Technical Theater

<p>My son has recently been accepted at UNCSA (Technical Direction) We are thrilled! Just wondering about housing choices. Dorms vs. Bailey Street Apt??</p>

<p>congratulations TTTmom! Did they tell him at his portfolio/interview?</p>

<p>Congrats on your son’s admission to UNCSA! It is a wonderful school and has a great Design & Production school. My oldest is a second year Stage Manager and my youngest just found out that she has been accepted into their Costume Production and Design program. We couldn’t be happier! Go Fighting Pickles!</p>

<p>They did not tell him on the day of his portfolio review- although the admissions office had implied that they might. He had a 45+ minute interview with TD and then an interview with sound design. He got a phone call on the following Monday letting him know that he had been “recommended” for both Technical Direction and Sound Design. The official letter from admission came several weeks later.</p>

<p>My son has his interview for UNCSA in New York this weekend. He is also interviewing for DePaul, CCM, Webster, and UCF. All for Technical Directing. Right now UNCSA is his first choice. We visited last year and he loved it. Any advice for this weekend would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thank you so much.
Hope the snow doesn’t keep us from flying in.</p>

<p>Linda</p>

<p>Mandemb-
When I interviewed for UNCSA, I also did my interview in New York. Be prepared for the possibility of having someone interview your son who is not a technical director faculty member. I was interviewing for sound design, and I was interviewed by one of the costume faculty members. Whoever interviews your son may not fully understand the things that your son has included in his portfolio, but they will be able to tell his ambition and whether or not he would make a good fit for the school.
Remind your son to stay calm when in all of his interviews. Whoever is interviewing your son is actually interested in getting to know him, even if it is only for a short period of time. When you get to an interview where there is a panel of faculty members asking you questions, it is easy to get intimidated, but they are just trying to get to know you and hear how you are able to handle yourself within stressful situations. He should have fun, he gets to talk about all of the experiences he has had that led him to decide what he wants to do.</p>

<p>Thank you thelilodance. Your thoughts are very helpful. I will talk to him about relaxing and being himself. </p>

<p>I already know a couple of the schools are not going to have anyone interviewing in his area. (ex. Webster’s musical theatre head is doing the auditions.) Do you think it hurts his chances of getting in since we didn’t go to the schools for auditions and he won’t see instructor from the department he wants in?</p>

<p>I did most of my interviews in New York, and I got in at every school I applied to. There are rumors that they only accept a certain number of people from each set of off-campus interviews, but I really do not believe that this is the case. Also, if you interview off-campus, it is not uncommon for the professors to call you for a follow-up interview after the interview off-campus.</p>

<p>We went to NYC this past weekend for S to audition for Technical Directing. He auditioned at UNCSA, DePaul, Webster, CCM, and LIPA. They all seemed very interested, but he was not interviewed by any TD’s. Don’t know if that’s going to make a difference. Now we wait and see.
He really loved CCM, but there out-of-state tuition is 40K a year for everything. That is just way to much debt to get into. Does anyone know if they ever offer any of these technical students scholarships? </p>

<p>Thanks again for all the good advice before we left for auditions. It was all very helpful.</p>

<p>My D is a stage manager who was interviewed by both costume and lighting designers and even a director. Some interviewers made insightful comments on her design sense–which she appreciated since she has many interests and most of the programs would have required her to take design (or directing) classes. The bottom line is that she was accepted by all of them.</p>

<p>Congrats to everyone on this year’s acceptances.</p>

<p>My S was very impressed with CCM at his unified audition. Anyone out there in their technical department or know anything about it. All opinions are very much appreciated.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

<p>Son just got letter from UNCSA stating his art area faculty was recommending him to the Admissions Review Committee for final decision. Does anyone know what this means? Is it just a formality and we should feel good about his chances or do lots of kids get this and it’s still a long process? If anyone who got one of these letters last year could share how it turned out, we would really appreciate it.</p>

<p>Thank you so much.</p>

<p>mandemb - From our experience its a good sign. I think its a formality for the most part. Admissions has to put their seal on it but the portfolio/recommendation is what really matters. Our son knew when he left the interview he was accepted but had to wait for the official letter. </p>

