<p>My D is an acting major at CMU. Was wait listed for MT! We recently discovered that as an acting major she can’t audition for any upcoming musical productions at the school. Why?? This was very disappointing to hear! However, MT’s can be in plays??? I don’t like this policy at all! Many of the acting students CAN sing and dance well, and should be given the same opportunities as the MT’s!!!</p>
<p>Did you not ask them these valuable life-changing questions before you put your deposit in? However, I’m surprised they didn’t tell you this information beforehand.</p>
<p>We assumed all actors and MT’s would have the same opportunities…why wouldn’t they?? They’re all a part of “School of Drama”… and at auditions CMU staff made it seem like actors and MT’s were basically the same thing. And no they did not disclose this information at auditions or on their site.</p>
<p>I can see it would be easy to overlook a policy like that, given that most prospective students focus in CMU’s well-known rule that freshmen and sophomores are barred from the mainstage productions. We will definitely ask about that, when my son auditions.</p>
<p>I would always assume exactly the opposite: that the MT kids and acting kids have different training and different performance opportunities. If they were identical, or even very similar, why would they bother having the two different majors? I don’t think the acting kids should be given equal opportunity in the musicals as the MT kids…just as I wouldn’t want the MT kids to be on equal footing in the casting of straight plays.</p>
<p>This is a fairly basic question that is one of the many that should be asked during the application/audition process. It shouldn’t come as a surprise once a student is attending. Each program is run in its own way and no assumptions should be made by prospective students.</p>
<p>As I said in my first message, MT’s are in straight plays… but actors can not audition for musicals. Doesn’t seem fair. Actors do take some voice and dance at CMU, and many have been trained in those areas growing up, so why not allow them to audition for musicals… In the real world of performing the “best person” regardless of their training gets the job. I feel that’s the way it should be at CMU.</p>
<p>(In the real world of performing the “best person” regardless of their training gets the job.)</p>
<p>This contradicts everything I have ever heard about “real world” casting. I wish!</p>
<p>CMUmomma- I don’t have an answer for you, but I did want to say thanks for letting us know. My S is applying, and we’d be ecstatic if he got in, but that certainly is a surprisingly lopsided policy. I guess I can understand CMU’s rationale (MT students need acting experience, acting students don’t necessarily need MT experience), but it is definitely something you would rather know going in to the process. I appreciate your sharing this information.</p>
<p>That is something that is good to know…the only thing I can think of is there are far less musicals done in a season.</p>
<p>Hi, CMUmomma. I have an answer for you in this question. CMU puts up over 40 productions every school year, but there is only 1 main stage musical that is done. Because of this they only allow the MTs the opportunity to do the musicals because that is their only chance. As a musical theater major, I did 6 shows. 2 of which were musicals, 1 of which was a main stage and the other was a JPP or junior performance project. Nothing says that when they do said JPPS that the acting majors cant be in a musical JPP. There are actors who are in them.
Also take into consideration that I said 1 main stage during my time. We weren’t able to be in the main stage musical our junior year because of the choice of production and it was more important for the seniors to get their big musical than the juniors who have 1 more year.
I know it might seem unfair and yes we do get to be in the plays with the actors, but that’s because a. there are a lot more of them that get done as you saw the breakdown, and b. musical theater majors are actually a double major of acting/mt.
Nothing says that your child can’t be in 200 musicals during playground by the end of their 4 years. That’s a whole other discussion though.</p>
<p>CarnegieMT2012, I have heard “playground” mentioned in passing but I’d love to hear more about it, as would others here, I’m sure. Are these student-generated productions? Are they more like staged readings or are they fully produced plays and musicals?</p>
<p>Surely!
Playground is a student run and produced week-long theater extravaganza. During the fall semester students can propose anything, new works, new musicals, art installations, movement pieces. But it has to be new. No readings of Rent or anything unless you’re able to get the permission from the composer. But, they really prefer it to be all new and created stuff. It can’t be any longer than 45 minutes in length since you only have 4 days or so to rehearse it, and you can put it in any space imagined in Purnell (our building), i’ve seen stuff in the bathrooms. Then during the spring semester, we cancel classes for the week(only theater classes, required gen eds are not cancelled) and from Sunday night- thursday early morning, kids are rehearsing. There are an infinite amount of pieces you can work on, but only a finite hours you can rehearse, so it also teaches you time management and not to stretch yourself too thin (which kids do anyways). There is no faculty involvement of any kind, unless you specifically need or want their help. And then from Thursday morning to Sunday morning its theater around the clock. And these are full 20-45 minute performances. They’re lit, choreographed, and clothed.
