The Class of 2024 -- Sharing, venting, discussing! MT

College Majors Musical Theater Major
2021

@Jpkcmo I very much agree with your well written post #2010! As a college counselor, I emphasize this to those who want to go into this field. It really helps to have an assessment by someone who has worked with those who have entered BFA programs and/or for the student to have obtained benchmarks beyond the school or local level in a broader talent pool. I try to get families to do this.

As nerve-racking as this BFA admissions process is (and it indeed is!!), as a parent of a kid applying to BFA in MT programs, I felt my D had attained enough benchmarks beyond our little rural town to know she was competitive enough to get in somewhere. I didn’t know where she would get in or how many programs would accept her, but I felt pretty confident she was going to get into at least ONE program, and not because I am her mom but based on the benchmarks I had to go by. Without that, it would be hard to evaluate the potential to be admitted to such programs.

2022

I really think people need to take career advice on these boards with a grain of salt. I have been working in theatre for 30 years, and would not give some of the advice I have seen on these boards.

My D has received much recognition for her performances in musical theatre (and we are in a HUGE market), but here’s the deal…she would still be the same performer she is even if she had NOT received recognition. Recognition is NEVER something to go after, or use to make yourself feel better about your talent. It is a nice pat on the back, but other than that it means NOTHING!!! Don’t get me wrong, she is thankful to be recognized, but she refuses to allow recognition or lack of recognition to have any effect on her self-esteem, or aspirations. I would hate for anyone to think, “Well, I have not been recognized, therefore I am not good enough.”

And, even in spite of her recognitions, she has gotten TONS of rejections! So many in fact that we laugh about them now…it really is all we can do.

I spent many years as the artistic director of a children’s theatre. I have seen kids I totally expected to do great go on to Broadway, television, and film. I have seen kids I expected to be professionals decide they really just want to be stay-at-home moms, or pursue careers outside of theatre.

I have seen kids that I thought would NEVER pursue this with any success find their way and continue to thrive in ways I would not have thought. It is not for me or any other professional to gauge the future success of a child who wants to pursue theatre. Theatre is an ever-changing medium that exists because of the creativity of new ideas.

Fifty years ago, my D who is a triple-threat, blonde soprano would be getting offers from everywhere, but the reality is, contemporary playrights are not writing R&H musicals these days. New plays will often have ENTIRE CASTS of belters. Embracing diversity also means that you no longer have to be the tiny blonde princess to be considered the ingenue, and theatres are desperately trying to find ways to cast POC in roles that normally go to traditional white ingenues. The down side of this trend is that while girls often look dramatically different from one another on stage, they often sound very much alike. As a theatre historian, I personally hope that trend does not continue. I like hearing shows where some roles are sopranos and some are belters. And, I do believe it is a trend. Unfortunately for my D, the trend will probably last the next 20 years, unless some creative mind comes along and offers something new and shiny.

Anyway…I totally got off track. My point is: Don’t let anyone dim your star, or tell you that you can or cannot make it in this business. And whatever you do…don’t pay someone to tell you that. Theatre has room for every performer and thought leader who wants to participate.

2023

@cruisemama4 - Thanks for the update! Hope it was good news.

@StanfordAI2019 - You sound like my H. He’s a left brained “Numbers Guy” and you’re both correct that this is an extreme example of the current state of our college education system.

2024

I completely agree with this. Anyone who wants to do theater, CAN do it! There is place for everyone!

But this is not the same as saying everyone who wants to attend a BFA in MT program can do so. Therefore, just like a family might consult a college counselor or guidance counselor to ask their chances to get into Harvard, and receive an assessment of their odds, it can be beneficial to know if you are an appropriate candidate to enter the pool of BFA in MT applicants to CMU. If not, that doesn’t mean the student should not pursue or participate in theater. Perhaps another college is an appropriate option.

2025

@WDWMom – love this. I’m a huge football nut (and Chiefs fan!), and I like to compare everything to sports. Often the kids that are great now, won’t be the ones who are great later. Resolve and hard work and development play a role. For comparison sake, there are roughly 220K senior high school football players in America right now. Every year, the top 100 of them are rated as 4 star or better by governing bodies such as Rivals, ESPN, Scout, and 247 Sports. Of that 100, the Top 30-35 players are rated as 5-star players or better. That’s right. Out of 220K players, only 30 are rated 5 star or better. That’s .001% of all players. Can anyone guess how many former 5 star high school players were on a Super Bowl roster this last year? Only 3! That’s right. Of the 106 roster spots across two Super Bowl teams, there were only 3 players that were considered the ‘best of the best’ when they came out of high school.

Lesson is – who you are today isn’t who you will be tomorrow. you need ability. But ability only takes you so far. It’s those that push, develop, and make no excuses are the ones that make it to the top. Okay, a bit cheesy, but I think I made my point :slight_smile:

2026

My S is a junior in high school so is part of the 2025 group. I have been reading this thread with great interest so I would know what to expect in my year ahead. The total subjectivity involved makes it a frustrating and at times heartbreaking process. The recent comments have reminded me of something and although probably very dad-centric, I want to share it anyway.

