<p>Where are there good programs for Musical Theater or Theater in Canada? Thank you for your help!</p>
<p>someone a very long time ago (about the time of the presidential election, not coincidentally) posted some links to 3 Canadian schools with MT programs.</p>
<p>Probably if you do a search you can find it. I know McGill does not have a theater program, despite the fact that (priceline/star trek) William Shatner is a grad and well regarded enough that the student center at McGill is known (informally) as the Shatner center. McGill does have a music program. I don't believe Toronto has MT either.</p>
<p>backtobefore, love your name! For musical theatre, Sheridan College is the place to go in Canada. For straight theatre, there are excellent programs at U of T and at Ryerson. I have a niece at U of T and my D3 will be a first year student there in September. Neither is majoring in theatre but I can tell you that U of T has more productions on an extra-curricular basis than many of the top theatre programs in the U.S. have for majors! I've seen several of their productions over the years (we lived there for many years), and a few this year on visits when my D3 was there interviewing, and they were of excellent quality. Canada also has the National Theatre School in Montreal but that's not a college and you wouldn't get a degree there. You can easily find these schools' websites by Googling. If you have any further questions about Canadian schools, I'm happy to try to answer them. As I said my D3 will be going there next year and we have visited most Canadian universities, as well as knowing many students currently attending various schools there. You can either PM me or post your questions here! :) Another great advantage of Canadian schools, is that, even paying international fees, the cost to attend is a fraction of that which U.S. schools charge.</p>
<p>I can vouch for the savings, as my son is at McGill (for math). It is incredible what a bargain Canadian schools are, not just because of the US dollar value (which incidentally is going the wrong way). Instead of paying say $40,000 for tuition and room and board, we are paying about half of that. So I heartily recommend people look north.</p>
<p>Hello Back to Before (YES Ragtime! I used that song in a history presentation). </p>
<p>I can definitely answer any questions you have about musical theatre/acting, etc up here. </p>
<p>First, like in the States, you need to decide what you want to graduate with. I'm not sure if you're American or Canadian, but if you're American... </p>
<p>Americans tend to use the words "college" and "university" interchangeably. Canadians don't. "University" is the term used to describe a generally 4-year, theory-based (save BFAs, etc) program. We don't have "public" and "private" universities-- all of our schools to one degree or another are funded by the province. You graduate with a degree. A "college", on the other hand, generally has a shorter program and is more vocationally based. You graduate with a diploma. </p>
<p>While I'm not sure which schools offer musical theatre as a degree, some of the schools people tend to apply to include the following: </p>
<p>Ryerson University: Has become "the" Canadian school to go to. You definitely get a solid foundation in all aspects of acting. Ryerson has an excellent reputation and grads tend to get a lot of work. I've talked to a few professionals now who feel as though the recent attention has inflated the program's ego somewhat, and while the program is solid, there is way too much hype. I've also heard many stories about huge issues with bureaucratic red tape at the school-- people never being able to talk to a real person, etc. The reputation is still great, and Toronto is arguably incomparible in the country for opportunity.</p>
<p>Sheridan: Sheridan is a college, so you'll graduate with a diploma. I don't know a lot about the program, except that it is one of the few specifically MT programs in the country. Again, it has an excellent reputation.</p>
<p>NTS: NTS is the closest Canada has to a Juilliard-- it's a conservatory-style program which accepts a class of 14. The training is quite well-rounded, and there is somewhat of a Canadian focus, which is quite cool. You'd also get the full Canadian experience, as the school has both English and French programs. Montreal is an excellent city to live in. </p>
<p>Studio 58: Often overlooked, Studio 58 is based out of Langara College near Vancouver. One of the most talented actors I have ever met turned down a $30, 000 scholarship to Ryerson to attend Studio 58. It's a smaller program which gives more individual attention than a lot of other programs. The classes are small, so students become tight. </p>
<p>Other programs to check out:</p>
<p>Concordia, Windsor, Acadia, University of British Columbia, Ottawa U...</p>
<p>If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!</p>
<p>*--R</p>
<p>It took me quite a while to find the website, so here it is in case anyone else wants a look: </p>
<p><a href="http://www.ent-nts.qc.ca/nts/school.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.ent-nts.qc.ca/nts/school.htm</a></p>
