<p>i got into suny! i got the call and im sooo happy!</p>
<p>SUNY Purchase?--or another campus?</p>
<p>Congrats!!!!</p>
<p>Congratulations, moviebuff. Is that where you'd like to go?</p>
<p>My S just got into U of Texas - Austin BA in Theater program! He's got real choices now. 8 more left to hear from.</p>
<p>Does anyone out there have a basis to compare U of Wisconsin-Madison's BA in acting with that of U of TExas? Any information is welcome.</p>
<p>Brian: I hadn't looked at the site in awhile. Am delighted to learn your health is good. The rest of it is meaningless by comparison.</p>
<p>Your S sounds intense, but like he's a real artist. I wish my S cared half as much about anything. I hope he'll find himself in college.</p>
<p>SUNY Purchase is a top 3 most def... I would love to go either there or NCSA (where Im currently at for High School)</p>
<p>Congratulations on the SUNY Purchase acceptance! Wonderful accomplishment!~</p>
<p>congrats moviebuff on your acceptance. when did you audition?</p>
<p>february 4th</p>
<p>moviebuff2012, did you audition at Purchase itself? I am guessing so. Congrats! That's wonderful. I don't have to tell you it's a fabulous school.</p>
<p>I'm amazed at the wealth of information I've found in this forum. I have a S who is interested in theatre technology/design and hope some of you might have some advice for us. Specifically, I'm wondering:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do schools with good acting programs generally have good tech programs? I often hear that a school is "great for theatre", but don't know if that usually just means performance or if it includes other specializations.</p></li>
<li><p>For a theatre tech major, is the experience and education going to be different in a program that is straight acting, versus a school with an MT program?</p></li>
<li><p>What about BA programs as opposed to BFA? I've read the pros and cons for acting, but do people have different opinions when it comes to theatre technology.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>i actually auditioned at the chicago unifieds... im still in shock seeing as how i did the audition less than 45 minutes after getting into chicago.</p>
<p>i still need to wait on 3 more schools before making a solid decision.</p>
<p>SoundMom:</p>
<p>Very good questions. Here are some answers:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Yes, schools with good acting programs generally have good design/technology programs. It is not an absolute rule--you must do your homework--but it's a good place to begin. Acting faculty want their students working with high quality designs. Design/Tech faculty want their students working with high quality acting. If the school has the financial resources, good acting and good design/technology tend to be found together.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, it's going to be a different experience for a design/tech major in a school with a musical theatre program. It's not the norm for "straight" plays to employ mechanized scene-shifting devices, multiple quick costume changes, highly complex lighting plots or body microphones, not to mention mixing singers and an orchestra. So if your son is interested in sound design, including what we call "reinforcement", he should be looking at schools that do musicals on a regular basis. Some Acting programs do.</p></li>
<li><p>It's difficult for me to conceive of a BA program in Design/Technology, unless it's a "virtual BFA", i.e. essentially a BFA degree in a school that only offers the BA degree. I think that liberal arts are an essential part of a college education for everyone, including technicians, but design/technology requires many different skill sets or deep experience in one skill set. It takes a BFA degree to be able to do that, in my opinion.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>And that may be the more critical question. Does he want a broad experience in design/technology where he learns stagecraft, sound technology, lighting technology, costume crafts, make-up, scene painting, welding, props, AutoCad, as well as lighting, scenery, costume and sound design? Or does he want to specialize now in sound design? There are excellent BFA programs that take both approaches.</p>
<p>The other critical question to ask is, "What do undergraduates get to do?" At some schools with MFA programs, the graduate students get all the plum assignments. But this isn't always the case. </p>
<p>Hope this helps. Best wishes on your journey. Luckily for you, your son has chosen a path with a relatively certain financial future. Most schools with good BFA Design/Technology programs can happily claim a 100% placement rate for their graduates.</p>
<p>Thank you for your help - this gives us a lot to think about.</p>
<p>Just a note of thanks to all the CC posters for your insights and many helpful tips and a note of encouragement to those who wonder if there are ever second chances. The answer is yes, sometimes there are.</p>
<p>My daughter is the Minnesota BA freshman who did NOT get called back to the Guthrie (the only program she auditioned for) last year. It was a huge blow, but also a growth experience and a chance to re-examine her own goals. She decided to re-audition for the Guthrie this year, and also to go to Unifieds (Sunday in New York, then Monday in Chicago the travel contortions were due to her rehearsal schedule for a current show). She auditioned for 7 schools at Unifieds, 4 pre-scheduled plus 3 walk-ins. Shes accepted at Cornish and Point Park, and is waiting to hear from the others. Meantime, she has also been invited to callback weekend at the Guthrie.</p>
<p>We are now scrambling to arrange trips to Seattle and Pittsburgh, and wondering what else might be in store. No matter what happens after this, she is delighted to have viable choices for next year, and VERY glad not to have given up after last years disappointment.</p>
<p>We've experienced the very real heartbreak of NOT getting into a program. But doors that seem closed may open again and there are always other doors. My daughter is beautiful and talented, but its her determination that has brought her back to this point. So to all students and parents out there, waiting for letters to arrive hang in there it can happen!</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone, and thanks again!</p>
<p>I found this page a while ago, and it seems to me I could use some help from you guys. Here's my story:</p>
<p>I live in Santiago, Chile. About 5 years ago, I started studying engineering in the best college we have. I still have one year to go, but to tell the truth, I'm not that excited about engineering anymore. I'm really getting into the idea of studying something in the field of theatre.
I've been involved in the acting world for about 7 years, participating in various plays presented to big audiences, and in a couple of workshops as well. So I've decided to give theatre as a career a shot, since I love it so much. And in the worst case scenario, I'll still have my engineering diploma, right?</p>
<p>So here's the deal: I'd like to start some kind of program after I finish my degree, and I was wondering which kind suits me best: a BFA, a Master in Fine Arts, or something in between. My plan is to study away from my country (our theatre...sucks), possibly in the US or England (I'm very profficient in both english and spanish). Since I've already studied for 5 years with one to go, and since I'm already 23, I'd like to enroll in a program no longer than 3 years. I'm very interested in most kinds of theatre, but the one I enjoy the most would be musical theatre. I know it's a hard road, but I'm willing to take the chance and live the dream, and at the very least, get involved in the business and work as an engineer in there. </p>
<p>So, what would you reccomend? Any suggestions on where, what and how to study would be helpful, cause there's just so much information and possibilities that I'm afraid I'm gonna need help.</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post, and please tell me if my reply doesn't belong in this forum.</p>
<p>Will you graduate with a Bachelor's degree from the engineering college? If so, you may want to consider pursuing a certificate in acting from a conservatory or an MFA, rather than another bachelor's degree.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you!! :)</p>
<p>If I am accepted to a school, but for admittance to the theater department I have to send in a tape, is it worth the trouble of taping/sending if I really don't think I will end up at said school?</p>
<p>How strongly do you feel that you will not go to this school? </p>
<p>If you have acceptances in hand from schools that you are certain you would rather attend I would not go through the trouble of sending a tape. </p>
<p>If you are still waiting to hear from first choice schools, and there is a chance that you will end up at this school and want to make sure you can be a theatre major, I would suggest sending the tape.</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK!!</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice Kat. I have been accepted to other BA programs so I don't think I'll send the tape in, although I'm still waiting for my top picks... mid-March seems so far away!!</p>
<p>mid-March will be here before you know it -- hey.... it is already the last day of February :)!!! Hang in there!</p>
<p>Celebration!! </p>
<p>D. just received acceptance to LIPA. Three acceptances, 7 to hear from and one more audition!</p>