Theater/Drama Colleges Part 10

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
121

<p>Wow! Good for you!</p>

<p>You should ask Sporti about Hartt because she is going there next year. She is a smart kid and I doubt would apply if it was not at least very good. She is going for MT. I have never heard anyone speak of thier straight theater. SMU has an excellent reputation. The only negatives I have heard of them that I have not verified so you might want to check it out is. 1)There has been a high amount of faculty turnover which is not a good sign. 2) That the student body tends to be from wealthy families and there is an attitude to go with that. Again, check that out for yourself to see if its true.</p>

<p>RSAMD; if I am not mistaken they are ranked top 3 or 4 schools in England/Scottland. If so, I would think the training would be excellent. I would take a good look at how exactly the program is structured. Thats what I know.</p>

122

<p>You may also want to compare CCM with Tisch in relation to their planned cuts. As I recall, CCM plans to cut a good number of their freshmen. I don't rembember anyone saying that of Tisch.</p>

123

<p>I'd appreciate opinions on summer theater programs. </p>

<p>My D is going to BU's five week Summer Theater Institute in July. The curriculum appears intensive, and rising seniors can audition at the end for ED consideration. (A similar program is offered at Tisch, and an acquaintance who's there claims that attending their summer program got him into Tisch. He says it indicates that the student is serious enough to give up half their summer, and that schools look favorably on this.) At the very least, it earns her 4 credits if she ends up at BU.</p>

<p>Has anyone participated in these summer intensives, and do they make a big difference? She's been acting since she was very young in community theater, so she's not doing it to 'do theater' but to see if she's got what it takes to pursue an acting BFA in college. (She will be a junior this fall so has some time yet.)</p>

124

<p>My D went to three different theater summer camps and they were all worth doing. One thing it does is give the students a flavor for what conservatory life is like. Maybe not the same intensity but a flavor just the same. </p>

<p>I would think that for someone who attends and arts HS or <em>has been working in community theater since she was very young</em> they would be less valuable. Maybe even not worth thier time. But for the average student with passion for theater who wants to see how far they can go I think they are good confidence and skill builders. </p>

<p>The ancilary benefits would be that some kids benefit from being thrown into a place that they know pretty much nobody, there are people from all over the country and you develop friendships with strangers. Especially the higher you go in this field it is a pretty small world. So, at the unifieds D met up with several kids she met at summer programs.</p>

125

<p>Just general info, for people still looking for a school, Drew University has an amazing drama program with tons of opportunities to perform. they may be rolling admissions, too.
On the summer programs, my d went to 3 and had the time of her life at all of them!</p>

126

<p>Anyone get into CMU Drama?</p>

127

<p>Hi everyone! Please help me with these two questions:
1) Does anyone know anything about atlantic theater company at nyu/tisch? My daughter has been admitted there and I have not heard much about it. I read their website but that was not real helpful, a bit vague. Does anyone have a S/D who goes there? Please tell me both the good and bad.
2) My daughter was also admitted to Emerson(BA), CalArts, and USC (BA). No scholarship except at Emerson. Also admitted to UC berkeley. She is trying to decide between NYU which has always been her dream school and Emerson, CalArts and UC berkeley(which she would then follow up with an MFA.) Any thoughts? I am actually more stressed now than I was before! I'm not complaining though, it's good to have choices, just confusing!</p>

128

<p>Question for miahana:</p>

<p>When did you find out what studio your D got into? For me that will be a big part of my descision process.</p>

<p>ElliottsMom:</p>

<p>Thank you for the input. The cut programs dont really bother me, I was wondering though if you have heard anything particularly bad or good about CCM Drama? I know that CCM is among the top MT schools in the nation, but I have yet to hear anything about CCM Drama other than from their website.</p>

129

<p>Dear AKactor: My Daughter just got the letter yesterday(4-3-07). She is in North Carolina. Mail delivery will probably arrive later to Alaska. Best of luck!</p>

130

<p>Info culled from several sources - the third paragraph and beyond is what you'll want to know, followed by my own limited knowledge...</p>

<hr>

<p>Atlantic Theater Company is an award-winning Off Broadway theater troupe utilizing the ensemble approach. Since its inception in 1982, the company has produced more than 100 plays, including the Tony Award-winning production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh; the Kennedy Center Award-winning The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite by Quincy Long; the acclaimed revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo and Woody Allen's Writer's Block.</p>

<p>The company operates two theaters. The largest, in the Chelsea district of Manhattan, is a mid-sized thrust-stage housed in a Gothic Revival-style building. The second is a small black box space that functions as both a laboratory for experimental offerings and a place to cultivate a new generation of American theater artists. Over the years the company has garnered awards such as Obies, Tonys, Lucille Lortels, Drama Desks and Audelcos.</p>

<p>But producing plays, however, constitutes only one aspect of the company's mission. The other is carried out by the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, which operates both as a private conservatory and an undergraduate program in conjunction with New York University's Drama Department. The school focuses on the Practical Aesthetics acting technique which grew out of a series of the summer workshops given in Vermont by playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy in 1983.</p>

<p>It promotes an acting technique based on straightforwardness and plain talk, which has been much promoted by David Mamet and his circle of actors.</p>

<p>Prominent actors trained in the Atlantic Theater Company include Felicity Huffman, Jessica Alba, Heather Burns, Rose Byrne, Eddie Cahill, Peter Facinelli, Matthew Fox, Bryan Greenberg, Clark Gregg, Kristen Johnston, Joey Kern, Camryn Manheim, Matt McGrath, Jesse Merz, Jason Ritter, Skeet Ulrich, and many more.</p>

