<p>Once again you are very helpful. Yes, this endeavor is all hers as was her undergraduate admissions. I just want to be on the same page as she is. This is something I have no clue about and can’t even be a good sounding board for her. As far as I know, the training would be redundant, so why would the MFA programs want a BFA? But by the same token, if a BFA wanted to be able to teach, a MFA is needed. Seems like a vicious cycle to me.</p>
<p>Like many of the parents here, I feel it is good to read these posts, gain information and bring it up as food for thought. However, this is her path and of course she will do it on her own.</p>
<p>Hello everybody, this is quite a thread you have going here.</p>
<p>I have two questions one directly related to this topic and one that is mostly related to this topic.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I understand the difference between B.A. and B.F.A and am much more interested in B.F.A. But what is an M.F.A?</p></li>
<li><p>I love theatre and want to be in theatre and want to go to a theatre school but I also would like to be in film. I know it might be a long reach, but, I yes, like many want to be a film actor; one of the greats. Should I then go to a film college or stick with a theatre college?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Xewyne,
Yes. It is possible to do a BA in Drama and follow it up with an MFA in Directing. Just make sure you pick a school where you will get a solid grounding in all areas of theate and will have a lot of opportunities to direct. </p>
<p>ThtrGeek,
An MFA is a Master of Fine Arts degree and it is professional training on the graduate level as opposed to a BFA which is done as an undergraduate. Masters vs. Bachelors …</p>
<ol>
<li> That depends on who you are and what your current level of training is. Film is more of a director’s art, but my own observation is that the film actors I consider to be great - i.e. they always seem to bring something fresh and unique to each role no matter the quality of the overall film - tend to have a good bit of formal classical stage training under their belts. Of course, there are exceptions, but I think you’ll find that many of those have still received a good bit of stage-based training in professional studios and through working with private coaches, etc. … often pieced together over many, many years. Also remember that for every film “star,” there are many more who also make their living in TV and Film though their names aren’t recognizable to the general public. I’m sure there are exceptions here, too, but my understanding is that many of the commercial casting people prefer to use trained actors for those roles because it saves time and money. They have enough on-set technical issues that they can’t wait around for a talented, but green and untrained actor to get his/her stuff together. They need you to nail it the first time and consistently nail it as many times thereafter and in as many different ways as the director desires. That takes technique that usually only comes from proper training.</li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for your advice! I’m interested in an NYU bachelor’s degree, and in terms of opportunities it looks like they’ve got quite a lot. 5 Mainstage productions, 4 studio productions, student-initiated extracurricular productions and many small one-act directing/design projects. I tried to find out if undergraduates get roles in e.g. Mainstage productions, but can’t really find any clues. Is there anywhere I could search to find out more about opportunities to be onstage/involved?</p>
<p>Also: sorry if I sound really dumb, but is it really important to get a master’s? I mean what does it affect? (Okay if you want to teach you’ll be qualified, but production-wise, will it get you better opportunities / higher pay, or is it purely for the training?)</p>
<p>I have a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance (from a university where we took the same acting classes as the BFA actors), and an MFA in directing – so in my case the MFA was in a different area, so the training was not redundant although sme of the same material was covered in classes – I took directing in my undergrad BFA program, theatre history, dramatic criticism (and of course acting, musical theatre, and dance classes) – but taking some of those courses again on the graduate level did not feel redundant because I came to them with a greater level of life experience (I took 6 years between finishing undergrad and starting grad school). </p>
<p>I have friends who received BFA degrees in Musical Theatre Performance or Acting who then went on to pursue an MFA degree in Acting after a few years working in the business. I do not believe that they found this to be redundant either. Performers continue to train throughout their lives, many times they are “studying” the same basic material or methods – but because we are all are constantly changing and evolving as people, they bring something different to the work, and get something different out of the work. Also – different teachers will specialize in different areas and skill sets,so they are able to help the actors discover different aspects of themselves and their work… </p>
<p>I think that many find that MFA training is a VERY different experience than their BFA training, and worth the time for those who CHOOSE to follow this path. Unless college teaching is in a students future an MFA is certainly not necessary. It is all an individual choice. </p>
<p>Xewyn,
Does NYU have a BA I haven’t heard about or are you talking a BFA at Tisch? I understand the Playwrights Horizons studio is good if you want to pursue directing. Also look into the BFA in Theatre Studies at SMU and the BS Generalist track at U. Evansville. I understand those to be very good for that as well. </p>
<p>As far as the background and education for the directing career path, I’m sure there are others who could tell you a lot more than me and I’m eager to see what they have to say. The one’s I’ve worked with thus far were mostly actors first with the exception of one playwright, but it seems to me that they can come from as many or more backgrounds than do actors. As I said, if and when I decide to go for an MFA in Directing, it will be when I’m much older and have (hopefully) worked with a lot of different directors in a lot of different venues and had the opportunity to observe their processes and pick their brains when appropriate, so it will be more of a teaching qualification for me.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your response. It certainly makes sense that the MFA would offer different skills sets - again that would be something else my D would need to research and give serious consideration.</p>
<p>Again, this whole process is so beyond me. It is certainly something she wants to persue and just judging by the admit rates, it may take a while before she actually gets into a program - which would be to her advantage. I am beginning to think the more life experience she has going into a program the more she will get out of it.</p>