<p>I have been asked in many pm's where d2 decided to go to school and since this thread popped up, I thought I would share our journey. After being very lucky last year and having 6 wonderful choices of schools (including some that are heavily discussed on this forum) d2 choose Sheridan College in Toronto. And believe me, deciding was almost as stressful as auditioning. When I tell people her choice... the HOW, WHY AND WHAT questions usually follow... so here goes for anyone interested in those answers.</p>
<p>Alwaysamam- I quess we have more than one thing in common (d's in their third year at Tisch)... and now International students. (BTW, we think UT is gorgeous and academically outstanding).</p>
<p>September - you will be joining d1!... and d2, is thoroughly enjoying your country!</p>
<p>BacktoBefore - Sheridan is the premiere mt program in Canada - pretty much dominating casting in musicals in Toronto and many of the tours originating there. There are one or two others that focus on mt out in the provinces and are not that well known. As noted by Alwaysamom and September, there are several great Theatre programs (the only one that was not mentioned that I might add is York University) From my research Canadian drama study is structured a lot like in Europe. Emphasis on acting and movement (or dance). September mentioned the College vs. University concept of Canada. While this is true for a lot of schools, it is not for all. Sheridan College has a variety of degrees that are given including BA, BAA,and some graduate degrees. Their theatre BA degree is in conjunction with U of T. Their animation program is known internationally (with Disney recruiting about twice a year) and they offer graduate work in this also. In the beginning we were anxiously trying to figure out all the educational equivalents, etc... In the end she has several different options for different types of degrees and will graduate with an enormous number of credit hours by our standards (she will have the equivalent # of credits and time in for some phd's in the states ... but don't expect to figure all this out from a web site - believe me, it took a whole lot more than that!</p>
<p>HOW we found it-
Unlike many of you we did not find cc until after d2 made her decision. My d started performing in a lot of regional theatre at a young age and was fortunate to have continued to have a lot of opportunities through high school. She met so many great people who were in a lot of these programs or had graduated. These became our cc mentors over the years.
In her junior year she was cast in William Inge's "Picnic" . She was in awe of the Director who had done graduate work at Yale. His studies were focused on Stratford, Ontario and suggested to my d that she may want to take some of their summer workshops. So she applied , got accepted and off to Stratford she went. They have 2 week workshops with an all acting focus or a mt focus and you have the option of one or both. Along with classes monday through saturday 9 to 5, you see 10 of their productions. My husband, d1 and I went up for 4 days to take in the town, see their productions and d2's show and bring her home. Well we were simply blown away. We certainly expected the Classical as well as contemporary drama's to be of excellent quality, but were amazed at the Musicals! BTW, we are a big theatre family (see it, live it, breathe it as many places as we can) and these musicals were the best we had seen. These actors were in repertory, so the same ones handling the Shakespeare, were also singing and dancing up a storm! We decided that what made the musicals so exceptional was pure and simple, the acting. Many of her workshop teachers were the actors/ directors/staff, and several had come from Sheridan.</p>
<p>WHY she choose it-
After looking at her choices she sat down and made a list of what she wanted from a program and then prioritized it. In the end they had the most to offer HER. At Sheridan she has the opportunity to study classical acting as well as contemporary. She also has a private acting lesson (just like for voice)! For her this is very important, because she felt that in all her years of dance, voice and instrumental training... the area she had the least background in was acting. She feels she has grown so much in her acting this year - especially classical! The music component is very extensive. Along with a lot of vocal technique, performance and privates, there is a huge theory and ear-training program - another miracle offering! her sight-reading has gone off the charts. (she gets to continue with piano study too!)
Dance was also a welcome surprise. Like many of you with advanced dance skills, it is hard to find mt programs where you feel like you can be challenged (if you are lucky some schools put you in with the dance majors). After 15 years of dance lessons, competition, teaching, choreographing and performing in a company, you really don't want to be stuck in a class where they are re-inventing the wheel. AT Sheridan, she has been challenged in ballet, jazz and tap. On top of these 3 they have a dance performance class twice a week, that covers a variety of styles... mt, hip-hop, modern, partnering, etc. Plus bring in many guest choreographers to teach known combinations, run it like an audition and then cut. It really has been wonderful for many of the students with limited dance opportunities, because they are learning so much of the needed vocabulary/choreography that one is exposed to at auditions. Also there are choreography opportunites in the curriculum.