<hr>

<p>I know a student there who feels it has really changed his approach to acting. He was very into MT before, but now he talks about his art and craft. Google Practical Aesthetics and Mamet and you'll get more info. (Atlantic is also behind the latest Broadway hit, "Spring Awakening.")</p>

<p>Each of the studios has a different approach. Personally, I'm torn between Atlantic and Stella Adler, as is my D who is starting the search. </p>

<p>LOTS of info at their website about the school: <a href="http://www.atlantictheater.com/School/about.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.atlantictheater.com/School/about.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

131

<p>My daughter got her NYU studio letter yestereday too - Playwrights Horizons.</p>

132

<p>Dear Fluxus:
I was under the impression that you have to accept the studio assignment. Not that I'm worried because I did look at the ATC website and googled Mamet last night after I sent I posted. The studio seems really good. My daughter is attending Saturday at the Square and is going early so that she can attend their classes. My understanding is that once you apply and are admitted to a particular studio, they let you attend class so you can see what it is like. This has to be by prior arrangement. My D called today and they were very cordial and helpful to her, she was very impressed. She has also researched them and says she's very pleased. I just wondered if others knew more. Thank You so much for your kind reply. Is your D a junior in HS? Best of luck to her.</p>

133

<p>No, I don't know anything about CCM drama. My S didn't want a conservatory, so we didn't do much looking at CCM. What I heard is from the MT thread. I would presume that a top notch MT school would also have a good drama program. </p>

<p>I'm curious as to why you say the cut programs don't bother you. Do you feel not vulnerable to the cut? We've had several kids on CC who were cut, generally late in the year, who found themselves without a college-home and with no time to audition for other schools. We're talking about planned cuts, or culling of the class size, not cuts due to poor performance. I can understand applicants who have a dream school with a significant cut policy and choose to take their chances there (and work very hard of course). I find it harder to understand why someone would choose a cut school over a non-cut school when the applicant has them ranked fairly equally in his/her mind.</p>

<p>I'm certainly not asking for you to justify your position . . . I just don't get it (then I'm not much of a risk-taker).</p>

134

<p>This is what I heard from the student at ATC - again, this is hearsay but he told us that he was accepted at CAP21 - the same program he'd taken the summer program at - but that once he was faced with the decision he preferred ATC - he says he sat down with NYU faculty/staff and they agreed to move him over to ATC. Take this with a grain of salt, as this is third-hand information.</p>

135

<p>Dear Fluxus I just noticed your post about summer programs. NCSA has a very good summer program as well. My D did not do that one, but does currently attend NCSA HIGH SCHOOL for their senior year only drama program. The training has been fabulous, but not for the weak of heart. It is intensive, long hours, but taught very well and by kind teachers who are active in the field. It has not only been very good on the craft, but has also helped D further refine and understand what SHE hopes to do in the field and to accurately know if she has the stamina, focus, and passion to commit to it. This conservatory is just like being in a first year college program. I don't know that much about the summer program. You can go on the NCSA website and find out much more. Application review started in February, but I think there is still space. The summer program does not require audition(I don't think). It is a residential program. You should however, look for local programs, I know many medium and big cities have good day programs sometimes university based, sometimes regional theatre based. eg.San Diego Old globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Pasadena playhouse, UCLA, USC, NYU, Many others. I believe that the musical theatre CC thread has info summer programs. It probably does help with admissions to go to NYU's--though I have not evidence of that, except posts I've read here. Hope that helps.</p>

136

<p>miahana, your daughter has some great schools to choose from. I just want to put in my two cents about UC Berkeley. I was an anthropology student there when I met my husband, who was in the PhD program in drama. He called the department (both graduate and undergrad) the unwanted stepchild of the university and thoroughly regretted his decision to attend. He finally quit and we opened our own equity waiver theater. The college terminated the doctoral program, and maybe the whole graduate section, not long after that. This was in the mid-1980s, so things may have improved... Berkeley is a fantastic school (one of my sons is a freshman there now studying astrophysics and he loves it) but I don't think it's a top choice for theater.</p>

137

<p>Perhaps someone can advise me. My son was rejected everywhere he applied (it's been a bummer of a week) except UMinn/Guthrie, where he is waitlisted, and NCSA, which he hasn't heard from. I keep seeing posts from people who found out weeks ago that they were admitted to NCSA so I guess we're just waiting for the thin envelope there, too. So... Cornish in Seattle has rolling admissions and are still taking applicants, but I never see that school mentioned here. Does anyone have anything to say about them? Where else can he look (he's only interested in a BFA)? Or is it time for a gap year?</p>

138

<p>3incollege: I think that we have comminicated before. My S is only a HS Junior and wants to go BFA. So we plan to include a number of safeties that I have received decent feedback on and may still be potentials for you: Drake, Marietta, Viterbro - you might also look at Auburn Univ., and West Virginia University (cheap. very high admissions rate, and no audition required unless applying for scholarship. Some of my info. may be inaccurate, as I am basing it on the websites of these institutions.</p>

139

<p>Miahana....hopefully AlwaysAMom will see your post but if not, try to contact her as her D is a senior in Atlantic.</p>

140

<p>Also consider Milikin to add to Brian's list.</p>

<p>Our family has personally visited Marietta and met with the theatre director. If you're interested in our impressions, send me a PM</p>