<p>klri – I now do teach in a college program, and I suggest to many of my students that they may want to take at least one year out of school before applying to MFA or Phd programs. We do have a few students who go right to an MFA program, but more of them take a few years – it seems to help them have a clearer sense of what they are looking for, and in the case of programs where you get paid assistantships (tuition remissions, and a stipend in exchange for performing a service to the university – often teaching or acting as a teaching assistant for undergraduate courses), it can help make an applicant more competitive for those programs.</p>
<p>Hi all, this thread is excellent, but i have a question:</p>
<p>im am going to be a senior in hs and am currently working on my portfolio. im applying to carnegie, webster, il state, depaul, and northwestern for directing.</p>
<p>i have pics from all the shows ive done and a production book from a show i stage managed, and am planning to design a set for the seagull and put that in</p>
<p>but does anyone have any suggestions for anything else i could put in my portfolio??</p>
<p>Just a note about the option at NCSA since it was mentioned … To get into that one, you first must have “the equivalent” of two years in the acting program, be admitted into the program at the Dean’s discretion, and it prepares you for graduate studies in directing. [Gerald</a> Freedman](<a href=“http://ncarts.edu/drama/faculty1.htm]Gerald”>http://ncarts.edu/drama/faculty1.htm) would have to be a rocking mentor in that arena …</p>
<p>Facepalm@self! My mistake; BFA Drama at Tisch, yes. HMM I’m going to have to understand the curriculum, then start comparing soon. Thanks loads for the help :D</p>
<p>Also just wondering, is the drama programme at Cornell good o.O</p>
<p>Alright so I am going to be a high school senior this coming year and I am feeling a lot of pressure when it comes to narrowing down my college choices. I have a few questions and concerns and I would really appreciate help!</p>
<p>I am, and always have been, very passionate about acting and have performed, and gotten leads in many shows throughout my high school years. But I also have passion for fine arts in the realm of painting, drawing, ceramics and so on So ideally I want to double major in theater and another art form that I mentioned above. But as I started looking into theater schools or conservatories none really had art programs and the same could be said for art and design schools: none of them really had theater/ performing arts programs either. So as you can see I have a dilemma. I thought about maybe just going to a larger university that would have both; but often at the larger universities the theater and acting facets are completely different colleges. So I dont know what to do. Here are my questions </p>
<p>Is it even possible for one to double major in theater and another art form?<br>
If so (which I am really hoping!) what schools would you recommend?</p>
<p>It is possible at some schools to double major in theatre and another visual art form… that may be more difficult to do at a schools where the school is more conservatory based in theatre and purely studio based in art. Have you thought about looking for BA schools that have both a strong theatre and art program… preferably with opportunities for undergraduate students to lean scenic art and scenic design skills?</p>
<p>Yeah KatMT, i have thought about that and it would be a certainly be a good and interesting route to go in. My only concern, as would be expected, is getting the best education in both the theater and the art categories. And I’m not sure what schools are known for both…?
I’m just afraid that if I end up at a more art and design oriented school my theater instruction will be compromised and vice versa.</p>
<p>Hello all,
I am new, I have read most all the pages, and I have many questions. This coming fall I will be entering my senior year, and like all of you, I share the love of theater. I began doing shows at my high school in my Sophomore year, and have done over a dozen since then. I hope to enter into a B.F.A program. My list includes U of M Guthrie, Boston University, Emerson, SUNY Purchase, and possibly Juilliard. Compared to many, that is a very small list.(should i add more?) Also, all of those schools are quite tricky to get into. However, my biggest concern is that of money.
With currently divorcing parents, I am left with very very little money for college. I know it is crazy to dream about getting into these conservatories, and I know it is wild to dream about making large amounts of money in this profession, but to achieve happiness you shouldn’t settle. Now, I am worried about coming out of college with large debts, and just now reading over the sentence before, it seems I answered my question, but it is hard because it’s all hypothetical. Is it worth it going to those extremely expensive conservatories such as Boston U? Going to U of M (my state school and city), and SUNY Purchase, maybe even Rutgers, all seems great because I will come out with little debt. I’m just a little worried.
Thanks!</p>
<p>It seems to me that you should apply to “match” and “reach” schools–in terms of both academic/artistic considerations and in terms of financial considerations. You need to get in somewhere, first. You never know what the programs will offer you in terms of scholarships, and we’ve heard of kids receiving “full rides” on some occasions (and at well-respected programs like CMU).</p>
<p>I think you already know that your list is too short. Most students described on this board applied to between 8 and 14 schools last year. My own son applied to 11, all acting BFAs.</p>
<p>Consider adding NCSA to your list–great reputation, low cost. Check out CCMs Dramatic Performance BFA (the website is great!)–if your academic stats are good, you can get a fair amount of tuition covered. Point Park is another program that offers large talent scholarships plus large academic scholarships. Several students who posted last year received “full tuition” packages from Point Park University.</p>
<p>andallthatjazz, your like me. I’m a junior this 09-10 school year and I also have been looking for colleges. Mine are:</p>
<p>NCSA, Mason Gross school of the Arts, and The American musical and dramatic academy. I’m still trying to look for more though. My MAIN problem is that fact that I find everything so frustatrating and hard. How did some of you (who went through the proccess) deal with flying and applying, etc?</p>
The one’s I’ve worked with thus far were mostly actors first with the exception of one playwright, but it seems to me that they can come from as many or more backgrounds than do actors. As I said, if and when I decide to go for an MFA in Directing, it will be when I’m much older and have (hopefully) worked with a lot of different directors in a lot of different venues and had the opportunity to observe their processes and pick their brains when appropriate, so it will be more of a teaching qualification for me.</p>