<p>My son is starting to think about his BIG list of mt schools.
It seems that an important consideration is a senior showcase.
I was wondering what schools have senior showcases and if anyone can provide details about them and their success. Thanks!</p>
<p>It might be hard to list every MT program that has a senior showcase and it might be easier if you ask about a particular school your son is interested in and ask if that school has a showcase. Just a thought.</p>
<p>I thought it might be an interesting list to produce for people to refer to.
I’ll just check on the schools myself.</p>
<p>U Arts does.</p>
<p>I did not mean to not ask HERE but just saying it might help to ask about certain schools and those who know those schools might respond.</p>
<p>Syracuse, Boston Conservatory, U-Mich, Montclair are a few that I know of that do NYC showcases.</p>
<p>CMU does a NYC showcase as well as an LA showcase, and if time prevents we can go to Chicago too.</p>
<p>Beginning next year CCU will be having a senior showcase in NYC, possibly in combination with another program.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to the 2011 Syracuse Showcase that takes place on Monday, May 9 in NYC:</p>
<p>[Syracuse</a> Showcase 2011](<a href=“http://syracuseshowcase.com/]Syracuse”>http://syracuseshowcase.com/)</p>
<p>I meant to not say prevents, I meant to say allow haha and here’s the 2011 showcase link:</p>
<p>[CMU</a> School of Drama | Showcase](<a href=“http://www.drama.cmu.edu/18/showcase]CMU”>http://www.drama.cmu.edu/18/showcase)</p>
<p>Point Park has a senior showcase</p>
<p>UC Irvine has a senior showcase in NYC and LA</p>
<p>Webster does! and I believe Elon does not. At least not one in NYC.</p>
<p>^Elon “brings the mountain to Mohammad” – invites casting directors, etc to come to the school. Other schools that offer NYC Showcases: Baldwin-Wallace, CCM, Ball State, Otterbein, UMich, Ohio Northern… Some schools take all seniors to the city, some audition for them to be in Showcase. </p>
<p>Along the audition tour this year, kiddo and I talked to lots of students and faculty about many things, including Showcase. Many kids received interest at their Showcase performances, but until they are able to live in New York, can’t really act on that interest. Some schools help fund the trip, some have the kids figure out how to get the cash to get there. </p>
<p>As for results – talk to each school that makes his short list – they can tell you about recent grads’ outcomes (and are happy to share that good news!) Although a NY Showcase started out very high on my kid’s shopping list (and she has ended up choosing a school that auditions for Showcase opportunities in NY, Chicago and LA), some other factors came into her personal equation that were equally, if not more important, than Showcase: Yes/No. </p>
<p>Good you’re doing the research now. Expect the list to change as he (and you) figure out what makes the right list for him. (And it is different criteria for every family!!). Look beyond the name of the school, beyond Showcase. Happy research!!</p>
<p>I’m going to be a bit contrarian here. A great many BFA programs have senior showcases. I would bet that if you pick a BFA program that is frequently discussed on this forum, the odds are that it has a senior showcase. I would not, however, overweight the existence of a senior show case in determining the schools to which to apply. Depending on the school, senior showcases are often by audition only and not all seniors are accepted and from those accepted, there are those who benefit from the showcase by getting representation offers from agents or audition opportunities but many who do not. There are so many schools that do senior showcases that you also do not get a uniform level of outside professionals from the industry who attend the showcases i.e. the “decision makers” from a particular agency may not attend a showcase and there is a great variance in the representation and casting agencies that attend the showcases. A showcase is just one of many ways to get an opportunity to make a connection or get some exposure and for most students who participate it has more value as an educational experience than a direct career developer.</p>
<p>In addition, the “NYC Showcase” touted by so many schools in some ways is intended to appeal to and focus on a very limited view of being a successful performer in the theatre industry. No one can deny the appeal of New York for all the reasons that it is the flagship city for theatre in the U.S. But there are many other cities that offer great scope and depth of professional theatre and opportunities to be a working actor, get experience and make connections. They may not have the scale, glitz, zing and pop of New York (and I don’t say that in a pejorative way) but they are places where actors can successfully earn a living in theatre, build careers and have very fulfilling performing opportunities. There are different paths that can be taken to having a career in theatre and showcases tend to focus on only one. It is one which in my view presents a much greater likelihood that a student just out of college will be lost in the multitude as compared to other opportunities elsewhere to get experience, become a seasoned performer, make connections, develop credibility as a performer and then use all of that as a springboard to performing in NYC if that is your ultimate goal.</p>
<p>When it comes to picking schools, having a showcase, in my view, is secondary. Far more important is making sure the program, its balance, focus and depth, the educational experience and performing opportunities it will offer, are all the right fit. These kinds of things are at the core of selecting schools. And if it then offers a senior showcase, so much the better.</p>
<p>Ok, now for the slings and arrows ;).</p>
<p>Michael no slings and arrows here, I was going to say much the same only not as eloquently. Showcases are not nearly as important as some people make them out to be as mommafrong’s daughter found out working through her college selection.</p>
<p>But to answer the OP question - Northwestern has three showcases - NY, LA, and Chicago.</p>
<p>I know Point Park was mentioned and theirs is an audition based senior showcase unlike some with smaller classes like cmu who showcase all their students.</p>
<p><em>throws her slings and arrows aside</em></p>
