<p>NYU does have 3 studio days but it’s all day (from 8:30 to 6 and on Fridays- it’s a little shorter). In my son’s freshman year, his schedule was full with studio- 8 hr credit, a theatre tech class-4 hr credit, and writing the essay-4 hr credit- which is required for all freshman. He didn’t have any gen ed class. In his sophomore year, he took studio for an 8 hr credit, a computer web design class-4 hr credit to satisfy a science credit and a 2 credit hour jazz guitar class to satisfy an elective, a 4 hour theatre history class but no other gen ed class. Purchase, Carnegie Mellon, BoCo, Rutgers, and NCSA are part of the Consortium of Conservatory Theatre Training Programs.</p>
<p>Do you not want west coast? If you do you could add Cal Arts and Cornish.</p>
<p>Supportive, you mentioned the Consortium of Conservatory Theatre Training Programs. </p>
<p>The Boston-area school that is a member of the Consortium is Boston University, not BoCo (BoCo is Boston Conservatory, which is a music and Musical Theatre-oriented school.)</p>
<p>I want to Apply to Boston University! I’m a junior I hope I get in…my GPA Is average A- but I haven’t taken the SATs yet </p>
<p>Sent from my LS670 using CC</p>
<p>NJTheatreMom: Thanks! You are absolutely correct! BU is part of the consortium, not BoCo. Sorry for the confusion and thanks for catching that!</p>
<p>note on Rutgers. i know that although they’re very very close to being a true conservatory…during the first 2 yrs, they only have 3 studio days. MWF. Granted they are full days, but Tues and Thurs are reserved for lib eds. Also, if you’re daughter is hoping to have AP credits transfer…it’s really hard there. I remember when I was choosing schools, I looked it up and they generally only take 5’s…kinda confused me cause they’re not the most academically competitive college out there.</p>
<p>Despite that though…it’s an awesome awesome program. And would say your daughter should keep it on her list.</p>
<p>If you liked the fact that Juilliard has a callback weekend, giving your daughter a better chance to get to know a program…give UM/Guthrie a shot…it may not be considered a true conservatory…but the amount of time spent towards training is extremely high. ESPECIALLY sophomore year. Tues-Fridays ~noon-10 pm was reserved pretty much for BFA core and rehearsal with a couple short 5-20 minute breaks between classes and an hr for dinner. Then sprinkle in Guthrie Mondays and 5 hr rehearsals on Saturday. This doesn’t count the yearlong Theatre History sequence that most people take in the Sophomore year… So if your daughter really wants a conservatory-style program with plenty of studio time, I’d say give guthrie a shot.</p>
<p>I will mention, however, there are plenty of days that I get annoyed for having to take gen ed classes that take away from my personal time to work on acting…but it may just be because I have a music minor I’m somehow making happen and have a full load to worry about. The U is pretty easy and takes AP scores of 3 or higher…so if your daughter comes in with a lot, she may have quite a lot taken care of and will have more time to devote to doing whatever she wants. There were a couple freshmen last year who were really pro-active and got involved with small theatre projects because they didn’t have nightly rehearsals to worry about in their first year too.</p>
<p>Also, I do believe Rutgers has now began a call back weekend as well.</p>
<p>Thanks CCER. We haven’t been to Rutgers yet even though it is close to us. They didn’t have any tours this summer. We will probably go up this fall. My D won’t like the three days a week. She wants 5. That being said, we know how selective every program is and she may not get to be so choosy! I just want to be clear as to what the programs are though. They do vary quite a bit.
The AP may still help her. She is likely to get a 5. But I will be sure to check on that too.
As far as Minnesota goes, I have read that the program is great but that Minnesota struggles with the “connections” in the industry end of things. Their geography hinders them from the connections with the big theatre towns… New York, Chicago, LA.? Can you speak to that at all?