About 6 or 7 years ago in a small east Texas town was a kids who was very athletically gifted in multiple sports. He was the quarterback of the football team and amassed amazing statistics. He was a tall kid with a great arm. He should have been highly recruited but had only 3 offers from Texas schools and absolutely no offers from schools outside of Texas. He agreed to play for Texas Tech which was by far his best offer.

He put up amazing numbers at Texas Tech that led the country, but again, only two professional teams thought him worthy of a high draft pick. One of those teams moved up in the draft to get him with the 10th pick. He just finished leading that team, the Kansas City Chiefs, to their first Super Bowl win in 50 years. I am, of course, talking about Patrick Mahomes.

The point of my story is that a great many people that are paid to recognize talent, often times do not. And a tough east Texas kid proved them all wrong through persistence and hard work, all the while maintaining his humility and love of his fellow athletes.

Your kids can do the same. Prove the “experts” wrong.

2027

@AmarilloTX ^^I agree…the lesson is to persist, believe in oneself, and not give up. If you want to pursue something, keep pushing forward. There are many ways to get to the goal.

So, if you don’t get into a BFA in MT program, that doesn’t mean you cannot pursue theater. There are lots of ways to attain the goal, and a BFA program is not the only way. Reaching the goal, however, requires you to have drive and persistence and a strong self-concept. Don’t give up!

2028

I absolutely agree @soozievt There are limited spots in BFA programs. Everyone will not get in. That’s why it’s a great idea to evaluate and apply to programs that are not all reach schools. So many students only want a certain “tier” school. So few spots are available, that isn’t feasible. If you read Playbill bios, you will see a lot of those wonderfully top-tier namebrand schools. But you will also see lesser known schools as well. And some working MT actors who attended schools with no MT program. And it’s okay. Find the place that sees YOU and wants to work with you…and will help you grow. It doesn’t have to be a BFA program. It needs to be somewhere that is excited to partner with you on your journey.

2029

@cruisemama4 when was your Marymount audition?

2030

I guess it’s a darned good thing there are so many other pathways to a successful career than a BFA in MT. :neutral:

2031

Forgot that Marymount notifies applicants on different dates lol. But the fact that he did a “video” audition may be helpful info.

2032

@cruisemama4 that IS helpful! I’ve been waiting for someone with a video audition to the MT program to post about a decision! We didn’t get one today, but hopefully we will soon!

2033

@Dance3Looks3 wrote:

There are indeed other pathways to a career in MT than attending a BFA in MT. Look at any Broadway playbill and many bios are of those who did not attend BFA programs.

2034

@StanfordAI2019 mostly unrelated to this thread at all, but …1)CONGRATS ON YOUR SUPERBOWL VICTORY!!! 2) for the first time in 30 years, I did not host a superbowl party…why?? bc somehow the world of MT thinks that having NY unifieds on NFC/AFC Championship weekend & then Chicago Unifieds on Superbowl weekend is a GOOD IDEA??? so I watched alone in a hotel room at the Palmer house as my daughter was with friends…wheres my pity party LOL…ok, this is the venting thread, right?!?

2035

@NeensMom his audition was scheduled mid December. When he inquired about rescheduling due to conflicts - they said they had no more appointments and said he could submit by video so he did right away. He never got a confirmation that they received it so he followed up mid February. They replied confirming that they got his submission and that he would receive a decision by mid-March. Today he was accepted. I hope this is helpful. Wishing everyone good news!

2036

@WDWMom I am somewhat floored by your reply. I do not want to accept your feedback as a negative, but I am struggling. Yes! Theatre programs are making a conscience effort to cast shows with minorities, and they should! We, minorities, people of color, have lived our entire lives waiting to be cast as an equal, so to think this is a trend is down right insulting. We deserve an opportunity. Yes, your daughter deserves to be cast but to think you or other non-minorities are granting us a 20 year favor is BULL! Our children are equally talented! We need an equal opportunity. How dare you!

2037

@NYYFanNowMTdad @AmarilloTX - thanks! I was actually AT the Super Bowl. Sat behind Logan Paul from YouTube fame. Wife had my D at Chicago Unifieds as well, so we had to hire someone to come watch the kids for a couple of days. Totally worth it. I cried. Even my D Facetimed me after the game, even after he auditions, to say congrats to a long suffering KC boy. Amarillo is right – he was a 3 star athlete in high school. Oops! Wife said she was watching the game at the Palmer lobby too. She screamed with Patrick ran in the first TD. All the theater kids looked at her and were like, ‘what…is a game on?’ Sigh…

2038

@nanamama I don’t think that @WDWMom was stating that more open casting was a trend that should go away in 20 years, but rather every role and every song being belted is a trend. And I agree the belting is over the top and getting annoying to me as an audience member. However, it is also a statistical fact there are more white girls applying than any other demographic, so, logically, there are harder odds, just a math thing. My D and I applaud open casting, BTW. Progress.

2039

@AZperformom I read the post just as you did. Yay to casting people of color, but boo to shows with all belters. (Though my daughter is a belter so I’m enjoying the trend!)

2040

@cruisemama4 interesting. D also submitted a video in December but is still waiting!