<p>I am a high school junior and have asked some general questions regarding getting into Theatre Performance programs; BFA or BA. I have now decided that this is the path that I am going to take. I've read the CC threads. There is a lot of info. about musical theatre programs, but not much on straight acting. About me - I am a B-Plus student who likely will not test well enough to get into the top colleges. I'm bright, but I am not the kind of student that teachers like. I just started acting last year. I have been heavily involved and very successful in sports (football and fencing), but have given all that up so that I can get acting roles - can not do both where I go to HS. I got a top role in the spring play and last summer I took a two week acting class. I plan to audition for the top pre-college theatre programs for this summer. I have been told that I am a good actor. But I do not live in a city that has a lot going on theatre wise, so my resume will be limited.
I am fortunate in that my father teaches at a top 40 LAC and they are not likely to turn me down, but I do not really want to go there because there is only a total of 15 theatre majors and who wants to go to the college that their father teaches at.
From CC I have learned that the audition is very important, so I plan to get help with this. I have also learned that there are substantially more women applying to acting programs than men, so this may be something in my favor. I assume that my athletic record (nationally ranked fencer and Sophmore starter on FB team that went to States) will help. I have also read that some programs like kids that they think have raw talent and have not developed the bad habits others get in early experiences (Guthrie literature says this).
Would I have a shot at a place like Rutgers, Boston University, Syracuse, Florida, Penn State, Minnesota-Guthrie, and Fordham, or are all those accepted into these programs kids from performance high schools and kids with long resumes. This makes no sense to me. To use the analogy of football; just because you were the star running back in the little league does not mean you are any good at the HS level, let alone at the college level.
Also, I read that some schools cut students after the first year. Why; bad grades, goof-offs, really not that good of an actor? Any input will be appreciated.</p>
<p>Hi Brian. You may want to post this in the musical theater forum. Even though it says musical theater, there are posters there that are versed in straight acting programs and can help you. Good luck</p>
<p>yay omg love wicked, and love your username defying gravity.
GO MUSICAL THEATER LOVERS!</p>
<p>I posted this here because the musical theatre thread is typically talking about specific issues related to musical theatre and may not apply to theatre performance. I have posted there. Thought that more eyes would see this.
Thanks, Ian S. (I am using my father's CC address).</p>
<p>Give it a shot! The Guthrie program is the only one I'm familiar with, and I actually know a lot about it since I'm auditioning for it this year. Last year they had about 600 people audition for it and they usually accept about 20 people, half male and half female (YES, your maleness is a plus!). It's a very structured program, with almost all of your courses pretty much laid out for you. It's an awesome, AMAZING program; I had the chance to see Hamlet last year at the Guthrie, starring Santino Fontana, who was in the program's first graduating class. Another graduate of the program played Laertes. I also got to see a play-by-play of the sword fight earlier in the day (yes, it was a day of sweetness!). They talked about the program and that spurred my initial interest; then I went to a U of M arts day this fall and learned a lot more. I also had a masterclass with one of the teachers. I was initially surprised because he has a physical handicap/speech impediment, but he is still a great actor and passionate teacher. I love the program's focus on acting for the STAGE, not film, with a lot of emphasis on Shakespeare (by the way, they really want the older-than-100-years-ago monologue to be Shakespeare. They pretty much expect it). I haven't been to the new Guthrie yet, but I want to go see The Glass Menagerie this month; anyways, from what I know of it it's an amazing, AMAZING facility. One thing about the program is that they won't let you act in shows outside of the program until after the spring of your junior year. And sorry that this was all in one long paragraph... PM me if you have questions about it.</p>
<p>Brian:</p>
<p>I've corresponded before with you or maybe your father or maybe both. Can't recall.</p>
<p>First off, my child #7 is a bit like you. He was also a nationally ranked fencer, but he was lucky enough to live in an area where he was able to do 18 professional stage performances, one national and several regional/local television commercials, industrials, and voice overs. Like you, he also got pretty much any role he wanted (musical or other) in high school, and like you, he stopped fencing in order to have time for other pursuits.</p>
