Virginia Schools - Any Advice?

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

<p>Hello!
I am new to this forum. I've been reading it today, and copied out the fantastic lists of East Coast Schools with great theater departments. Thanks to all of you for posting those! </p>

<p>I'm wondering if anyone has visited, or is currently attending, any Virginia colleges or universities, and might be able to offer opinions on the drama departments and productions. I would love to take my D to visit every school, but time is a definite factor. She wants to get a liberal arts education with potentially a double major (Theater/Acting&Directing plus TBD). So not so keen on conservatories or BFA programs. Being able to try out for productions starting as a freshman would be important. We live in Virginia so in-state tuition would be nice, and the travel time/costs would be reduced as well if we found a good match here.</p>

<p>Thanks for any help you can give!
Mgorwil</p>

2

<p>William & Mary has a great theater program (Glenn Close and John Stewart) are both from there. And a great liberal arts education. Tough to get into, though.</p>

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<p>Strongly encourage you to look at JMU–see a production if you can. I’ve heard good things about Christopher Newport as an up-and-coming in-state option also. We live in Virginia (Charlottesville) and have visited and seen shows at several in-state schools, both public and private, so feel free to PM me if you have a question about somewhere in particular. You might also look in NC and DC–good proximity, and don’t rule out financial aid!</p>

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<p>tjmom - I’m wondering if you’ve seen a production at William and Mary? If yes, did you think it was a good one? Do you know anybody in the theater program? Do they seem to like it? </p>

<p>Time3 - Thanks for the reply, I do have specific questions on comparing programs in some public and private in-state schools. Sadly they won’t let me PM until I have posted 15 times. So there’ll be a delay but I’ll PM you as soon as I can.</p>

5

<p>I teach at JMU and would be happy to answer questions you have about the program. We are an auditioned BA program. Double majoring is possible with the Theatre program. We have scheduled Friday visitation dates that generally coincide with productions posted on the Theatre and Dance website. There will also be a few weekend open houses through admissions this fall. Information can be found on the admissions website. </p>

<p>William and Mary, UVA, CNU, GMU, VTech are non-auditioned programs at in-state schools (with varied levels of academic selectivity). VCU is an auditioned BFA program, I am not sure if it is possible to double major. </p>

<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>

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<p>Mgorwil, I sent you a PM, so hopefully you will receive it soon! :)</p>

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<p>MGORWIL- I graduated a LONG time ago and while I used to go to theater programs regularly there, I haven’t been in years. One of my sons is in grad school there and we go down for football games, but my husband isn’t a theater buff so haven’t been (my son is but law school doesn’t leave him much time for theater). It is not PRIMARILY a theater program, but instead a strong liberal arts program with a nice theater program there. If she only wants theater, then of course VCU is probably the top art school in the state. Very different feel from W&M with its city location vs small town.</p>

<p>If you want to go see a production, the next one is an August Wilson play the first weekend in October.</p>

8

<p>Does your child’s school participate in the VTA conference in Reston at the end of October. Even if not you and you child could go. Pretty much every school in the state, and a few out of state, have information booths and representatives there. </p>

<p>There is also an opportunity for HS seniors to audition for many programs at once (although the programs that require an audition generally use these auditions for recruiting purposes only).</p>

<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>

9

<p>Also note that JMU has a studio theatre production next weekend (Odets’ “Awake and Sing”) and a mainstage (Bogosian’s “SubUrbia”) the following! We’re planning to go to the studio show for sure, and possibly the other as well. We’ve found that seeing productions is a great way to get a sense of the programs as well as the overall school environment.</p>

10

<p>Hello mgorwill</p>

<p>I toured W&M and UVA’s theatre departments this summer with my daughter. Summer is not a good time because there is no undergraduate activity; but, nevertheless, here are my impressions:</p>

<p>W&M - we saw a production from the summer Shakespeare festival and it was amazing. The actors are not undergrads, but there were two recent W&M grads in the play. Both were good, and one was fantastic as a lead character.</p>

<p>W&M facilities were not so good. My daughter’s high school facilities are better. We were told state funding cuts had impacted the department. Also they had building structural problems that were being addressed. </p>

<p>One cool thing W&M did have were photos on the wall from productions every year dating back to the the twenties. There is one of Glenn Close, and her presence and stare in the photo is so dynamic, she sort of jumps out of the wall. It’s really freaky.</p>

