<p>I saw this thread on the MT forum and thought it was great! Plus I have a Junior, so want him to consider all his options.</p>
<p>Coastal Carolina was awesome. Just as in MT. 
Very impressed.</p>
<p>I think I blurted everything out on the original thread in the MT forum, but to sum up: the biggest surprises for the positive were Hartt and JMU. The negative surprise, which I didn’t name on the other thread, was Evansville. Most impressive (but not surprising) were Otterbein, Ithaca, and BU. Mine’s post #11 on the MT version of this thread, or PM me for details! :)</p>
<p>Montclair BFA Acting REALLY shocked me. Where I train if it’s not CMU or Julliard it’s supposedly “no good.” That’s just not true- the college process and the right guidance teaches you to become a great “quality” seeker, and I certainly found quality at Montclair. After a great day of classes and interviews I saw their performance of Equus- left in tears and awestruck.</p>
<p>You guys are killing me!!! The two programs my son is struggling between are Hartt and Montclair…</p>
<p>^^What great options! And I can’t remember whether you have already visited or are planning to do so…? I know it’s far for you.</p>
<p>My son auditioned on campus for Hartt and loved it. Montclair, which we have not visited, he also in love with…</p>
<p>We were very impressed with the acting director, John Armstrong, at Ohio Northern after seeing him work with students on their monologues. oNU offers great scholarships and seems to be up and coming. We too also loved the folks at Coastal Carolina. They have one of the only physical theatre degrees in the country, strong Shakespeare training, the acting and mts work together, there are study abroad opportunities, Ben Vereeniging himself came and worked with them on Pippen this year… And the beach is minutes away! Both are great programs to consider …</p>
<p>Syracuse is the school that jumped up the most based on an on campus audition. Very dynamic Dean. Very easy to see the strong connection between faculty and students. If its important to someone to feel part of a larger university (not a huge factor for my daughter), Syracuse acting students came across more connected to what was going on in the rest of University. Relationship with major theater company was a big plus.</p>
<p>We’re still waiting to hear. Probably not likely to go there over UNCSA because amount of studio time is one of her biggest criteria and UNCSA has a lot more studio time. But she was very comfortable with Syracuse as a possibility.</p>
<p>We made a visit to Webster this week. I’ve posted this in another thread, also. </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 intelligent, honest, and 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. </p>
<p>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 couldnt 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. </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 shes 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. 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 hasnt gotten much exposure on this forum.</p>