The other reasons she picked this school.... for her, it really "felt right" at the audition and when we returned for a visit. She felt they knew who "she was". (It was also the most involved and hardest audition she had and probably worked the most for).<br>
Second, I think she wanted a place of her own and the international appeal was exciting and an education in itself.</p>
<p>studio7, what a coincidence! :) Sheridan, as I said, is THE place to be for MT in Canada and I know it has a great reputation internationally as well. We know several very successful actors who are graduates of their program, including a close family friend who was Ulla on Broadway in The Producers, as well as in the Canadian production, a few who were in Rent, and another sweetheart of a family friend, Michael Therriault, who will shortly be in Fiddler on Broadway after an amazing string of roles in Canada. This is just the short list! :) It's a great program and is actually in the same town where we lived for a few years when we were in Canada, one of the most beautiful towns I've ever seen and so close to Toronto. We were lucky enough to have attended many Theatre Sheridan productions. I echo your thoughts about Stratford and the productions there, as I've posted about them many times here on the forum. We go every year and see several shows, and visit with the friends who are in the company each year, we always know SOMEone! My D2 spends time there every summer and is hoping to find time to do that again this year. Did you happen to see Anything Goes last summer? One of the best musical productions I've ever seen, and I've seen hundreds. I highly recommend a visit to Stratford for anyone who is interested in theatre. :)</p>
<p>It's funny you should mention Stratford, as it actually has a connection to BackToBefore's name... </p>
<p>Steven Sutcliffe, who is Mother's Younger Brother on the Ragtime OBCR , is now a member of the company at Stratford!</p>
<p>I completely agree with studio7-- it's all about your personal preference. I found my match in the States, but I would have loved to have gone to school in Canada if I had found my match up here. This is a fun time to be a Canadian actor. More and more projects are making their way up here, and Canadian film, TV and theatre are becoming more and more popular internationally. You'll probably discover plays and playwrights that you otherwise wouldn't have-- Canadians are, generally, very supportive of local art and artists. I adore my country, and, if you choose to come up here, I hope you will too :0)</p>
<p>Alwaysamom-
I can't believe that those actors are some of your friends! Michael T. we have seen at Stratford (in very classical roles) and have been very impressed! To this day I am in awe of some of those "kids" who can do classical roles with what comes off as generations of experience and next month are up there singing and dancing to perfection. I knew he was starring in Producers but was unable to see him when I was up in Toronto. That is really interesting that he is going on to do Fiddler, I am assuming one of the young men roles? And the girl that played Ulla on Broadway and Toronto, etc.. I have not seen her perform but have heard rave reviews. She has visited d's class - so beautiful, talented AND down to earth, d says (the guys were drooling). D said she spent most of the time crediting Sheridan for all her success.
Last summer at Stratford I did not get to see Anything Goes (had to choose), but I did see the absolutely best production of Guys and Dolls! OMG! it is the first time (of about 10) when I really felt that Sarah Brown was a fabulous, funny, endearing role.... it is so all about the acting. Also, A Midsummer Night's Dream (with all the Cirque De Soleil{sp?} influence) WOW!!!!!!!!!'
AND, Noises off - Unbelievalble!!!! , IMO, probably the hardest show to pull off in regards to timing. D1 took some friends up from NYU that are part of her theatre company and they were in AWE! They are all planning on going back this summer. One guy who is really outstanding, wants to audition next year.
Do let me know if and when you are up there and also in Toronto.
What is your d3 plan on studying at U of T? I have never seen a more beautiful campus sitting in the middle of a eclectic, dynamic, international (clean) city. We really are fortunate that our d's choose two of the the greatest cities to go to school and for moms (to visit!).