<p>Very well said Michael. Temple has a senior showcase but it is in Philly. It’s not NYC but it’s not too shabby a place in the theater world either!</p>
<p>Roosevelt/ CCPA has a showcase in Chicago. As a student who plans to stay in Chicago after graduation (as many of us do), I do not mind not having a NYC showcase. Chicago is such a fantastic theatre city with so many opportunities to be a working actor, and a lot of us see no reason to leave Chicago upon graduation. Quite a few do choose to go to NYC, though, and are doing just fine there without a NYC showcase. </p>
<p>I agree with the other posters though. Do not choose a program based on it’s senior showcase! I personally don’t see them as being as important as people make them out to be.</p>
<p>I happen to agree with MichaelNKat. I think senior showcases are helpful but are not the end all and be all that some on CC make them to be. At some schools, you have to be selected to be in the showcase and at others, all seniors are in showcase, and of course, some schools have NO showcase. A showcase is a good opportunity to be seen by agents. I surely won’t argue that! But not everyone in a showcase gets an agent. Further, that’s not the ONLY way to ever get an agent, let alone become successful. It is one way and can help if it works out. There are other ways to obtain representation. Also, there are other ways to get cast such as through open calls.</p>
<p>Michael brought up another point that some will seek work in theater in other cities such as Chicago or Philly and so the NY connection is not the only one either. </p>
<p>To me, a senior showcase would be ONE factor to weigh in selecting a MT program, but would be more secondary in consideration to many other selection criterion as the showcase is no guarantee of getting an agent, nor is it the only way to obtain one. It is a nice opportunity to be sure! But it is not entirely crucial in terms of eventual success in the industry. Having an agent, however, IF you get one, is helpful as some auditions are not open and so there is more access to auditions via agent submissions, not to mention not being in open calls, etc. I would suggest picking a college MT program based on the program itself and fit for you and if it also has a showcase, that is a very good added plus but should not be the most important factor in picking the program.</p>
<p>Personal experience:
My kid went to NYU/Tisch. There were two available showcases for her. One was a guaranteed showcase for all seniors in CAP21. The other was a Tisch-wide MT showcase (called Industry Nights) by audition (and another similar one for Acting). My D gave up the opportunity for the guaranteed MT showcase through CAP21 ! She had switched out of CAP21 for her final three semesters to train in ETW studio. She was invited back into CAP21 for her final semester in order to do the CAP21 MT showcase, but chose NOT to do that as she was more interested in staging her own original musical which she was able to do at ETW and not CAP21. The showcase did not take precedence. She took the risk to give that showcase up and audition for the Tisch-wide MT showcase that only takes 15 seniors (from ANY studio…there are MT talented students in each studio by the way, not just the MT studio at Tisch). For her, it all worked out as she got into the audition-only showcase at Tisch for MT. She met with several agents after that and signed with one of them before she graduated. The first audition the agent sent her to, the week of graduation, she was cast in a part on a tour. Remember, however, in this industry, one is always job hunting as jobs are not forever and so what happens and what jobs you get right after graduation isn’t everything in the longer term scheme of one’s MT career.</p>
<p>Further experience with agents…because my D is based in NYC, sometimes agents see your work (this is post-graduation). This past fall, my D signed with a well known agency as representation for theater literary (in addition to having her original talent agent from her showcase). She got this agent because they saw a sample of her work in NYC. Then, she also signed with a new talent agent this week (she wanted to switch talent agents from the one she signed with after showcase two years ago) and the way she got this new agent is because they saw her perform in her original musical in NYC recently. They attended because one of their clients was also involved in the show. They saw my D perform and talked about her to their other client and due to that, she was invited in to meet with them (one way to get an agent in NYC is if one of their current clients recommends you…but in this case, the agent actually saw my D in her show as well). So, I share this with you as TWO examples (she has two agents for different purposes) of obtaining agents NOT through her showcase (even though she also got an agent through senior showcase at Tisch originally too). So, there are OTHER ways. </p>
<p>Someone mentioned that casting directors and agents come to Elon and work with the students. This is true. But this is not unique at all. At both Tisch and at CAP21 (when that was the MT studio for NYU students), aside from the actual showcases, they also have casting directors and agents come to the program and work with the students. This is true at several schools, even ones that ALSO have a showcase (which gets you in front of a lot more agents). Also, at Tisch, because it is right in NYC, often agents and casting directors attend the college productions. </p>
<p>In any case, the point at which you graduate is not your only chance to get an agent, as you can later on too. </p>
<p>Also, while showcases are a good way to get in front of agents…there is another thing to look for in selecting a MT program and that is their NETWORK. I cannot emphasize this enough. Having a daughter who is just two years out of her BFA program, I cannot begin to tell you how much work and other things have happened for her through the massive network she has established through faculty, classmates and alum of Tisch (this is a large group of people who are involved in many aspects of theater). One thing has led to another. So, having an agent is one very very beneficial thing (she is grateful that she has two agents for two areas of her professional life), but the networking is another big thing to have in NYC if you go there.</p>