Tisch Freshman Taking Questions!

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
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<p>@Chairo</p>

<p>As for which are the best studios and for the “there are no bad studios” - this is all very subjective and up to each person’s interpretation- so I will try my best to give my opinion and also different opinions from my friends in different studios.</p>

<p>Yes, I am in the Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute and I adore it. And everyone except for one of my classmates adore it as well- It has opened my eyes so much and I’m so excited for my years to come. I also feel like I truly am working with legends and I am astounded daily by their experiences and the people that they have worked with. I mean, Strasberg’s list of alumni include Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Sally Field, Marilyn Monroe, Claire Danes, Scarlett Johannson, Kelli O’Hara… the list goes on and on and on and is far longer than that of ANY of the other NYU studios- which to me just speaks of Strasberg’s training. And I have teachers that have taught some of those famous past alumni and are still in contact with them, and the opportunities that are presented to us are incredible. </p>

<p>Okay I could go on and on about how much I love my studio (and if you do want to know more, message me, and I will be happy to answer any questions you have!)</p>

<p>But that is not to discredit any of the other studios- they all will provide fantastic training as well and all have produced distinguished alumni as well. </p>

<p>For New Studio for acting- Most acting studios that aren’t in new studio for acting are kind of confused by this studio, just because we associate New Studio with MT and we always forget there are straight acting students in New Studio. No one really knows what they do- though I did recently speak to one student, who is sort of ambivalent about his experience and said he they do a mix of different styles. They do a bit of Strasberg, a bit of Meisner, etc. He said he was jealous of the training we receive at Strasberg and will be looking to transfer into a different studio once his primary training is up.
Now that is the one and only student I have spoken to, and I don’t really know anything else about this studio- so keep that in mind.</p>

<p>ETW- I really have not heard a single thing bad about ETW. Everyone I know that is in it or has been in it has LOVED every second of it. One of my suitemates is a freshman and my RA is a junior, and I know quite a few other people in it, and they all adore it. ETW is very physical based, and they have a lot of movement classes, and they also do a mix of different studio’s techniques. But I think the difference between ETW and New Studio for Acting lies in that “experimental” part which seems to keep it more interesting. Definitely a very cool studio.</p>

<p>Atlantic- Mamet’s studio. Honestly, this is the studio I don’t really know much about, other than it being Mamet’s studio. I would just do a ton of research on it if you get placed into it to see if you think it’d be a good fit.</p>

<p>Stella Adler- Adler and Strasberg are supposedly very similar. But since I’m in Strasberg, I’m going to go ahead and say that Strasberg is the better version of Adler haha. No, in all honesty I’m sure Adler is a great studio, but Adler and Strasberg are “rivals” and I’m not sure what Adler actually does that is different than us, BUT one thing I do know is that there are a TON of Adler students who transfer to Strasberg.</p>

<p>Meisner-Meisner is a very specific type of studio that I think is really either a love or hate type of thing just because it is so specific. Meisner focuses on repetition; where you repeat a line continuously in different ways. There’s obviously a purpose behind it, but I don’t know for sure so I don’t want to say and be wrong, but definitely do a lot of research if you are placed in this studio to be sure that you would be happy here.</p>

<p>Playwrights- Playwrights is an interesting conglomeration. It also houses directing majors, and first years are trained in acting and directing, so keep that in mind if you are an actor placed into playwrights. They also do a mix of techniques as well as require a ton of extra work since they focus on acting and directing, as well as design and writing. I haven’t heard the best things from some students, and I know alot of people transfer, but I also know alot of students who like it.</p>

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<p>Alexxmichele. Thank you very much for your detailed response. I really appreciate it. We’ll wait for studio notifications and go from there. BTW, yesterday we also attended USC School of Dramatic Arts Open House and were very impressed by their program, faculty and campus. It will be now a decision between NYU and USC ( not an easy one).</p>

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<p>Alexxmichele – thank you as well … very, very helpful!</p>

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<p>A little more info about ETW: Experimental, in this case, often means creating new theater works. It also means, what I would call, “social theater”, aka, theater with a message. Think The Laramie Project, which was created there, by Moises Kaufman. It is a toolbox approach to theater, in that many “methods” are studied, not just one. And as Alexxmichelle stated, pretty much everyone LOVES it and it is often a top choice for secondary training during jr/sr year. Hope this helps.</p>