I thought I read that your d2 will be out of the country this summer??? I'm not sure. Let me know.</p>
<p>September-
I will look forward to seeing Steven Sutcliffe this summer. I know making the Stratford company is something short of a miracle! The chair of Sheridan who d has had for acting, directed at Stratford for some years - we found out that some of the people he directed were Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith and Christopher Plumber (?spelling) - although you may be a little young to recognize these names?<br>
We love your country and the people. They are genuinely some of the warmest, nicest people we have ever met. Toronto and Stratford have opened up a new world to us, as I am sure NYU will for you. Both places welcome international community and celebrate the arts! and you are right, Film is exploding in Toronto, second only to Cannes.<br>
A funny story - when d2 was home for the holiday, she had a list of about 10 plays that she needed for her scene study class. We wanted to order them right away so she could begin reading. We went on line to our regular store that we always order from. We were amazed that they only had 3 in stock. And then it dawned on us.... I bet these are Canadian Authors! And they were. And by the way, they were amazing.</p>
<p>Studio, oh, I'm glad you've seen Michael T. He's a darling young man and so very talented. We've seen him in so many things, at Stratford, in the Producers, he was a great Leo Bloom. I'd love to see him reprise that role on Broadway someday. He recently finished a movie about the life of Tommy Douglas, a famous Canadian politician who was Kiefer Sutherland's grandfather. He will be moving to NYC and starting the role of Motel in Fiddler in mid-May, coincidentally replacing another family friend Peter Matthew Smith who will then return to Hairspray. You're right, it really is a small world. </p>
<p>I'm so glad that your D got to meet Sarah/Ulla. She's a very sweet girl and loves going back to Sheridan to spend time with the students there. She's now working writing comedy for shows in Toronto and is enjoying that very much. We were lucky enough to see her this winter quite coincidentally at a production of Songs for a New World which was done at U of T. She was there to see it as we were. Michael T.'s girlfriend Tracey organized a reunion of the three who had done the show with her in Toronto a few years ago, for a one night benefit performance for the transplant unit at a Toronto hospital where her dad had had a heart transplant. One of the others who performed that night was Thom Allison, whom we had seen in Take Me Out the previous night. My D2 was disappointed that she couldn't make that trip with D3 and me because she has known Thom for several years since he was in Rent in the Canadian cast. </p>
<p>We did see that production of Guys and Dolls in Stratford last summer and I agree that Cynthia Dale was wonderful as Sarah. The next night is when we saw Anything Goes and she blew us away with an amazing performance which topped G&D! This year we already have tickets ordered for The Tempest, Hello Dolly, Into the Woods, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I have a feeling we'll make more than one trip because I would also like to see The Lark, with Amanda Plummer and also As You Like It, which is being done as a musical set to BarenakedLadies music. :) If you get the chance to see the Tempest, please do. This is William Hutt's final season at Stratford and he is a delight on stage, at age 85. We have seen him in many plays and he is truly an actor's actor. He inhabits each character he plays and gives that effortless delivery of performance to which every actor aspires.</p>
<p>Lastly, I just wanted to give others an idea of the type of performance opportunities kids at U of T get. This year the following productions have been mounted, shows which any U of T student can audition for:
The Wizard of Oz, The Laramie Project, Macbeth, Godspell, Chess, WASPS, Othello, The Compleat Works of Wm. Shakespeare Abridged, A Clockwork Orange, The Importance of Being Earnest, Splendids, Cymbeline, Far Away, Chekhov's Vaudevilles, and a drama festival of student written plays. These are just the ones which my niece could think of offhand, and we were fortunate enough to see several of these while there on visits. Amazing opportunities for kids who want to act. And yes, it's a beautiful campus!</p>
<p>And, lastly, you're right! D2 will be out of the country for half the summer. She's going to Africa!</p>
<p>Believe it or not, I have heard of Sheridan. Several years ago, my D performed with the Toronto Symphony (my first and only time to Toronto). Beautiful performance hall too. She liked the indoor mall nearby too :-). Anyway, I knew a girl online quite a bit older than my D at the time who was going to Sheridan for MT. She met up with us in Toronto. We spent the night with her and another girl who went to Sheridan. It turned out that my D was not too happy that she had to miss opening night to Harry Potter to perform wtih the Toronto Symphony (even though she was thrilled to do that job) and so had to see the movie the next night while in Toronto and we met up with the girls from Sheridan for that. It was at some theater which was like the biggest movie theater my D had ever seen in her life. Everything in Toronto was nice....this was near the theater district. Also, the hotel was nice....they put us up in some suite where I think my D and I had like three TVs between us. It seemed like such a great city. </p>
<p>By the way, where we live, kids are attracted to McGill which has a terrific reputation and is not that far away. Montreal feels like a true international city. And it costs less to pay tuition there and that is one of its attractions.</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Studio7 and September, funny I was going to tell you about many of the things you said! I have spent the last two summers at Stratford's programs... the first in Shakespeare, the second in Musical Theater. Chances are I know your daughter! I am interested in some day auditioning for the company at Stratford but probably going through their conservatory after I finish college. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Just finished reading your posts and thought I would talk about last summer. Some of my friends from the technical prgram were able to stay backstage for both Midsummer's and Guys and Dolls to see how a show really goes... those were some fun stories! But, I saw Anything Goes twice and G&D once... both wonderful shows... the crapshooter's ballet... wow. I saw all but... two of the shows I believe last summer... not to mention getting to meet and work with many of the actors. We talked to Cynthia after one of the shows of Anything Goes... a lot of the cast seemed very excited to see us because we had been such good audiences. This summer, although I'm not going back for the program, we are seeing As You Like It, Into the Woods, Hello Dolly, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Fallen Angels. Proves to be a good season!</p>
<p>And the chances of getting into the Stratford company... not so short of a miracle. We were talking to our director (Babs) last year and she said for the regular company you have about a 1 in 10 chance and for the musicals a 1 in 20... not so terrible.</p>
<p>Alwaysamom-
If I had to guess, I would have picked the part of Motel, based on his looks and size. I hope I will get the opportunity to see him perform in that role.