Playground is amazing because you aren’t restricted by your major. Actors direct or design. Designers act or direct, it’s awesome. And there’s no age restriction. Anyone in the school of drama who is a student can and should be a part.
Some of the best work from actors of my school have been in playground because there are no grades or fear or ‘failure’.
Hope that helps!</p>
<p>ps. playground is awesome and now other schools are trying to incorporate that into their curricullums.</p>
<p>Thanks, that does sound great. Can you tell us more about JPP too?</p>
<p>JPP is junior performance project. It’s essentially your introduction to performing as a Junior. It’s technically an acting class exercise that you get to perform in September. They choose a musical and a play, or a musical and two plays depending upon size and numbers. They’re usually no more than 90 minutes in length and you rehearse both in class and after class. Your acting teacher directs it and works on it with you for 6+ hours a day or so, and it also gets lit and has costumes, blocking, choreography, etc. It’s great because since it’s both class work and performance work you get your teacher there helping you in case you have any questions, or they have some other amazing insight that will help you as an actor and as you continue through the school. My JPP was Assassins and I was Lynette Squeaky Fromme back in Fall 2010 I think. It was an amazing production and an amazing learning experience.</p>
<p>and monkey13 “I would always assume exactly the opposite: that the MT kids and acting kids have different training…” We have pretty identical training except that we take dance classes and voice lessons and a few other classes, but actors can take all those classes with us if there are room. And on the other side of the coin we can take their classes if they fit in our schedule which sometimes they do and don’t. We’re in all acting classes together all 4 years so we don’t differentiate on that. We’re all actors and we all get the same degree at graduation.</p>
<p>CarnegieMT2012, since you’re currently online, I’m going to exploit your presence shamelessly. There was another thread here on CC where parents (mostly) were wondering to what extent acting and MT majors are able to have friends outside the program. Is this practically impossible, due to the busy schedules? Are the freshman dorms all mixed up, or is there themed segregation of some sort?</p>
<p>Hah, it’s ok, it’s been a while since I was on here and since i’m a graduate it can only help.
This is a tough question because it’s dependent upon who your children are. The dorms at CMU are mixed and there is no themed segregation of any sort. I purposefully chose to dorm with a non-theater major which was hell and spent most of my time upstairs in my best friends dorm who was an actress. I’ll be honest, and in my opinion it is hard. I tried to do that freshman year and be the ‘mayor’ of my floor, but I found to be neglecting my acting family, and those are the people you have class with/collaborate with/are your family for 4 years and after. All of us NYC 2012 kids see each other really often, we make a habit of it. I had maybe 1 really close friend outside of the school and he was an information systems major. Some kids choose to rush, not many, but if your grades drop from your sorority/fraternity status, but make the choice of pushing away friends, and or getting asked to take a year off from school. It’s hard, we all go to CMU for such highly individualized, special, and hard programs that you usually stick with the kids who are going through it with you. We all live together, have class together, and party together. My dear friend who was IS had NO idea what I was going through, and I had no idea what he was going through hah.</p>
<p>All that said, yes it is possible, it just takes a bit more work and effort and time that you don’t really have.</p>
<p>I’m not totally sure, but I am 99% certain that the young man who played Sweeney Todd in the 2011 main stage musical at CMU was an drama major and not an MT, so I don’t think this is a hard and fast rule in their program. Sweeney was the rare exception, but it isn’t an all or nothing proposition. Then again, Sweeney is a role written more for an actor who can sing rather than a singer first guy. </p>
<p>It’s definitely a consideration to take into account, but there are plenty of ways to stay active in good, quality musical theater while you are in college, especially if you are in an acting program of CMU’s level.</p>
<p>I thought I recalled this Sweeney Todd actor as well. Regardless, there are loads of opportunities around the Pittsburgh area for performers, especially musical opportunities. I am not sure of CMU’s policy on being able to participate outside the school parameters or if there is even time, but certainly in the summer there are tons of venues open to the exceptional CMU talent. I am almost quite sure that I read at least one bio of a Sweeney Todd actor who did indeed take advantage of these great opportunities.</p>