<p>UVA had a very nice theatre building and they were constructing a funky addition. We were told the theatre department gets very generous private funding. They were preparing for a musical and the sets and costumes were first class. A professor was actually on set painting. We did not, however, see a production. </p>

<p>I called both theater departments about a month in advance to set up a tour for my daughter, as we had to travel far to get there. I was impressed that a UVA professor spent two hours with us touring the department and answering our questions. I was disappointed that W&M set us up with an office admin, when there were professors and theatre students in the department working that day.</p>

<p>My daughter has decided not to apply to W&M. UVA is still in the discussions. UVA offers early action, which is appealing to us.</p>

11

<p>Times3 – Maybe we will actually be on campus at the same time and have the chance to meet. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Awake and Sing is the first of the student directed plays in the Studio Theatre this semester (the others are R.U.R, and Grey Gardens) Suburbia is the first Mainstage theatrical production of the semester (the others this semester are For Sale [in the Studio Theatre space], a musical revue [in the Concert Hall], and Anna in the Tropics [directed by a guest director who is the Artistic Director of the New Theatre in Miami – <a href=“http://www.new-theatre.org/martinez.php][/url”>http://www.new-theatre.org/martinez.php][/url</a>]</p>

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<p>Did you mean no undergraduate theatre department activity or no undergrad activity in general?
I don’t know about W&M, but there are many students at U-Va during the summer.
And I saw lots of them walking around when I was there.</p>

<p>[Summer</a> Session, U.Va.](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/summer/]Summer”>http://www.virginia.edu/summer/)</p>

13

<p>Yes, there was general undergrad activity at UVA. We actually went to an outdoor movie on a green with lots of students. It was quite vibrant.</p>

<p>There was almost no general activity at W&M, which I think distorted my daughter’s perception of the school. In hindsight, it was a mistake to tour during the summer, but she has lots of schools on her list and not much free time.</p>

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<p>Bear in mind that some (if not many) of the students you see on campus at UVa in summer session are not regular-year students. </p>

<p>I agree that it’s tough but often necessary to gauge a school by a summer visit! My kids have always had a gut reaction based on sense of place, but the real decisions have been based on people and programs, and that takes more time. Good luck to all!</p>

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<p>Hi Everyone,</p>

<p>Thanks for all your info on W&M, UVA, JMU! I really appreciate the impressions, they are very helpful. We’ve visited colleges at various times also. Interesting how different things like number of kids on campus and weather can change the impression of the school. I agree that it is really important to try and see the productions and meet the people. It’s just that there are so many, many schools! And almost all of them have a theater department.</p>

<p>Has anyone looked at Virginia Tech, or University of Richmond? I’m curious about those schools as well.</p>

<p>KatMT - is there a contact number/email for the VTA conference you could give to me? The website just has general conference information, and the only contacts I see are the Board of Directors! As far as I know our school does not participate. One question for you about the JMU program, does it have a partnership with any of the regional theaters for internships or guest artists? I looked at the website but didn’t see that info, although I found the FAQs very helpful!</p>

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<p>mgorwil - The VTA Contact information is: (540) 568-6038 or e-mail your request to <a href=“mailto:molinemk@jmu.edu”>molinemk@jmu.edu</a>. Mary K. Molineu is the VTA Executive Director. I am sure that she can answer your question about registering as a “free agent.” </p>

<p>In terms of questions about JMU:</p>

<p>1) Partnerships: We have a partnership with the Forum Theatre in DC, and they co-produce our senior showcase in DC in the spring semester. We also have professional summer opportunities on campus through the Children’s Playshop. We have plans to expand our summer professional programing as well. </p>

<p>2) Internships: In addition to the opportunities listed above many of our students work professionally in the summers and post graduation around the country at professional theatres and companies. We work with our students to identify those opportunities.</p>

<p>3) Guest Artists: We generally have at about 20+ guest artists on campus each year staying for varied lengths of time. Most years we bring a professional guest director to campus… this year there are actually two… The Artistic Director of the New Theatre in Miami that I mentioned in post #11 and another more local director. Last year we had a member of Theatre Bacchus (a professional company in France) come to direct Servant of Two Masters, and the student cast went to perform the show at the Avignon Festival in France this past summer along with members of Theatre Bacchus. This year Tim Miller is again coming to campus for an extended residency performing on campus and creating a devised piece with JMU students. This is the second time in the past three years he has come to work in this way with students. Through guest artist connections students have secured internships with those artists and at the companies with which they work. </p>

