<p>I am glad to share the name of the directory! I did not do so in my post because I could not remember the name and was in a hurry when I posted. It is called Directory of Theatre Training Programs. I just checked the publisher’s website and it is in its 11th Ed. now. The ISBN is 978-0-933919-65-5 and sells for $39.50. (You must order from the publisher, but it was money well spent) </p>
<p>The directory must be read carefully and followed with a visit to the colleges’ websites because many schools do not update the information for publication so not all the information will be accurate.</p>
<p>After reading about Swarthomore’s Theater department approach in the book, we were able to see in their website that although small, the department had resources to bring visiting professors, usually professionals in the field, and had many courses from which to choose each semester. My d wants to study abroad. We learned that Swarthmore’s department encourages training abroad and has established contacts with professional companies all over. The honors track seemed an amazing opportunity so in looking over the requirements for the major it was obvious that she would be able to combine her loves and the school merited a preliminary visit during her junior year. </p>
<p>What I recommend is that you read carefully what each department has to say about its offerings and make sure that you read in between the lines. When you visit schools try to speak with students involved in the programs. For example, we thought that Vassar would have a been a top choice, yet after spending time on campus and speaking with current majors and students who had changed majors, she decided that it was not the place for her and did not even apply. That is not to say that it would not be a perfectly good fit for someone else. You just have to figure out what is good for you.</p>
<p>Take the time to thoroughly research the schools, it will save you a lot of grief in the end…</p>
<p>Slightly off topic: in the MT forum there are lists of the class sizes of different schools, naming how many audition and then how many are accepted and/or how many enroll. Is there a similar list for BFA acting programs and I’ve just missed it? Thanks—</p>
<p>HSN, I don’t think anyone has compiled that over here. But if you read the MT forum, some of the acting schools’ programs are listed, I think. (I could be wrong on that. Memory is getting worse as I go along in years …)</p>
<p>As useful as that list is in giving an <em>idea</em> of competitiveness of a program, keep in mind that it is not scientific or probably completely accurate, as people just reported what they were told by the various programs in a casual way. In other words, the list is not “official.” But it does give one a sense of the daunting odds.</p>
<p>Thanks NMR, for saving me hours looking for a list that doesn’t exist! I’ll ask a sidelong question, then. Does anyone have any idea if the odds are better or worse in terms of acceptance to BFA programs for MT or straight theatre? My guess is that as crazy as the odds are for any kind of BFA theatre program, that the MT programs might even be slightly more difficult to get into. My D isn’t 100% sure what she wants to do and I’m just trying to gather as much information as possible. Thanks!</p>
<p>HSN, I am told that, statistically speaking, admissions to straight acting programs is slightly less competitive than are musical theater admissions. I am not sure why this is: is it that more kids are interested in musical theater? is it that acting programs tend to be larger? </p>
<p>In any case, my D and I saw this in action during last year’s auditions. Anecdotally, when she auditioned at UArts in early December, there was something like 70 kids (and forgive me if this is not accurate … again, pulling from memory alone) auditioning for MT at the Philadelphia school that first day (most of them girls, like her!) and reportedly less than 10 actors. (I say “reportedly” because my D’s good friend, who came to the auditions with us, was auditioning for the acting program and told us. </p>
<p>I feel sure that many more actors auditioned later on for UArts’ excellent BFA in acting program, but that was offered as an example. </p>
<p>I am also told that a good percentage of the kids who end up in Tisch drama at NYU originally auditioned for the CAP21 program (the only musical theater studio at NYU Tisch) and are placed in the other acting studios if they don’t make it into CAP.</p>
<p>NMR, what you say about Tisch is exactly one of the reasons why my D is so interested in applying there. She feels while she can do a MT audition and request CAP21 she loves the fact that she would still have a chance to be at NYU in another studio if she doesn’t make it into CAP21. It just feels like it increases her odds, whether that is true or not. I don’t know any other BFA program that does that. Does anyone else?</p>
<p>Three other programs that allow kids auditioning for musical theater to also be considered for the acting program:</p>
<p>Syracuse
Ithaca
Otterbein</p>
<p>At Syracuse and Ithaca, the auditioner can designate on a form that he/she fills out on the day of the audition that he/she is willing to also be considered for the acting (BFA) progam. At Otterbein, they apparently automatically consider you for acting, too.</p>
<p>At NYU, auditioners have the choice of saying that CAP21 is the ONLY studio they will accept or saying verbally (and, I think, on paper) that they are willing to accept another studio. However, kids who opt for this should investigate all the studios and name the one they want (the one that sounds most appealing to them) and be able to express why. This happens during the discussion that all auditioners have with the NYU faculty who audition them. Oftentimes, the auditioner will have a rather involved discussion with the auditioner about which studio (other than CAP) seems to be a fit. But the student will still need to wait for the decision letter and then the letter/email designating her/his studio to know for sure where he/she has been assigned. </p>
<p>My D knows a number of very talented kids who auditioned for CAP as their first choice and are now happy at various acting studios at NYU. So it does happen and yes, I would say that for the qualified applicant, it ups the odds.</p>
<p>Thanks NMR, that is very helpful. I also seem to remember when my D did the CMU pre-college program this past summer that they said that MT kids whom they felt were very strong actors but not as strong in singing or dancing could be invited into the straight theatre program. I’m wondering if that would be true for their regular auditions. I’m going to check it out but if anyone knows the answer here that would be great. Otherwise, I will report back!</p>