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<p>@ SnoozeButton Not to scare you… but the whole PHTS kids getting naked IS a thing. I’m a PHTS alum, and I can tell you, up until two years ago it was part of one of your freshman classes. For Design I, on your own time, outside of class, you needed to sketch two other people in your color group nude. Most color groups did this by having naked parties where most everyone got naked and sketched each other. It wasn’t required that you get naked yourself, but I would say 95% of us did. It was a really great bonding experience and helped get you comfortable with each other fast. The teacher who required this is no longer at PHTS, and I don’t know if this still happens, but that’s where the naked rumors came from. </p>

<p>Even without Naked Parties I would say chances are by the end of two years at PHTS almost everyone has stripped down to at least their undies for one scene or another. As terrifying as it is, it’s really a good experience. Nudity is part of a lot of shows, and you have to get comfortable with it at some point. </p>

<p>As far a PHTS goes, I wouldn’t describe it as a studio made up of directors and actors. Most PHTS kids don’t categorize themselves that strictly. The classes you take freshman year might have names like, Directing I, Design I, Actors Instrument, but all of them are about making you a whole theater artist. That’s what PHTS strives for, to make a whole theater artist by exposing you to a lot of different elements of theater. Some of the best acting I saw was done in directing classes because it was people taking risks and trying things. Your second year at PHTS you get to decide if you are going to do a performance track or production track, but even then you can take classes in both tracks. Actors at PHTS get exposed to a lot of different techniques and styles. You learn to speak and create with a lot of different acting vocabularies, which is great because your never goanna do a professional show that is all Meisner trained actors, or Atlantic trained actors. Not that I think there is anything wrong with dedicating yourself to one technique. Just saying for some actors its nice to have variety and get to piece to gather for yourself what process works for you. </p>

<p>There is a LOT more to the PHTS program, and I wont go into it all unless anyone has specific questions about it, but I think it gets a worse rap then it deserves. People hear that you’re doing something beside just acting and they freak out, because what they came for was acting. But what PHTS is really doing is teaching you to be the best Theater Artist you can be. Even if you end up exclusively doing acting at PHTS you learn how your acting fits into the larger creative process and how you support the art as a whole.</p>

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<p>“Awful” or “bad” dorms at NYU is a very relative concept. Even the worst dorms at NYU are mansions compared to the average craptastic college/university dorms the nation over. I had a “bad” dorm my first year (which is now houses the NYU Longhorn Medical center and dorms for the med students), and even that was better than my friends at other schools were dealing with. It’s too bad though that NYU dropped it’s most amazing dorms. I use to live in two apartment style dorms way, way off the main campus, and they were so incredible. One was a luxury, long stay hotel that use to charge 8k a month (and this was years ago, long before I came to NYU), and the other was a high rise down in the financial district that just a couple years ago got turned into very expensive apartments for the Wall Street types who work down there.</p>

<p>Same goes for the dining halls. When I was there Rubin had the worst reputation; just plan mediocre food. And yet compare Rubin to your average college dining hall, in selection, and even quality, and you’ll be amazed. It wasn’t the best NYU had to offer (I was partial to Palladium’s AMAZING dining hall), but it was above average for dining hall food on the whole. And they use to do a decent breakfast back then, with fresh made to order omelettes and waffles. Wonder if that’s still the case?</p>

<p>For anybody looking for info on Atlantic, I did a very long post on it here. I’ve still got ties to the school, so I know it hasn’t changed much training wise (but has in other ways) since I matriculated:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/nyu-tisch-mt/1314964-nyu-tisch-studios-8.html#post15649923[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/nyu-tisch-mt/1314964-nyu-tisch-studios-8.html#post15649923&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I will say this about Atlantic; it’s geared primarily toward making you an effective, working actor. The technique it offers, born of Bill Macy and David Mamet, is more cerebral (it’s Mamet, not shocking) than most. It’s also less technique, and more tool. Because you can walk into Atlantic with any kind of technique that works best for you, and still adopt tools that are all about helping you apply the theory of your technique into a workable, repeatable process that’ll serve you on the job. They make this clear from the very beginning; you are never asked to choose any particular acting technique over the Atlantic one. It’s designed to work in conjunction with anything. So you can use sense memory, but you’re not wed to only sense memory. There however is definitely an eye-rolling attitude there about actors who believe they need to “feel it” always, every time, in order to give strong performances. One of my teachers, an incredible, working actress of some report, said she gravitated toward the Mamet technique after she got tired of emotionally abusing herself before each performance. You get tired of reliving your poor kitties death afterwhile, trust me LOL!</p>

