<p>I am jumping back to address the questions regarding an actor being cut "because of" their voice and looks. Your interpretation is different from mine (my perspective is coming from having been both before and behind the jury table). I see Goldy's statement as meaning that this student was more suitable to film/tv...they are likely attractive (highly desired, if not required, in film and tv) and have a vocal instrument incapable of filling a theatre (without amplication) and/or inability to handle heightened language, even though they may sing well and have no vocal obstruction (lisp, sloppy diction, regionality in dialect, etc.)</p>
<p>UofA's curriculum is MOSTLY period and styles work in the upper division:</p>
<p>Shakespeare (one full semester, in both voice & mvmt. AND acting)</p>
<p>Commedia, Moliere, Restoration (again, one semester for all combined, in both voice & movement AND acting).</p>
<p>Auditioning and The Business of the Business (senior year) - which entails working up classical/Shakespeare monologues.</p>
<p>The Musical Theatre students study in the same acting classes as the Acting majors - and because of this, they get excellent actor training. But also because of this, they must be screened as to ability to perform/function/excel in that arena of escalated difficulty. The acting majors can't "dummy down" the class to accommodate a talented, but limited, Musical Theatre student.</p>
<p>The actor in question was likely not ready for the demands of the junior/senior years in ACTING class curriculum required of all MT BFAs. Also, in the assessment of the faculty, the actor would likely have a very promising career in film/television (which they are NOT training for at UofA). </p>
<p>UofA is a classical actor training program, and the MT kids have to be able to handle their own in this arena. This training is good for their professional careers (I got more work in Shakespeare as a young actor than in Musicals, due in GREAT part to the training I recieved at the UofA...Dianne and Harold really know their stuff!!).</p>
<p>The classical training also seems that it should go hand-in-hand with MT, as both are dealing with heightened language, metered text, complex and condensed imagery, superb vocabulary, etc...</p>
<p>There are also physical characterization issues. For those of us old-timers who might remember, much of the training is similar to "finishing school," or "charm school" of the old days. In addition to this "graceful gentility," the classical training includes clowning, combat, period dance, and physical deportment (as a lady/gentleman of various periods in history). These skills are vital. Again, it seems that the dancer training would lend itself to this training...</p>
<p>However, simply because one can sing and dance in MT/Broadway style well, it doesn't necessarily follow that they can handle these language and physical skills. It isn't a matter of working hard, dedication, desire, loyalty, etc. - it is an issue talent and trainability. If an actor is limited in any one area, it would be detrimental to their success in this program. </p>
<p>A student may prove inflexible in their early training, which would magnify their lack of potential in the program - because the students who are placed above them (from within the UofA general theatre track) have not had the benefit of the top professors as their teachers, nor the time and money invested in their education as the MT and "company" kids have.</p>
<p>I would remind everyone that the UofA is not simply an "educational institution," it is a Professional Actor Training program. One that hopes to reach a "masters" level in MT, so that the student is well prepared for a career in the industry straight out of their undergraduate work (without the need for graduate-level study). The statements that these cut policies are too harsh - e.g., "it is still a school environment, not the professional world" - are not taking this into account. </p>
<p>I suggest that if you want an educational experience that is a "sure thing," nurturing, broad-based, flexible, etc., then a BFA program (and particularly one making cuts) is likely not the match for you. Perhaps you should look at a liberal arts/BA training program, one without cuts; that situation may suit your desires and goals much better, I feel. But be advised, these liberal arts training programs will most likely not offer you the superior/professional training that you also seek from the BFA. I may sound harsh, but you may not be able to have it both ways... Bottom line, do you value the degree or the training more?</p>
<p>I also have to point out that students cut from the BFA have the option of continuing as BA/general theatre students, and earning their degree within the time they initially anticipated (one of the primary options available to the students, in lieu of leaving the school or changing majors to, for example, vocal performance). In this case, the advisors will apply most, if not all, of their BFA courses taken toward the students' "new" BA degree requirements. Granted, these students won't have access to the upper division performing classes reserved for ART Company members, free voice lessons, nor to roles in the main stage season (unless there are small/extra roles to be filled after accommodating all Company members, when they might be cast through an open audition). But they will GET A DEGREE. A good one. And your money will not be "wasted."</p>
<p>And the expenses that are considered "wasted" would be spent at any college, so I'm not sure if that argument is valid. Perhaps losing a full-ride scholarship, like the fabulous out-of-state tuition waiver, would be a major exception. Otherwise, the money invested is not wasted on classes that won't transfer. On the contrary, beginning acting classes WILL transfer; voice and movement (with IPA and American Standard Stage dialect!!!) will transfer (and are highly desirable, BELIEVE me!); dance classes may transfer - and if not, students should have the level of technique making it possible to transfer in at a higher level in dance class (simply ask for a placement audition with the dance faculty). Theatre history, oral interp, analysis, and other general theatre studies courses will typically transfer to other institutions. So at most, you are "gaining" one year of study...not a bad thing for someone who feels that transferring out is preferable to staying and getting the BA General Theatre degree. Students could embrace this expanded training aspect, rather than rue it.</p>
<p>Blah, blah, blah, Eve...</p>
<p>:)</p>