My d has seen some of the productions put on by U of T and has enjoyed them very much. She is so swamped with the hours involved in her program that she does not get to see as much as she would like. That figures, because it is all so very affordable to students!
Is d2 going to Africa with one of the NYU programs? ( I know they offer a couple that sound really interesting) or is is through some other group?
"As You Like It" with BarenakedLadies music... does look very interesting. There is always such great selection... Some performed very "classical" and others in "deconstruction" mode as my d would say!</p>
<p>Soozievt - and the world gets "smaller"</p>
<p>How fun that she got to perform with the symphony! And yes ,the huge indoor mall she liked was Eaton Centre... definitely a hot spot for teens!
There is a lot of New York City in Toronto... just less dense and more spread out.
McGill is popular around here to, but is not as close to us as Toronto!
I had to laugh at the 3 TV's. I know of no "theater" family who is in hours of training, performing, etc.... that has the time to take advantage of even one TV! lol</p>
<p>BacktoBefore - YOU'RE BACK!</p>
<p>I've yet to meet any person that has gone to Stratford and not been impressed and renewed. Even the environment is unlike anywhere I've been before.
Yes, the line-up looks good this year.... hard to choose!
Are you American or Canadian? (I'm thinking American??) What year are you in high school? I know you were asking about other summer programs - will you be doing one this year? or just looking into it?</p>
<p>Studio7, I don't know what state you live in but I guess it is not far from Toronto then! But I had never been there but this one time. And yes, my D thought Eaton Center was amazing and you have to realize we live on a dirt road in the mountains and well, nothing like that in our state. The three TVs is funny, you are right because she rarely ever watches TV and we never did in Toronto either. I figured they would put us up in a hotel room but when we got to the room and it had two bedrooms, a living room, two full baths, numerous phones and TVs, we were like, this is really living it up, we have no need for all that...it was just my D and me! The place where the symphony performed was really nice and again, nothing quite that big here in Vermont so for a country girl it was cool. That movie theater was also amazing. We are country bumpkins I guess. It is nice to be treated royally even if for a fleeting moment and then turn into a pumpkin ;-). Another symphony used a limo for her every time we needed to go somewhere and both of us were like, wow, she is a nobody. Anyway, we thought Toronto seemed really nice. Montreal we have been to, though you'd think we would go more considering it is 2 1/2 hours away but we never do. It seems like such a cosmopolitan city and kinda European flair. We once saw Chorus Line there. These two Canadian cities were clearly major meccas and lots of arts stuff going on. I recall Lion King playing at the theater across from where the Toronto Symphony performed.
Susan</p>
<p>I'm American, from Ohio. I've been going to Stratford since I was a little kid with my parents. I'm not going back for a program this summer, bacause I've gone the last two years. I am on the waiting list for Anne Reinking's Broadway Theater Project. I had a terrible audition, so I'm fine with being on the waiting list. It seems like a really good program.</p>
<p>Susan, I'm glad you and your D enjoyed Toronto. The hall where she performed is Roy Thomson Hall and it is a beautiful facility right in the theatre district, as you noted. Two of the Mirvish's theatres are right across the street, the Royal Alex and the Princess of Wales. Mirvish is the largest theatre producer in Canada and is responsible for most large theatrical productions there. There have been many longrunning shows there through the years, Phantom, Les Mis, Rent, Joseph, Miss Saigon, The Lion King, Ragtime, The Producers, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, and of course, they launched the Wicked tour in Toronto, at the Canon which is right across the street from the Eaton Centre. It's a great city for theatre and is considered the second best in North America after NYC, of course. The big productions are just a small portion of what's available there. I'm betting the movie theatre you went to is the Paramount. It's pretty amazing! :)</p>
<p>studio, the program D2 is doing in Africa is not affiliated with NYU. It's another organization and it's a leadership/volunteer/community service project.</p>
<p>BacktoBefore-
Broadway Theatre Project does sound great! Good luck to you!</p>