<p>Anybody at ETW? Are those kids still peeling their clothes off? It’s funny, each studio has a stereotype, and on some level the stereotypes were so true! When I was there it was a strong program for a very specific type of actor, with very specific goals. But I will say this; it didn’t do a whole lot for preparing actors to take on the demands of a typical pursuit in the craft.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the Strasberg info! Just found out that’s where I’m assigned and I couldn’t be more thrilled :)</p>

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<p>And SM2010 wow haha that’s interesting. I’m not sure if I would be able to handle doing that though. I mean, of course I plan to get more comfortable with my body as I progress as an actress, but that’s a little terrifying to me hahaha. PHTSsounds like a really intelectually engaging studio though</p>

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<p>How many people are in your studio?
I’ve heard that the meisner studio is about 15? That seems very small. Is that true?</p>

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<p>Hi current students and alums- thank you for continuing to help with our questions. So, I’m wondering how much interaction there is with kids in the design and production studio. Do you share any classes together? Do you guys have opportunities to interact? What feedback do you hear from the kids who are preparing for careers in design? Many thanks!</p>

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<p>Hi Alexxmichele…if i missed this i apologize. do you have friends in Atlantic? if so, how do they feel it differs, pro/con, from the other studios? I do understand the PA approach is what overall differentiates the methodology. but is there anything significantly better, more fun, more exciting at Atlantic?</p>

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<p>@Alexxmichele:</p>

<p>Hi! I have a quick question. So, I had been looking at Tisch for drama, but stopped because I thought I had no chance whatsoever of getting in. My SAT scores were above average, nothing AMAZING, though, and my GPA was average. I was pushed towards science/math classes in HS, when in reality, my best grades were in creative subjects. I did some church/school/community theatre over the years, and I am now in community college with a 3.95 GPA. So, here’s the question. Do I have even a slight chance of getting into Tisch as a transfer for drama? IDK if you’ll be able to answer that, but…thought I’d ask. Thanks!</p>

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<p>^ I was just accepted to tisch drama as a transfer from a cc with your exact GPA, so yes it’s possible. I felt the audition and the interview were the main factors but you still need killer essays and other interests outside
of theater, and a good amount of plays/films to show that you’re truly interested in being a drama major.</p>

<p>I need help with the housing info. I’m looking to live off campus, unless NYU has apartments? Where and how do nyu students find roomates? which parts of manhattan do most NYU students stay? do I have to find a
broker to get an apartment? how much should I spend if I want a
private room?</p>

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<p>Thanks, Sarahh9688! With regards to housing…have you looked at Rentenna? They let you set a price range, pick an area in NYC, etc.</p>

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<p>@tennis- I have a few friends in Atlantic who I have talked with about the differences in our studio curriculum and what they like/ don’t like. Atlantic is very very intense from what I understand (as are all the studios), however, intense in the way that they mean business. One of my friends in Atlantic said that it can be a rather intimidating environment, but that overall she really likes it. She says she loves the technique- it’s just the strict discipline that gets at her sometimes. For example, one teacher (not sure if this is how they all operate) will cut you off mid-scene if they feel you’re not doing good work or don’t seem prepared, and will tell you that you are wasting the class’s time. </p>

<p>But, Atlantic produces very good actors and most people really love it, so if you are placed in Atlantic, I definitely would think there is a reason for it and try it. </p>

<p>And @sarah as far as off campus housing- NYU does not have their own apartments, but if I’m not mistaken, they will help you find them. Since I’m only going to be a sophomore, I’m deciding to still dorm, so I haven’t had to go through this process yet and am not really the best person to talk to regarding apartments. I’m sorry!</p>

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<p>thank you!</p>