<p>Through the Forbes center Masterpiece Season ([James</a> Madison University - Experience the Arts at JMU](<a href=“http://www.jmu.edu/jmuarts]James”>Forbes Center for the Performing Arts - JMU)) the students have the opportunity to participate in workshops and masterclasses with the artists coming to perform… Last year with Ryan Stiles and the rest of the cast of the touring production of Whose Live Anyway, LA Theatre Works, and Bobby McFerrin, among others… This year they will have the opportunity to work with performers including the cast of the touring production of The 39 Steps, Anna Deavere Smith, and Michael Boudewyns. </p>

<p>Hope that answers your questions!</p>

<p>Please feel free to contact me with any additional you may have. :)</p>

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<p>KatMT - Thank you very much! All the information you’ve shared is very helpful. I will get back to you if additional questions come up.</p>

<p>best,
mgorwil</p>

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<p>My D applied and auditioned at a number of VA schools last year and we saw shows at many of them. In our opinion, in every category, JMU has the best theatre program in Virginia, if you want a BA program (which we did.) Their shows are incredible, their facilities state of the art, their faculty accessible and professional, their students friendly and welcoming. </p>

<p>We saw shows, toured buildings and talked to staff and students at William and Mary, JMU, VCU and talked to staff and students at UVA. We rules out UVA because we heard their graduate students get most of the roles in productions. She auditioned at JMU and VCU and, in both cases, it was a very positive experience. She was offered admission to both and we would have been happy to have her in either of those programs, based on our experiences on those campuses. Great people at both places, JMU a BA and VCU a BFA. We ruled out VCU when she decided a BA was a better choice for her.</p>

<p>In terms of W&M and UVA, it is important to note that, although they are not auditioned theatre programs, they are VERY competitive schools to get into academically. The facilities at W&M were quite run down and the show we saw was good, but we just didn’t see a lot of enthusiasm in their program. My D was underwhelmed, although clearly W&M is a top notch school overall.</p>

<p>JMU is also getting to be quite competitive academically, VCU a little less so. In all of these schools, you must be accepted academically first. Then, at JMU and VCU, you are considered artistically.</p>

<p>At the end of the day, my D ended up just outside of Virginia at American University. The draw of the Washington, D.C. theatre community, along with a number of other factors (academic scholarship that made the price comparable being one of them,) made it the right choice for her…but it was a very hard choice and I feel sure she would have been just as happy at JMU.</p>

<p>If you are interested in looking outside of VA and have any questions about American, I would be happy to help. Many of their theatre performance majors do double major and she plans to do so as well. In the class of 2016 (1600 students,) there are students from 48 states and 40 different countries…a huge draw for her. She is only 3 weeks into the semester obviously, but she is thrilled with the program and in love with Washington, D.C. She is in rehearsals right now for her first show and we are thrilled we are close enough to go see her perform in a few weeks. </p>

<p>Best of luck!!</p>

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<p>We attended the VTA conference and my son auditioned on Friday. Both of us are SO GLAD we heard about VTA on this board, because his high school didn’t participate and the drama teacher didn’t even tell the students about it – too bad, since the conference was only five miles away! So we attended as individuals, and had the opportunity to talk to a lot of people, attend workshops, see some one-acts, and enjoy hanging out with theatre people.</p>

<p>I strongly encourage any students who are planning on applying to colleges that require auditions, to attend an event like this prior to the audition season. Our biggest worry, looking ahead to college auditions, was: Is he anywhere in the ballpark for this profession, or not? Maybe we still don’t know for sure, but my son got 11 or 12 callbacks, which was a lot more than most students, and was flatteringly encouraged by quite a few of the representatives. He will be feeling much more confident from now on.</p>

<p>The schools which impressed him, based on rather long conversations with faculty members at the callbacks, were Shenandoah Conservatory (the new director of their acting program was there, and told us about how he is upgrading their acting curriculum), James Madison University, and University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Also Averett University, which we’d never even heard of before. Virginia Commonwealth University was much less impressive than we expected, and has been crossed off our application list.</p>

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<p>Prodesse – so glad your son had a great experience at VTA. I am sorry I did not have the chance to talk with him… he, likely met with our head acting teacher at Jame Madison, Wolf Sherrill. </p>

<p>I was coordinating the college SETC screenings down the hall. On Saturday afternoon I was done in time to sit in on the callback interviews, but on Friday I was in auditions until 7PM.</p>

<p>Hopefully we will meet when he come to James Madison for a visit! :)</p>