My oldest son looked hard at Minnesota for chem engineering. It was his second choice and we loved the campus. Beautiful city!</p>
<p>There aren’t huge problems with making connections. I did after all meet a world renowned playwright/screenwriter there at an event last month and his partner am currently in contact with said woman…Ken Washington does know everyone and their grandmother and finds any excuse to introduce you to people if it exists. He introduced me to her solely because we have the same ethnic background. The program leaves it up to you, however, to be proactive about maintaining and building those connections. </p>
<p>People are brought all over to work with us in the JR and SR years from the big industry towns. If you leave a good impression and are savvy about staying in contact rather than expecting the program to tell you to keep in contact (…all while holding your hand and feeding you your pre-rehearsal dinner…), there should be NO problem making said connections.</p>
<p>And the amount of people working around the country is solidifying the program name. The Juliet at the Hudson Valley Shakes production is a recent grad. Another person from her class has been cast in a new Christopher Shinn play at the Goodman…and someone else in his class may be getting that show too. I know people have worked at the Steppenwolf as well. This upcoming year is going to be good for grads. Been hearing a lot of buzz here and there about so and so being cast in something. </p>
<p>And having the Guthrie name on your resume always makes an impression on people even if they’re not the most familiar with the program. I’ve been told that the people who are familiar with the program are always big fans of its students/grads and will generally give you a second look…and even if they’re not, the Guthrie name usually will pop and tell them to take you seriously. Joanne Denaut at SCR approved of my school choice and I had a couple other SoCal people tell me to go to the guthrie program over rutgers despite knowing very little about my program actually. (It’s different now, however, because I have heard that Rutgers is changing the curriculum up to have students do internships/residencies at theaters). And generally, you can use the weight of the name to approach people and make connections on your own. My friend was looking for a voice teacher in London before his fall semester there last year…and wound up emailing some well known actress in the area asking her for recommendations. He opened up his email stating that he was a student of the program. Within a week, he had received a response with a full list of teachers in the area from her.</p>
<p>The only problem and my own personal beef with the program that relates to making connections is mainly the lack of an LA/NY showcase. There is a slim chance my class will get one what with the new program director coming in to replace Judy B at the U…but Ken Washington himself stated that if that doesn’t happen, he’ll make it a point to invite more people to the Guthrie showcase from the cities we’re interested in. And the people who are interested will usually come…nothing like getting them a plane ticket and hotel room to ensure their attendance. </p>
<p>And to delve a little further into things. A small number of people who have graduated from the program aren’t pursuing acting anymore. It’s that whole “we’re training artists not actors” thing…which I get. But it’s pretty acting heavy and for most people being here IS about the actor training…but because the program is very open to letting students experiment and develop in other ways as an artist…some realize that their 20-something self doesn’t want to be an actor as much as their 18-year old self. Also…I know a good chunk of people who are more interested in doing experimental theatre and spent their time since they graduated starting their own theatre companies instead of pursuing commercial work and using the connections the Guthrie might be able to bring.</p>
<p>And to sum it all up. It always is dependent on the person and their resourcefulness. I’m a googler and know how to use the internet to dig up information…which is how I know way more than most people than my company do about the industry and the realities of it. It is the same with connections. You have to be resourceful and savvy, but also have the ability to be tasteful and tactful when trying to make connections. And the training you can get is the same. It’s wholly dependent on where the individual is in their life. You can be in the best company with the best faculty but if you aren’t ready to absorb things, you’re not going to grow much. That was me my first year… but then made a switcheroo last year and I learned how to wring out every little bit of training that the faculty offered up to us and successfully began to integrate everything into my work. There’s a reason why you get kids who graduate from my program who decide to get MFA’s…some people are just too young (in psyche not numerical age) to get much out of a conservatory-style experience. And then that’s the same exact reason why I see grads of my school and well known BFA’s and MFA’s who don’t impress me much as actors…just because you got to study at some amazing place does not mean that the training was right for you nor does it mean you got everything your faculty hoped you would master by the end of your time at school.</p>
<p>And yes, it does have potential to be a beautiful city. I, however, have been unable to really make a real home for myself here in the Midwest. It is nice enough while I’m in school though! Hopefully the next few winters won’t be as harsh as the one my freshman year!</p>
<p>CCer, what a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. You have captured so much of what it means to be the person who actually has to do the work and decide how to live this life.</p>
<p>Having spent half of my life in the northeast and half in the midwest, I’d say that there is nothing about this part of the country that can limit what you do with your life. And where the Twin Cities are concerned, the fact that they are second only to NYC in the number of theatre seats in the US is incredibly significant. Plus the Guthrie is one of the most important theatres in the country - not to mention the Goodman, the Steppenwolf, and so on. The Midwest is a true haven for great theatre.</p>
<p>Thanks CCer! Great info. Thanks for taking the time to write.</p>
<p>My d is at Shenandoah. It is a true conservatory program and she is thriving. The kids are supportive and the program is strong.</p>