<p>Congratulations!!</p>

<p>rightfit
Yeah! Thank you so much. He really wants to go to UNCSA. He will be so happy to hear this when he gets home from school. My son want to go for Technical Production. What is yor son there for?</p>

<p>So far, at every one of my S’s interviews by professors (as opposed to admissions reps) he has been asked what other schools he has applied to and what is his first choice!!! His GC told him this was not really something schools should/would ask him–but yep–they do. </p>

<p>Have any of your kids had this happen? For those moms who have been through this in previous years–any advice for my S on what to say. On the one hand, he hardly can remember all 13 schools off the top of his head (LOL) but we are wondering if they are trying to gauge his interest in their program. So what is the safest, truest answer he should give?</p>

<p>mandemb - he’s a lighting technology major - this is his senior year. He only applied to conservatory schools and UNCSA was his top choice. He’s had great experiences there and great summer internships. He’s in England right now finishing up his final internship. All the others were done in the summer and in the states. Now he’s ready to find a job - the next big step.</p>

<p>I’m currently a High School sophomore looking into Stage Management, and I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on the program at University of Miami?
I’m really attracted to college in Florida for family and climate reasons, and any feedback on the program would be really great!</p>

<p>Hello!
I’m currently a high school junior who has done theatre all throughout high school (acting in 8 productions, running crew 1, SM 2) but has just recently become incredibly involved in the technical track. I have stage managed for one show this fall, and am currently stage managing our entry into the METG drama festival- which is highly competitive. I have also become one of the co- set designers, and have done all the scenic painting, as well as a good amount of the construction. I have been offered another short SMing gig for a smaller school, and have a job as an SM at a theater this summer. This means by the beginning of senior year I will only have 4 shows under my belt- though there will be at least two more next year, as well as being the solo designer for our festival show. I’m an AP student with mostly Bs…</p>

<p>My drama company is prestigious and we traveled to Scotland this summer to perform in the Fringe Festival, and I am also an intern at a local art museum- and have lots and lots of community service (my mother runs a program to benefit breast cancer research- she’s wonderful)</p>

<p>Could I possibly stand a chance at schools like Emerson, BU, etc? All of you seem so incredibly qualified! I’m interested in Design and Stage-managing, though I also want to partially consider fine visual arts as well- something I have worked very hard in for the past 6 or so years and have become accomplished in. </p>

<p>Suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated…I’m lost as to what colleges to look into besides the obvious “hotshot” schools, although this thread has already provided very helpful info!</p>

<p>Hi, Festival SM:</p>

<p>You have a good chance with the schools you listed. Some students have a lot more tech experience but many do not. BFA programs tend to be interested in potential and motivation. They do not expect a finished product and many do not want it. </p>

<p>You may want to focus on the art schools that teach technical theater: UNCSA, UARTS, SCAD, CalArts (in order of cost), and perhaps others. They will give you many opportunities to take fine arts courses and you might like their approach to tech theater better. </p>

<p>People tend to recommend the “hotshot” schools because tech theater is a small world–only a few schools are widely known for their tech theater programs. However, lots of schools offer tech theater as a concentration. I suggest you think about what you would like in a college (large/small, city/suburb/rural, public/private, etc.), make a list of the schools that satisfy these criteria, then look at the drama departments and see if they offer tech theater classes.</p>

<p>Hi Festival SM,</p>

<p>JudyL is a very good resource for information on stage management programs, as her son is currently a senior in a SM BFA program. Try to PM her. If you can’t reach her, post again and I can email her.</p>

<p>If you are interested in pursuing both SM and scenic design, you should look at schools that have a BFA in Theatre Arts. These programs allow for a more interdisciplinary approach to studying theatre tech and design. I don’t have any specific information on programs, but many of the schools mentioned in this thread do have programs that allow for more individualized study.</p>

<p>I would not worry about your portfolio. I agree with theater mom that many schools are looking for talent and motivation. Think how you can assemble your portfolio in a way that best shows your strengths. It sounds like you have a lot to offer, and talent in several different areas.</p>

<p>Once you have done some research and have specific questions, you might want to post a new thread with a more specific title. This thread is great for general information, but you might get information from current students or faculty if you mention a school name or a specific program in a title.</p>