<p>UNCSA is one of my top choices for college. It has a respectable and renowned conservatory-type program that's half the cost of most other drama/MT programs- what's not to like?</p>
<p>However, I have some questions to ask you guys before I visit next year.</p>
<p>Is the program really as good as internet articles and anecdotes make it seem? Are you getting half the education for half the price, or is being a public college merely a plus? It's located incredibly far from NYC, Chicago, and LA. Would that have any effect on career opportunities upon graduating? </p>
<p>Who attends UNCSA? How would you compare it to the more overhyped schools like Juilliard? </p>
<p>AND MY FINAL QUESTION- to anyone who's from/lived in the rural south, is Winston-Salem a good, relatively liberal theatre town in comparison to smaller, more hole-in-the-wall places? I have nothing against the south- I've lived here all my life- I just feel incredibly trapped and outcasted in my current town. Excuse the sentiment, haha.</p>
<p>UNCSA is in right in the same league with CMU and is currently maybe one or two prestige points below Juilliard per “name brand” and “heat” in the eyes of the business at about half the cost for whatever that’s worth. Plus they hold a well-attended New York showcase and have a great alumni network at pretty much all levels of the business in both theatre and TV/Film. Their LA showcase is student funded and they’ve only been doing it for a few years but it’s apparently gaining some heat although I just looked at their site and don’t know what in the world they were thinking when they decided to choose a space for it in the upper-ass reaches of Northeast Burbank this year. It’s a big, good looking class, but that’s a bear of a drive for the industry types in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and almost out of reach for those in West LA and Santa Monica especially considering that CMU is doing theirs on the same dates in Weho. Those who’ve experienced LA afternoon traffic will know what I’m saying … </p>
<p>Gerald Freedman who brought the program to prominence recently retired, but they shouldn’t miss a beat with Carl Forsman now at the helm. They might even get better with fresh leadership like many say happened when Jim Houghton took over for the decidedly “old school” Michael Kahn at Juilliard. </p>
<p>I don’t know about Winston-Salem necessarily being a “liberal theatre town,” but the surrounding city/town doesn’t matter all that much in the day-to-day life of a conservatory student. You’ll be so busy that you’ll barely notice it’s there other than the rents will be much cheaper if you decide to move off-campus as an upperclassman. You might even forget that the other departments exist for all practical purposes although I understand there is some intermingling between Drama students with Film and Dance majors. Collaborations with the film students can be valuable if you’re looking to go into screen acting so the presence of a very good film school can be a major plus.</p>
@fishbowlfreshman this is such awesome info! do you have any updates on carl forsman and the program?
Winston-Salem is a small college town. UNCSA is within walking distance of the cute downtown area where many of the restaurants & hotels are. The town is very supportive of UNCSA & the theatre productions sell out quickly. Carl Forsman has been the dean of the Drama program for a few years now and has retained the great teachers that have been turning out all of the well trained actors & techies.
My daughter is currently at UNCSA. Everything Fishbowlfreshman said is 100% accurate.
I think the only college program that is more highly regarded for acting is indeed Julliard. However, Julliard is so high pressured that I understand why they admit very few 18 year olds. I think their program is better for the more mature actor, who doesn’t require as much support.
UNCSA is very supportive, warm and encouraging, while still supplying top-notch conservatory training. And it is also true that being in Winston Salem hardly matters, because the students are pretty much busy from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM every day. It is all encompassing work. And it is much more affordable there, in terms of both the tuition and the living expenses.
Moving on from college into the professional world seems to be made pretty smooth by the showcases and the preparation for the world. My observation is that the faculty take that transition very seriously, and do a lot to prepare the students to go out and be successful. UNCSA boasts that 65% of their students achieve representation immediately upon graduation.
I can’t say enough how thrilled my daughter has been with the training at UNCSA. Best of luck to you!
When did most of the UNCSA drama students started acting.