<p>Well ... it's been eons since I've posted anything here (probably not even any record of my posts any longer) and since I keep seeing the "it appears that you have not posted ..." message, which is "guilting me" horribly, I thought I'd jump in and see if that message might go away! :-)</p>
<p>Our last child at home (woo hoo!) is thinking of a theater (theatre?) major. Most likely, considering our finances, it'll be a California school. I know that most of you are incredibly knowledgeable and I'm guessing you'll have some opinions about where best to apply.</p>
<p>I'd love to hear about your choices, and why you recommend what you recommend. </p>
<p>Thanks much. </p>
<p>(I apologize in advance as I'm sure others have asked this same question.)</p>
<p>You probably already know this, but I'll throw it out anyway: There is a boatload of information about theatre programs on the forums dedicated to arts majors and to musical theatre majors. There is even an administrator from Cal State Fullerton's theatre program, Prof.Himmelheber, who posts regularly. If you post your question on either of those forums you should get lots of responses :)</p>
<p>I'm muddling through the archives, dancersmom. Lots to read, much of which is outside of CA, but I'll continue. (I heard that Fullerton has a really brutal program ... anyone know for sure? A student here told me that they drop a lot of students out of the program, and narrow it down to 8 by the senior year. I wasn't sure if that was just rumor or truth.)</p>
<p>Our son is thinking straight theatre, not MT, because his voice is so low; so much of MT music now is written for tenors. Ah well. </p>
<p>Still, he loves MT. </p>
<p>Personally I'd promote opera, but what does a mom, especially one who is a musician, know?! :-)</p>
<p>(And yes, opera is a brutal biz, so maybe it's for the best that he ignores me!)</p>
<p>You're right. There's a tremendous amount to read on the MT forum. I would suggest doing 2 things. First, look at the thread dedicated to Cal State Fullerton. There is a lot of information about their program there. I do not recall a lot of the particulars, but, I do remember that students do not audition for the MT program until the end of the sophomore year. Eve Himmelheber, the director of the theatre program, posts frequently and would be happy to answer any questions you might have about Fullerton.</p>
<p>The second thing I would suggest that you do is to perform a search of the MT and theatre forums using the term California. I know that the California programs have been discussed, just not as much as some of the east coast schools.</p>
<p>It sounds like your son's heart is really in MT, rather than in straight theatre. I would counsel him not to give up his dream of doing MT simply because he is a baritone. (I assume he is a baritone :) ) Yes, many of the male leads today are tenors, but that's always been the case. (It's true in opera too. The heroes are almost always tenors. Blame Monteverdi, Gluck, Mozart, et al.) However, there are plenty of parts for guys with lower voices. However, I do understand where he is coming from. I worried endlessly when my D was in H.S. that she would have a hard time getting accepted to a good MT program because of her very operatic sounding voice. I eventually learned that there's room in the MT world for many different sorts of voices. D's legitimately trained voice was considered a real asset. (She has become more versatile in college and has learned to belt. Yea!!!)</p>
<p>I also hear you about wanting to promote opera. Like you, I am a musician and I too would have loved to see my child focus on classical music. All of the teachers she worked with in H.S. told her she could have a career on the opera stage and tried to persuade her to move in that direction. She truly loves opera and does a lot of work on art songs along with MT literature. But, she doesn't want a career as a classical singer because she would have to give up dancing and, to a certain extent, acting. D has been dancing since the age of 5 and has been serious about training as an actor since age 14. She's said more than once that she wishes she could have 3 lives: one as a dancer, one as an opera singer, and one as a Shakespearean actor. She's always felt that the only way she can "have it all" is to do MT.</p>
<p>I hope that your S will follow his muse and not simply do what he thinks is the most practical. Life doesn't come with a guarantee. If he gets a degree in acting, he may or may not spend time on a professional stage. The same is true if he gets a degree in MT. Very few degrees today guarantee job placement in a particular field. I would rather see kids study a subject that they are passionate about than settle for studying what they think might get them a job.</p>
<p>I should probably clarify; I wouldn't push my son into opera because of my involvement in opera and symphony. (I hate thinking I might be a pushy mom.) Heck, I barely make a living with all that I do, and I'm an instrumentalist. I think vocalists have it even rougher! I just think his voice sounds somewhat "classical". (He is a bass-baritone at this point, btw. Of course with men you don't know where that voice will end up for quite some time yet!)</p>
<p>I recently spoke with a composer of musicals, and he was mentioning too that most musicals now are geared toward tenors. Even the main male part he wrote for a baritone was changed to tenor by the time the show opened! He was annoyed, but said it's the way things go now. </p>
<p>Anyway, of course we want our son to pursue whatever he wants to pursue ... within reason. (If he couldn't carry a tune I certainly wouldn't recommend he pursue singing, for instance!) </p>
<p>I think our son is more interested in straight theater, even while he loves doing the musical theatre work. But we'll see. Only time will tell.</p>
<p>I didn't really think you'd push your son into opera. You don't sound like that type of parent at all. I know that your statement was tongue in cheek. It's great that your child has a supportive mom. My statement regarding allowing kids to follow their muse was really aimed at readers who actively discourage their kids from pursuing the arts. My D has had friends in that boat. </p>
<p>Good luck to your S as he gets closer to making a decision about college. Be sure to take a look at Fullerton and USC. My D has a sophomore friend at USC. He is a presidential award winner in theatre and loves the training he is receiving.</p>
<p>Both my husband and I were music majors, and we are the sort to encourage the arts. All three of our children have gone into arts in one way or another. Of course making an <em>income</em> isn't exactly a breeze. </p>
<p>Which is why we can't afford USC. Sigh.</p>
<p>My son knows someone who knows someone (always a bad way to get info!) who was (and is) at Fullerton and that student was horrendously discouraged; I would love to talk directly to the person and see if the complaints are warranted or if they are those typical things students think are unfair when, in reality, things were deserved. Not sure if I'll get to connect with the individual, though, as we have no direct connection</p>