<p>Hi,
I am currently an undergrad student at the University of Montana. I am on the BFA track for Stage Managment, and I absolutely LOVE my program! Yes, I go to a public university, but I am in a very exclusive and challanging program. Every technical theatre major enters the program as a freshman on the BA track. We have to declare a primary and secondary emphasis, since tech theatre never exists in a vacuum- especially for stage managers. We’ve really got to know how each area- lights, sound, costumes, scenery- works, since we have to deal with the go between all of the areas. My primary is stage managment with a secondary in scenic design and construction (I will also be completing the emphasis requirement for lighting- you can never be too qualified). At the end of freshman year, every design/tech major who wishes to go to the BFA (bachelor of fine arts) track must present a portfolio (we have a mock portfolio review in December to prepare) to the heads of the department (the head of design/technology, the heads of the scenic, costumes, lighting, and sound, the production manager, and the dean of the school of theatre and dance). We are either accepted or rejected based on our potential. Mind you, that is accepted or rejected to the BFA track- if you are rejected from the BFA track (which you won’t be if you work hard, are organized, and are basically very good and dedicated to stage managment (or your emphasis)), you still can earn a BA in the design/tech program.<br>
This is a very competative program. Getting into the BFA track means that you have first priority on production assigments- we have a 521 seat procimieum theatre and a 200 seat black box theatre, and the production callboard announces who will stage manage (or assistant stage manage) a mainstage or blackbox theatre, who will scene design, TD, ME, lighting design, etc. I assistant stage managed our first mainstage production of the year, and am slotted to stage manage the Montana Reperatory Theatre production (the proffesional company based out of my University) next spring- that’s right, me, a second year student, stage managing a professional company’s show.<br>
As to our facilities- we have the best. One building houses both theatres, a fully equipt scene shop (with mechanical paint frame, procenium height load in doors, and every tool, saw, and metal working thing possible), a costume shop, light shop, and sound lab, a comfy and wonderful green room with attatched kitchen (that we can use), a seminar room for production and design meetings, the offices of all the design tech authorities, and a loading dock with procenium height load in doors (and we have two vans for transport from our offsite storage locations). Oh, and the dance spaces- two full size dance studios- and an art gallery live in our building as well (not to metion the radio and television wing). And funnily enough, the building is still homey and comfortable enough that most of us (acting/directing students and design/tech alike) hang out around the green room in our spare time. Students are free to rehearse scenes in any empty space (if the mainstage theatre is open and empty, you might walk in on a Shakespeare monolouge or fight scene being rehearsed). We are never confined to classrooms- the space is ours.<br>
I could go on and on about out 50 rail fly system, our full grid, our enormous wings- but I’ll stop. We have the ability to put on Hair, Crazy for You, Chicago, Peter Pan- any big name production you could want. I hope this has been helpful. I also know a lot about the experiences of the non-stage managment tech students and the acting/directing kids, if anyone needs that.<br>
Basically, don’t forget University of Montana Missoula. I would rather go here than an expensive private school, mainly because of what my director said the night our production of Crazy For You went up:
“I worked on Broadway for 27 years. I worked musicals, straight shows, anything and everything I worked it. I directed shows that were so big I thought they’d never get off the ground. But tonight, I am going to watch Crazy For You open- the biggest scale, most technical, and most well put together musical I have directed in my 40 years of theatre.”</p>