<p>My D is going for straight acting, but I think those of you looking at Webster might be interested in this post–I’ve put it in several places on the forum, but I know everyone looks in different areas. </p>
<p>We made a visit to Webster this week.</p>
<p>The campus is definitely odd–a mix of old and new buildings and houses, too. The English department is in a big old house in the neighborhood, as is another department. I could live with it (but I won’t have to!), but my D really liked it. She has some funky tastes in things. The campus reminds me of her outfits! LOL. </p>
<p>The Rep Theatre of St. Louis shares the theatre building with Webster Conservatory–very, cool. Conservatory students can attend the Rep theatre shows for free, too, and work on those shows and audition for them! It’s a very nice facility. This close connection with a professional theatre reminds me somewhat of the opportunities of the Minnesota/Guthrie program.</p>
<p>We met with the acting dept head, Bruce Longworth. He struck us as smart, honest, professional. They had their senior showcase in NYC last week and one actress is going back next week–call for The Color Purple. He said it’s not typical for that to happen–but it does happen sometimes. He talked a lot about the process of auditioning after graduation, which was enlightening. My D had lots of questions: what does he hope students will be doing after they graduate, why is he here, what styles of acting do they teach, is the school academically challenging, can she take dance and voice, what’s their connection with the St. Louis Repertory Theatre, who chooses their plays, when do they choose, etc.
Students also get a voice in the choosing of the plays, which is awesome. About a dozen people sit down and discuss and talk it over, which he said is a ton of work. We were bummed that we couldn’t be there for a show.</p>
<p>My D attended a 2nd year acting class. Here’s an example of the odd campus–the acting classes are mostly held in space in a strip mall a block down from campus. None of this phases my D. She really does focus on the training and the people and is somewhat oblivious to her surroundings, which I have to realize is a very positive thing. I guess it helps that the space here at home for theatre is a run-down building that floods when it rains and everyone has to bail out the water.</p>
<p>She said the teacher was incredibly interested in the students and had prepared tons of notes to work with them on their Ibsen scenes. The students were friendly in a “middle of the road” way that made her comfortable: not obnoxiously welcoming and not stand-offish. They approached her and introduced themselves by name and shook hands and were very welcoming. (We had theatre students approach us when we were on our tour, too). D said they seemed a bit more mature than a few other schools she’s visited. She asked them how they felt about the program and they expressed lots of love.</p>
<p>I can see how this conservatory–especially the rehearsal/class space wouldn’t be for everyone. They were unapologetic about that, which is good, I think. They do have three stages/theaters that are very nice. The teachers have very humble office spaces, too, but choose to work here among (paraphrase) “students who are eager to learn” and “staff who are wonderful to work with.” Webster felt professional, smart, and unpretentious. </p>
<p>Their last auditions are this weekend on campus, and we’ll hear April 1, I think. My D can see herself there. I can see her there, too. I think students may be missing out on a very good program since it hasn’t gotten much exposure on this forum.</p>
To answer the question about acceptances. I’ve heard that this past year Webster only accepted 10 MT boys and 8 came. I’m not exactly sure about the girls, but I think it was around 15 and 9 came. Webster doesn’t utilize a wait-list which is why each of the classes have a different amount of performance majors. I hope I’ve covered everything, and seriously if you guys have ANY questions please shoot me a message!!</p>