<p>My daughter is very excited about Wesleyan. But, now decision time. She plans on majoring in theater and her other top choice is Tufts. Can anyone give us feedback on the theater program at Wesleyan? And info on other theater opportunities outside the classroom? Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi, Gonzo14! One of the reasons my S was drawn to Wes is the strong theater program–he has been heavily involved in theater for many years.</p>
<p>Besides the formal theater major, Wes has many other theater opptys, including the student-run Second Stage, and comedy and improv groups. One of the major things that impressed my S about Wesleyan was not just the theater program and extracurriculars offered, but also how integral theater, music, film, and performing arts are to the Wes community as a whole. If you read the student-run Wesleying blog, you’ll get a good feel for how much is offered.</p>
<p>Will bump my own thread.
Thank you GreatKidsMom. Went to WesFest. The Second Stage kids were great! So enthusiastic! So much opportunity to act, direct, etc. So impressed! We love Wes!</p>
<p>Glad to hear it! Wish we could have gone to WesFest but we could not due to distance and certain local commitments.</p>
<p>So…is gonzo14 D going to Wesleyan then?</p>
<p>^Go to Wes…duh!</p>
<p>GreatKidsMom,
She is going to Wes. We are all very excited!</p>
<p>How exciting; looks like your D and my S will cross paths next year!</p>
<p>I graduated from Wes in the '90s and was a member of Second Stage–it was the best possible preparation for the career I wanted. I loved that theater was something that lots of kids participated in, not just the theater majors. As you probably know, Second Stage is where the Broadway musical ‘In the Heights’ got started, and a kid from my playwrighting class is now in charge of ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ That stuff is basically silly fun for trivia’s sake. What matters to me is that even though most of my fellow theater majors never became household names, most went on to have impressive careers and to make art that they were passionate about, and that’s definitely something that was instilled in us by the department. I went on to become a theater director, and one of my favorite young actors is currently a senior at Wes, and you guessed it: he’s on Second Stage. Best wishes to both of you, you’ve got a great 4 years ahead!</p>
<p>Planning on majoring in Theatre at Wesleyan as well!</p>