<p>What would you guys say the top acting conservatories are. Either 2 year programs or schools that focus mainly on craft and auditions as opposed to taking grade too much into account.</p>
<p>Where are you living/where do you want to go to school? If in the Midwest, I would definitely look at DePaul University’s theatre conservatory. It’s amazing and in Chicago do there are tons of job oppurtunities.</p>
<p>DePaul’s Theatre School does have minimum g.p.a. and SAT/ACT requirements (2.5 gpa - I can’t recall the ACT, but I think that the SAT was around 1500), and students have to fulfill a general “Liberal Studies” curriculum requirement for graduation. Are you looking at any particular region? Is money an important consideration?</p>
<p>Top acting two year conservatories in NYC (which are not colleges so grades are irrelevant) – Circle in the Square, Stella Adler, Atlantic, William Esper & Neighborhood Play house. </p>
<p>Four year colleges that are largely (to exclusively based) on audition include CMU, NCSA, Purchase and Rutgers. All though are highly competitive.</p>
<p>This is such a helpful website! I am raising an actress but all of us in her family know nothing about the Fine Arts. The idea of a conservatory as opposed to a four year undergrad degree is brand new. Are there benefits for an actress in choosing a two year conservatory? And what kind of person breaks through the exclusive schools - what is their background?</p>
<p>THE TOP (4) YEAR:
-Juilliard
-UNCSA
-CMU
-SUNY PURCHASE
-MASON GROSS RUTGERS
-CALARTS </p>
<p>for everything pertaining to two years or MFA, see the below Hollywood Reporter’s list of prestigious programs. The list is in no order.
<a href=“http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/top-25-drama-schools-319963[/url]”>http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/top-25-drama-schools-319963</a></p>
<p>cheekychee, what I tell aspiring actresses (and other folks who aspire to careers in entertainment) to do is study the actresses that they admire, and find out where they got their training. See for yourself whether there are any “advantages” or “disadvantages” to conservatory over a traditional BA program.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>I’d say the top 4 year acting programs in the US are:
Juilliard
CMU
Mason Gross, Rutgers (Doesn’t have the name of a Juilliard or CMU, but I think they will soon)
SUNY Purchase
Minnesota Guthrie (Won’t get you many connections, but will give you excellent training) </p>
<p>I’d also recommend taking into:
USC (especially if you are looking into film!), UNCSA, Boston U, NYU (Going through a bit of a rough patch, but if you feel audition ready GO FOR IT), CCM Drama (I’d say the “hidden gem” of US Acting schools), Cal Arts, Syracuse University</p>
<p>To Portathor:</p>
<p>A bit of a rough patch implies it getting better soon… But there are some large and fundamental problems with NYU’s acting program that I don’t think will be fixed in the next few years. It’s not incredibly hard to get in (they accept ~400 students) but the training vs. amount of money you spend is not worth it in my opinion…</p>
<p>Right, I agree with you. I put NYU on the list, because (only in my opinion, doesn’t mean it’s right) of all the BFA programs in LA or NYC, NYU is the most flexible with auditioning. I would only recommend it to a student who has already worked in the business before and does not want college to slow them down from doing so. But you’re very right, I think NYU has some fundamental issues they need to work out before they can truly be compared with the other great schools.</p>
<p>Portathor, Boy have you got that wrong! My son just completed his sophomore year at Tisch New Studio on Broadway. He has an agent and gos out on auditions, but only on his two alternate academic days – which in itself can be difficult to fit in around classes. NYU Tisch very much discourages professional auditions as they interfere with and disrupt studio training. My son takes his commitment to his three days of studio time very seriously and books out on those days of the week.</p>
<p>Agreed with BvilleLady. It seems to me that the actors who come into NYU expecting and planning to maintain a professional career during their studies are in a different school at NYU, such as CAS or Gallatin. If you see students on the Playbill that says they are currently attending NYU, I would guess they are not in Tisch, or at if they are, have already completed their professional training. </p>
<p>Tisch requires a minimum of six semesters of professional training (and allows a maximum of eight), and the first four have to be consecutive. I really don’t know what the policy is for a student who gets cast during primary training and then has to drop out for a show; I’d guess they’d have to go back in with a younger group. </p>
