Technical Theater

<p>One more note about summer programs. Another reason to pay for a expensive summer program is so that my daughter can see if she really wants to do theater all day, every day. 5-7K is a lot cheaper than a year at almost any college.</p>

<p>My daughter just sent out applications for the CMU and Interlochen summer programs about the same time that we found out about the Northwestern University Cherubs program. She plans to apply to this too. Does anyone have any experience with or know anything about the Cherubs Design/Tech program? </p>

<p>As far as paying for college goes, it's worth noting that the most expensive schools have the largest endowments and offer the most financial aid. When you subtract the average need-based grant from the most expensive schools, CMU is actually competitive with most of the cheaper schools. CMU, NYU, BU, and Emerson are among the top fifty schools in amounts of financial aid. I don't know how the financial crisis affects these statistics, though. Maybe more future aid will be in the form of loans. </p>

<p>I have yet another question. Does a 4-year BFA preparation for employment? Or do many people go on to get an MFA? A 4-year BFA is a lot cheaper than a 4-year BA and a 2-year MFA.</p>

<p>Hi Theatre Mom,
Yes, very good point. I think a lot of tech students go in with something in mind and come out with something else. Many of the designer positions require a certain amount of talent in addition to training and education and I've met people who spent 2 years focusing on lighting or scenic and while they loved it, they just didn't feel they had the innate talent to be really great so picked other paths. TDs are hot right now, everyone wants them and a good TD is hard to find. A 4 year BFA program in lighting, sound, scenic, costuming, etc. does prepare you in my opinion. Designers can benefit from the MFA mostly I think, from getting connections in addition to the higher level of work and exposure. From general opinion at USITT, the hot track right now is a BFA at CCM or BU or NYU and then MFA at CMU. From what I can figure, that is mostly because of how well CMU promotes and manages its alum program. I have come to realize top tier techs are just as rare as those MT kids that get on Broadway. Luck and who you know is almost an equal component with skill & talent, education and hard work (just like actors!)</p>

<p>Depending on what area of tech your student focuses in on is what may determine the answer to 4 years or 6. A top tier tech can get a full ride for the MFA in most cases. They are heavily recruited at several venues. I do think it is important to find out if you want to do theatre all day and a summer program will be good for her to check that out. You have to realize that a BFA is 80% your art and 20% liberal arts which means she will be doing ALL theatre ALL the time for 4 years. If she isn't certain, it is better to pick a school with a good drama program rather than a conservatory program. </p>

<p>Good techs can go into the work field right out of high school, college would be to go for the top tier faster. A ton of famous designers never studied that field in college, they "fell into it" while doing other things (like TD, or SM). Anyway, good luck!</p>

<p>Son interviewed with CCM in October and just got acceptance via the website last week. Has interviews with SUNY Purchase and CMU the first week of Feb. :) He is a happy camper.</p>

<p>Congratulations to your son, Greybiscuit! How great to get acceptance at his first choice in January! And thanks for the info on the MFA. It's not on the horizon now but you're right, things can change, particularly at their age. Anyway, congratulations, again.</p>

<p>
[quote]
As far as paying for college goes, it's worth noting that the most expensive schools have the largest endowments and offer the most financial aid. When you subtract the average need-based grant from the most expensive schools, CMU is actually competitive with most of the cheaper schools. CMU, NYU, BU, and Emerson are among the top fifty schools in amounts of financial aid. I don't know how the financial crisis affects these statistics, though. Maybe more future aid will be in the form of loans.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>theater mom, I cannot speak with any authority about the others but NYU should not be included in any list of schools with large amounts of financial aid. NYU, and Tisch in particular, are very well known for not meeting 100% of need and for often being very stingy when it comes to financial aid. The average financial aid award at NYU is ~$20,000 and the annual costs for Tisch are in the $50,000 range. Many kids get less than that average award and most packages consist heavily of loans, not grants. Do some kids get a good amount of $$? Sure, but far more do not, so it should not be counted on.</p>

<p>Thanks, ALWAYSAMOM. I took my info from a "Best Value for the Money" list of colleges in a money magazine. When I took another look, I realized they had accessed the value of the colleges by various means (teacher-to-student ratios, retention rate, etc.) and then compared these to the cost adjusted by the average grant. In other words, they tried to do my thinking for me and never told me what I want to know — which colleges are most likely to give financial aid. Thanks for some real info.</p>