<p>Your background will be very interesting to programs for which you must audition in. Males are less numerous than females and, in my experience, females are simply better out of the gate at acting than most males. Of the males that do go into theater, a large percentage come off on stage as effiminate. Having played football years ago, I suspect you do not come off that way. So, those are big plusses. It's also a big plus if you're a mesomorph, since that is a fairly unusual body type among theater aspirants.</p>
<p>The first thing you simply MUST do is to decide between the BFA and BA. Until then, I don't think anyone can help you much. The BA is usually preferred by MFA programs. I posted some time ago about a conversation I had with the Artistic Director at one of the leading regional theaters in the country and he strongly, strongly recommended the BA, saying that those with BFAs don't actually get useful educations. I tend to agree. If you want to do Shakespeare, you'd better understand that, if you're going to play Antony or even Enobarbus, you're going to need to read Plutarch to do it right.</p>
<p>Once you've made that decision, I'll contact some professional directors and get their opinions.</p>
<p>You don't necessarily have to choose between the BA and BFA... the actual breakdown and training at programs will differ... it is also a good idea to have a mix of auditioned and non-auditioned programs. There is no one path to a career.... but you may find you are more attracted to one type of program than another.. this will take research on the college websites, and visits where viable. </p>
<p>I know people from both BA and BFA programs that have had success being admitted to MFA programs.... I was a BFA who went on to get a MFA... I know many others who have done so... I also know people who have gone the BA to MFA route... I agree that it is important to be a well educated actor... but some BFA programs have a substantial academic core... some BA programs are not incrediby challanging.... this is the tough thing... there are no simple answers or rules, only different paths. Every person you talk to (or who answers you on this board) will have a different opinion. Others can offer you opinions based upon their own experiences and baises, but in the end you have to collect the information and make the decision that feels right for you. As I said above there is no one path. </p>
<p>As far as your initial question about the specific schools listed.... I would look at each college's website to see how grades/ scores/ ECs/ the audition are weighted.</p>
<p>Most programs where the audition is weighted strongly are open to accepting talented students who have not been acting professionally since they were born :) They are looking for talent, potential, and the right fit...</p>
<p>Other than Penn State I think all of the programs that you mentioned are competitive BFA programs. I went to Syracuse for undergrad as a BFA and Penn State for grad school as a MFA. This was years ago... but my grades were more a B average than a B + average... Syracuse weights the audition heavily in the admissions process. Penn State is a BA program for undergrad theatre majors... there is an audition, but I do not know how it is weighted in the process. The in-state theatre undergrads when I was at Penn State talked about how it was difficult to get into Penn State as an instate student. Given your grades and specs it sounds like you would have a strong shot... but since the other schools you mentioned are all auditioned programs you will maybe want to look for a non-auditioned program that your college counselor feels you are sure to get into academically.</p>
<p>Muhlenberg (sp?) is a good BA program in PA with an optional audition. Although it is mentioned often on the MT discussion board it is a BA in theatre. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I not only have to get accepted, but also get what is called a 'tuition exchage' scholarship for Syracuse (BFA/BA), Boston University (BFA), Fordham (BA), Otterbein(BFA/BA), Muhlenberg (BA), and the Univ. of Florida (BFA). Penn State (BA) is cheap because I am from PA. I would have to pay out of state tuition for Rutgers (BFA). What's nice about Syracuse, Otterbein (covers full tuition) and Florida (full tuition) is that they pretty much do tuition exchage for any undergrad accepted. Fordham does 10-40 percent in any given year, and BU is new to the program, so they have not reported the percentage of exchange students that they grant. Muhlenberg pays not only 85% of tuition, but also covers room and board (they accept between 40-60% for tuition exchage). All of this makes the choice process complex.
I am also looking at some LACs that seem to have decent theatre majors, that have pretty good acceptance rates, and that have fairly liberal tuition exchange acceptance rates. These include Beloit, Lawrence, Centre, and Sewanee. My safety is Franklin & Marshall College ( where my father teaches). Ian</p>
<p>DePaul has a great theater program and is a Tuition Exchange school. They are pretty generous with awards. You may want to check into it.</p>