<p>HSN, yes, I should have included CMU. They are like Otterbein in that you don’t have to designate that you are willing to be considered for acting as well as MT. They just automatically consider you.</p>
<p>Forgive me if this is discussed elsewhere - I didn’t see it. I know that I’ve read somewhere on this site that admittance to NYU’s theater undergraduate major is roughly based 50% on audition and 50% on academic record. Does anyone know which specific theater programs (BFA or BA) rely heavily on academic achievement versus the audition? My daughter is interested in attending one of the better undergraduate acting programs (not musical theater) and I believe that her grades could be a real asset for programs that weigh them more heavily… Thanks for all of your help!</p>
<p>Well I checked with Emerson regarding auditioning for MT and being considered for BFA for acting and it sounded like it doesn’t happen all that often but CAN happen at the discretion of the department. So I guess I can (sort of) add Emerson to that list!</p>
<p>HSN…Emerson really is NOT a school that does that and they will only allow you to audition for one or the other of their programs. But as others mentioned, if you want to be considered for both, some that do that are NYU, CMU, Ithaca, Syracuse, Webster, and Otterbein. Example, for CMU, my D was trying for MT (they took 3 or 4 girls that year for MT) and they consider you automatically for either program and she was Priority Waitlisted for the Acting program (ironically, the majority of her training and background were in voice and dance).</p>
<p>I would not posit that to be accepted into acting means you are better at acting than voice or dance. I know kids (besides mine) who are excellent singers and dancers who were put in an acting studio…this could mean the program wanted them but there are so few slots for MT that they were offered a slot in acting. It is hard to talk about my own kid but the example at CMU where she was on a short wait list for acting, did not imply to me that she acts better than she sings or dances (and her admissions results bear that out as she got into 5 BFA in MT Programs). Singing is her forte and she had been a lifelong dancer (was placed in the highest level of dance at CAP21 upon arrival as a freshman). Another example, is a friend who is a very accomplished and trained dancer and had played lead roles in MT (good voice) including professionally, but was accepted to Syracuse for the Acting program. Another example, are the MANY kids my D knows at Tisch who are in acting studios but who are MT kids with great MT talent and who have even played leads in Tisch’s musicals. My D’s boyfriend was in an acting studio at Tisch (recently graduated) and is leaving on tour as a lead in a musical. So, MT talented kids do get placed in acting studios and not because they are not good at singing or dancing. At Tisch, there is some top talented MT kids in the acting studios in fact.</p>
<p>SouthMom, you said :“Forgive me if this is discussed elsewhere - I didn’t see it. I know that I’ve read somewhere on this site that admittance to NYU’s theater undergraduate major is roughly based 50% on audition and 50% on academic record. Does anyone know which specific theater programs (BFA or BA) rely heavily on academic achievement versus the audition? My daughter is interested in attending one of the better undergraduate acting programs (not musical theater) and I believe that her grades could be a real asset for programs that weigh them more heavily… Thanks for all of your help!”</p>
<p>Me: Another program that comes to mind when academics are mentioned is Northwestern University, which is a non audition program, so admission is based solely on academic records, transcripts, essays, recommendations, extra curriculars. I don’t know about Michigan’s acting program, but the MT program at Michigan only invites kids with academics which meet a certain level to audition. I would guess they use the same policy in the acting program. </p>
<p>However, though most audition-based BFA in acting programs do care somewhat about grades, in many cases it is the audition that often counts the most. In other words, at a place such as Purchase, I would posit that a kid with a so-so academic record but an outstanding audition would have a far greater chance of admission than would a kid with an outstanding academic record and a so-so audition. That’s because Purchase is a conservatory style acting program, so the “hands on” acting stuff is really what’s important there. </p>
<p>I also have heard good things about the theater program at LACs such as Sarah Lawrence. Again, another non auditioned, BA program, where grades and scores and essays and such are the deciding factor. Good luck to your D!</p>
<p>I know nothing about Notre Dame’s drama program but I suggest that you check their website and get in touch with their program chair. You will begin to get an idea if it is worth visiting. If you read my two earlier posts on this thread you will see how we identified that Swarthmore College had a great program that also happen to fit my daughter’s goals. </p>
<p>There are outstanding programs that are not on the regular radar screens. To use our case as an example, I believe that Swarthmore never comes up because the college as a whole is very small (1500 students total) and incredibly hard to get into academically (only 16% this year). </p>
<p>So I would suggest that if you have not done so already, post on the Notre Dame thread on this board. We gave away our Directory of Theater programs to another student at my d’s hs, otherwise I would have checked for you to see if it is listed. Maybe someone reading this who has a copy can check for ingette?</p>
<p>Based on NMR and soozievt’s posts, I get the impression that acceptance into an acting program at some schools is actually more difficult than musical theater since the pool of applicants becomes larger. While I think it’s a nice idea, I really don’t understand how the schools do this since the audition requirements (and perhaps the actual auditions) are different. Do the schools consider all the acting applicants before going to the MT list or are they all equal? If voice, and the ability to act the song, are the strongest qualities, would it be better to apply as an MT major and hope to be accepted into acting? If accepted into MT, could they ask to be placed in acting?</p>