<p>Just wanted to note something for future stage management applicants. UMich's BFA Design and Production program, from what I learned from my interview, is HEAVY in the Design part. There is also a Bachelor of Theatre Arts degree, where you can still study stage management while cutting down on the drawing/design requirements of the Design&Production degree. Just something to consider when applying.</p>

<p>However, the professor/interviewer was extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and the program sounds absolutely fantastic. I might choose Michigan simply because of the kindness and enthusiasm displayed by my interviewer, in addition to the amazing program and the school spirit.</p>

<p>Just wondering if others have heard yet from Tech programs? DS interviewed with CCM in January and UConn and Rutgers in Feb. Got a yes from Rutgers but wondering about others???</p>

<p>I've been accepted to 3 so far. I haven't heard from the others. I didn't apply to the three you mentioned. Congrats on Rutgers</p>

<p>BURGER&FRIES: Where did you apply?</p>

<p>Hope you don't mind my asking instead of answering a question! Our junior will apply to CCM next year, interested in lighting tech - could you tell me a little about the interview? What area was he interviewing for? And congrats on Rutgers!</p>

<p>Accept at UMich - Drama - BFA Design and Production program! Stoked!!</p>

<p>My D just got acceptance letter for CMU Pre-College for Drama-Design/PTM! Is anybody else on CC going to CMU Pre-College this summer? And where do I find that great, long list of everything to bring from (I think) 4 years ago??</p>

<p>I have been lurking on this board for a few months, my daughter is a sophomore in HS so we're just beginning. CMU is among her wish list schools. I can't wait to hear how the summer goes because my daughter may look into it for summer '10. She really thinks she wants to do sound design and technology. Thanks to everyone for all of the great info -- it is so helpful.</p>

<p>We are working on my daughter's class schedule for her junior year in HS. She has an opportunity to do a lot of crew work in her area (sound) with groups other than her high school next year. It will give her the chance to work with better designers and equipment in much better venues. She is trying to decide how many AP classes to take next year as a junior. Should she keep he schedule at school a little easier so she has time to gain as much practical experience as possible? Any input would be appreciated -- thanks in advance.</p>

<p>The heart of the question is -- do the AP courses matter at all in the interview/admission process at these top tier tech schools or should she focus on getting some good, solid, practical experience. Thanks again.</p>

<p>One of my kids is a lighting design major at SUNY Purchase. He came in with a lot of AP credits and MANY hours of pro experience behind him (he stopped doing work for his school junior year and began interning at a local Equity theater, working his way up from "grunt" to designer). The AP credits were helpful because they exempted him from most of his general education requirements (even though Purchase has an intense BFA program, the kids are required to meet a few gen ed requirements, although the theater majors usually take special gen ed classes geared toward the major i.e. history course related to theater).</p>

<p>However, I don't think the AP courses had any impact on his acceptance (nor, most likely, did his SAT scores). By far, the most important factor is the resume and portfolio. If you feel it has to be "one or the other," I'd definitely recommend devoting more time toward developing a resume and a portfolio.</p>

<p>That said, it's important to realize (how do I say this delicately?) that the academic standards for admission to non-theater programs at Purchase are much lower than the academic standards for admission to non-theater programs at such schools as CMU. One of my son's friends majored in lighting design at CMU, and while she didn't have the stellar scores (both SAT and grades) that would have been required for someone applying to CMU for computer science, they still were above-average. Would she have gotten in without any AP credits and with lower scores? I don't know....</p>

<p>Hope this is somewhat helpful!</p>

<p>Thanks momof3 -- your input is very helpful. It confirms what I suspected with respect to admission but I hadn't given much thought to getting exemptions from gen ed rgmts once she gets in! (Classic, right? So much analysis going into HOW to get in without much thought as to what happens once she gets in.) I so appreciate your help -- strangely enough, she is the one pushing to do 4 AP classes in her junior year and we think she's crazy. I would love any more advice/input anyone might have regarding her eventual goal of getting into a great program -- she loves and is driven by "sound" -- kind of specialized, I know.</p>

<p>She may want to contact the schools directly. Academic rigor of HS coursework will impact admissions decisions at each school differently. Some schools test academic admissions equally to artistic admissions - for example NYU - other schools weight the artistic portfolio much more strongly than the academic backgroud - for example CMU.</p>

<p>Thanks KatMT - that's a good suggestion -- I'll have her make a few calls to her true wish list schools just to get a sense of what they look for. I appreciate the help.</p>