to ASM one of the spring semester shows. She loves the program-very enmeshed and immersed-even her dorm is an arts living/learning community. She will get a well rounded education, despite it being a BFA, although others may want a more conservatory program. Anyway, she's happy, she's minutes from NYC(train station right on campus) and she's already making connections! Hope this helps and good luck to your daughter.</p>
<p>Wow, rocket6louise, you are one impressive candidate. It is good to know the competition and I'm glad you wrote but I don't think I'll share this one with my daughter. It really is hard for me to imagine someone "far better" (i.e., much more prepared) than you. </p>
<p>My daughter already knows there are students with a lot more experience; she didn't decide on theater until ... well, she still has some undecided moments. But so be it. She didn't waste the time. She holds student office, is a camp counselor and a lifeguard in the summer, is working on a brown belt in karate. Plus she is just a great kid (no bias here). </p>
<p>From my perspective, the idea that she is late to choose a direction at 16 is a little goofy. However, I'm getting the picture that early and passionate commitment is part of what takes it. </p>
<p>Anyway, good luck to you. How did you get work on professional shows while still in your teens?</p>
<p>To be honest, the one factor that I can associate between myself and the other successful applicants was that I think we were all very well suited to the school. The school that I got into is considered one of the "big three" cons - I got into the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), which is I guess similar to CalArts or NYU in that it's the most progressive of the three; but there is also NIDA (which I'd perhaps aliken to somewhere like CMU? - Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrmann are all alumni of NIDA. It's a very conservative school, in terms of being quite traditional.) and WAAPA (very music theatre centric - Hugh Jackman is one of their highest profiled graduates. Perhaps similar to UMich?). </p>
<p>I personally only applied to the VCA, purely because I felt that I knew the sort of school that I wanted to be in and the sort of work that I wanted to be involved with; and the VCA did that sort of work. The VCA are known as a school that doesn't just teach process, but also concept. There was one major observation that I made during the group workshop callback, where we were required to discuss and brainstorm ideas for staging a Beckett play. </p>
<p>All of the successful students, in the discussion, were able to analyse and understand the text on a conceptual level; and then make suggestions for actual technical production elements (e.g. lighting, set, costume) that were informed by that understanding. I think that ability is one that is crucial and would be extremely attractive to any school – being able to demonstrate that not only do you understand your process and craft well, but that your creative choices are justified by an understanding of the play itself. </p>
<p>Otherwise, the most crucial piece of advice for interviews that I heard from teachers was to treat the interview as a pitch (much of the stuff that I’m saying here is secondhand, but advice that I honestly believe post-interview) Every person who walks into the interview room is going to be trying to convince the panelists of the same thing – that they should be accepted into that program. Spending time understanding the “market” (i.e. each particular school that your d is applying to) is SO helpful. I found that reading the school’s mission statement, looking at the sort of productions that they staged, and doing general googling to get an informed “feel” for the school allowed me to walk into the interview with some understanding of what the school stood for, and thus what they were looking for. It goes without saying, for example, that NYU have a very different ideology and approach to CMU as to DePaul as to Purchase, etc. Treat the interview as an opportunity to sell yourself to the school – it is incredibly valuable to think about and to understand what your (or, for your d, to understand what her) point of difference or her “edge” over competition, and to convey that in the interview; as well as to convince the auditioners not only why she would make a good SM, but why she would make a good student of that school.</p>
<p>theater mom- the way i got to work on professional shows is by making contacts-something i recommend highly. It honestly will help your daughter by leaps and bounds. I worked a few shows at a small local theatre in need of apprentices(basically people who get paid nominal fees for slave labor). The sister of this theatre's owner works for a much larger theatre that brings in professional shows. She saw me and saw that i had a good work ethic and brought me in to do a show. The tech-director liked me, so i've been working there ever since. Sometimes the best jobs come out of the worst ones
I would also suggest that your daughter take a lot of pictures of EVERYTHING she does and keeps all her prompt books. It will make the portfolio process much easier to get together.
I'd also like to say i'm glad your daughter is going into tech. We need more girls on the dark side!!!! I wish her all the luck in the world, and i think the fact that you are so willing to help her will be her greatest asset. My parents don't want me to pursue tech theatre, so I'm all on my own. I applaud you for letting your daughter take this avenue.</p>
<p>I'm sorry about your parents, rocket6louise, although I know how they feel. They're probably worried about you making a living in a very competitive field, not to mention a dying art form, and then there's the problem of never getting the BA which is a pass back into school if you change your mind, plus you never get the cultural currency of a liberal arts education. That's a lot. However, I also know that some kids fall in love with a dream job, want to start living in the real world sooner, don't want the abstractions right away. Part of being a SM is being a take-charge person. So if you can succeed at that once and then you change your mind, well, you can probably do it again. Best of luck.</p>
<p>thank you theater mom!!!!
and please like i said i'd love to help your daughter in any way i can...
there aren't nearly of us girls dedicated to tech</p>