We found out this A.M. . My daughter has an audition spot at Wagner.
Congrats diamondgirl. My D is still waiting hopefully.
Good Luck! Let us know how it goes.
Hi! I’m a current theater performance major at Wagner. Let me know if you have any questions, I’d be happy to help in any way! 
Thanks! Daniellececelia when is the earliest one can audition for Musical Theatre?
The audition day this year is Sunday February 28!
Thanks! That sounds so late. Good Luck to everyone. We will go through this next year.
What are the strong points in the MT curriculum? What would you like to see improved? My D was accepted and is deciding. Thank you
Hi!! I was admitted as a Wagner MT for the class of 2020. How many performance opportunities to majors have? Are all shows open to auditions from anyone at Wagner? How many days weekly are you in voice, dance, and acting classes? Also, are there any study abroad programs?
Did anybody else have the experience of being denied an audition at Wagner for no explicit reason? My D applied, but was told that it was “just a numbers game” and that not everybody would be afforded the opportunity to audition. There was no pre-screen of any kind, which was sort of odd.
We had a fine result, with my D being accepted to BFA acting programs at NYU Tisch, Pace and Marymount Manhattan, but it seems like Wagner might want to either do some pre-screening or perhaps schedule more than a single day for auditions if they want to evaluate their growing applicant pool on a more even basis.
Hey! I’m a current sophomore Theatre Performance major at Wagner and I would love to answer some of these questions – I realize it’s too late for those who auditioned this year, but hopefully it will help future prospective students who check this thread!
What are the strong points in the MT curriculum?
I personally love it here, and I think we have several strong points:
- Amazing faculty: Every teacher I’ve encountered here is caring and compassionate and highly knowledgeable about their field.
- Close knit community: Wagner is a SMALL school and the theatre kids all stick together. It sounds corny, but there’s a real family vibe, and everyone is incredibly supportive of one another.
- Wide variety of training: It’s a BA, not a BFA, so you have the chance to study other things and learn about the world. I strongly believe having such a strong academic focus and being able to take a lot of classes that aren’t in the major has helped me to become a more educated, well-rounded person and performer with a lot of experience and knowledge to draw from onstage.
- Emphasis on individuality: Probably my favorite part about Wagner’s program is that it doesn’t produce cookie-cutter performers. Honestly no two people are the same. I feel totally encouraged to bring my whole self and all my imperfections and quirks to the table. We aren’t pressured at ALL to fit into a “type.”
- Location: Being in NYC, I go to the city to take classes literally every weekend and get to see Broadway shows all the time. Being immersed in heart of the theatre industry, we a close up view to everything that’s going on. AND, we get to have masterclasses with people who live and work here (Adam Guettel and Victoria Clark just came here to teach and I still haven’t recovered)
What would you like to see improved?
The facilities here aren’t great. Our Mainstage looks impressive, but it’s small and the acoustics are terrible. There are only two dance classrooms and both are falling apart a bit. I love our black box, but it could use some work as well. Also, some of the voice teachers aren’t great. We have to take voice lessons with people who are from the Music department, not the Theatre department, and while there are like 2 teachers who are awesome for musical theatre, the majority aren’t MT-focused, which is annoying.
How many performance opportunities to majors have? - We do 4 Mainstage shows a year (usually all musicals) and 4 black box shows (usually 3 plays and a dance concert). Additionally, there are two student-run theatre groups that usually do 4 shows each per school year. Freshmen are able to audition during their first year – literally one of your first few days at Wagner you’ll be auditioning for one of the fall shows!
Are all shows open to auditions from anyone at Wagner? - Yes! It’s rare that people outside the program get cast, but it does happen.
How many days weekly are you in voice, dance, and acting classes? - Every day!
Are there any study abroad programs? YES and a lot of students in the performance major do choose to study abroad!
And to comment on Delegator’s post – I know that they’re trying to figure out a way to accommodate the growing number of applicants while also still being able to have auditions here on campus. I strongly suspect the audition policy here will change in the next few years - either adding another audition day, adding a pre-screen, or something else.
Hope this helps!
I was under the impression that you apply to the school and state that you wish to apply to Theatre Perf & then they invite the top academic applicants to audition…, is this the impression everyone else has? I will say one audition date is tough…might work out for us & might not…