<p>The students also spend alot of time on studio work outside of class time, in addition to the rigorous academic coursework.</p>
<p>I didn’t want to say this because I didn’t want to show bias to my own school, but I do go to NYU Tisch. Most students at Tisch come to Tisch to take advantage of the city, and those that do it smartly can really work the system. Not everyone does though. And due to all the problems Tisch is going through right now, I’d only recommend NYU to students who have had experience with auditioning… It’s the biggest advantage to NYU over other Bfa’s. Out of every bfa program, Tisch is the one that has the most students auditioning on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Portathor42, can you explain… what problems?</p>
<p>Portathor, in other posts of yours from this spring, it sounded like you had applied to BU and UNCSA. Were you seeking to transfer out of Tisch?</p>
<p>What Tisch studio are you in?</p>
<p>My son absolutely LOVES NYU. Tisch, and his studio- New Studio on Broadway. He said he has learned a great deal, is challenged, has very caring professors, etc. I could go on and on! He works very hard and that always goes over very well. He has nothing but respect for Kent Gash and his professors and he has met amazing fellow students. He isn’t aware of any problems. However, he said if you’re in a studio that you don’t like, you will spread your dislikes to whomever will listen.</p>
<p>Port, I’m sorry you are so disappointed with your Tisch experience. </p>
<p>Unless you can give us a better sense of your frustration with your studio and why you cannot recommend it personally–as an active student–it really isn’t helpful to young kids who might be reading your posts. Or their parents.</p>
<p>We are all anonymous here, you know. So, please feel free to post away!</p>
<p>The OP wanted a list of conservatories, where hs grades don’t count, so NYU is clearly not the place for them anyway. </p>
<p>I was just curious what the “rough patch” Port was referring too, since he is a student there, I would be interested.</p>
<p>Wow, I didn’t mean to cause this much of a stir. Sorry about that. Tisch is an amazing place, it really is (In case you all didn’t notice I put it on my list of top bfa’s!). However, Tisch does have some problems at the core of their educational philosophy and the biggest one is size. So many people that I cannot begin to even tell you. I do not know probably 85% of my classmates – hell I don’t even know everyone in my studio IN MY GRADE. That makes it so that Tisch - as a bfa - does not have a clear identity that schools with 18-30 students do. A lot of people outside of NYU blame the separate studios. I for one think having several studios is a really great thing, but few of them have anything like a “studio” feelings because of the amount of people. What the size also does is it makes it so the range of “talent” (for lack of a better word) is extremely varied to a fault. In a given group you will have some unbelievable, giving actors with great work ethic, and others that make you want to give up because they just don’t care. For me that didn’t work. Other people - the people that are right for Tisch - don’t need to have a class of equally caring, giving artists. They can do it on their own. For me, I really wanted a company that I could learn and grow with.<br>
All that being said the faculty is AMAZING. Probably among the best in the country. I have learned so much from them. Also NYU is a lot of money, which is the main reason I’m transferring. It’s A LOT of money and I was not very happy there, again because I have realized I need a small, tight, driven company to adequately learn.<br>
In all, Tisch is a great place, for the right type of person. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Portathor42, Thanks for clarifying your reasons for not embracing the Tisch studio structure and the enormity of NYU in general, not to mention the cost. You make some valid points. It sounds like you’ve learned a lot from your experiences at Tisch and I hope you will one day look back on it positively when you land in the right program for you.</p>
<p>I suspect there are degrees of slacker in pretty much every program. There are also some students who are just plain distracted from the training by their other pursuits. Seems crazy to me to have worked so hard to get into a reputable program and then not participate fully. </p>
<p>If you’ve read any of my posts in other threads, you’ll know I am a big fan of NSB because my son is in it and really enjoys it. I can’t speak for the other studios, but I believe NYU is doing something right with New Studio.</p>
<p>Good Luck and Best Wishes!</p>