<p>Hi, My kid is seriously considering Temple for a BA in theatre, not MT. However, I saw some good insights on here about the theatre program too. Anyone with current info on Temple willing to get in touch with me and/or make some posts about the program(which sounds great), Temple as an undergraduate school overall, and what it is like to live in Philly. thanks :)</p>
<p>Hi ctl987, my husband and I both went to Temple. I spent two years at the main campus and two years at the Allied Health campus. Both are located a few miles from each other on Broad street in North Philadelphia. My husband spent all his time at the Allied Health campus. My daughter auditioned for the musical theatre program this past spring. She and I were both impressed with the information given to us by the program director and his assistant. She liked that it was a BA program and that she would have a “real college experience”. The different class opportunities are endless. This was her last audition of 16 and we had experienced all of the different information sessions for all of the other MT schools. With this one,she came away with a real family feeling from the program. I know this doesn’t help with the theatre information you are seeking, but from an MT point of view, she was impressed. The two things that I didn’t like were that the competition for roles extended to the MFA program as well. So, my child would be vying for a role along with an MFA student for the same production. I don’t know if this is true for the theatre program, but it’s worth checking . I was frustrated with the admission process to the program. My daughter was told early on that she was one of the remaining students who were being considered for the MT program but was left hanging for weeks till they finally told her that she had been admitted to the theatre program not MT. This was mid April when all of the other programs had already let her know. She decided that she couldn’t wait any longer and decided to choose another program. She was disappointed because she would have chosen Temple. </p>
<p>The academic portion of the admission was fine. Temple has rolling admissions and the scholarships available are pretty good. She got a substantial academic scholarship which would have helped with the out of state tuition.</p>
<pre><code>I was greatly impressed by how much the campus had changed. Temple has purchased and improved so much of the area surrounding the main campus. The housing has improved tremendously since I was a student. And, they take the safety of the students very seriously. It is no doubt a low socioeconomic part of Philadelphia but so many improvements have been made to improve the area. I was really astounded. The city itself is incredible. There is so much to do and there is great emphasis on the arts. Philly is like a calmer version of NYC. The public transportation system has been updated and does seem more safe. good luck with all of this! Hope what I said helps with the decision.
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<p>My D is a senior MT student at Temple. The theater program there is well established and Philadelphia offers some amazing theater opportunities. Although, my D is musical theater, she is also very comfortable in non-musical theater and is actually set to play one of the witches in Macbeth next February. Temple is known for bringing innovative theater to their stages in both musical and non-musical venues. As a large university, there is indeed a lot of competition for roles amongst both undergrad and graduate students. I do not see this as a negative at all. Once out in the “real” world, actors will be vying for roles with hundreds of other hopeful actors. Most 18 year olds are not quite mature enough to handle playing Lady Macbeth convincingly. Students learn that casting is about what is best for the production. I believe this practice carries over into professional theater. You may have a great audition but if you aren’t what the director sees as best for his production then you aren’t cast. It’s a puzzle with many pieces that need to fit correctly in order to see the whole picture. </p>
<p>Temple helps you learn how to broaden your acting base and the competition helps kids seek out different opportunities both within Temple’s own theater program as well as in the Philadelphia community. I want my kid to never rest on her laurels and to learn and grow from disappointment. There are many internship opportunities within the Philly theater community and kids quickly learn to seek out opportunities on their own. D did an unpaid education internship at The Arden last Spring, was asked to help teach at thier summer drama school and now has just completed her first 6 weeks as a paid teaching artist there! Philly theater is a big family and they tend to hire and cast from within their “family”.</p>
<p>There are some fantastic professors at Temple. Many of them have Broadway, regional and major film credits. Some are still performing regularly in regional theatre and/or directing/choreographing for one of the many theaters in the area. They are working professionals who are also professors. Guest speakers/artists are brought in regularly to speak at 1087, which is the weekly meeting of the entire theater department, including students. Students are expected to fufill a contract, which may involve stage crew, box office, dramamturgy and the like. Theater students are a very tight group.</p>
<p>My daughter originally was set to attend a conservatory for her BFA but decided she wanted a broader education that allowed for pre-professional schooling as well. A solid understanding of many subjects can only help you as an actor. Be advised…this is a huge university. Red tape is the norm! Scholarships/grants for theater kids are more difficult to obtain and sparser in general. My D was accepted into the honors program which offers quite a few perks…priority housing being one of them. </p>
<p>As for living in Philly…well it has it’s ups and downs.
The area is indeed very low socioeconomic are and Temple is always chided for being a “ghetto” school. The security has been ramped up in the last few years and I would say living on campus is pretty safe. Living off campus, as my D does, can be a little more challenging. There are definitely certain areas you want to avoid living in and unfortunately, these areas also offer the cheapest rents. I find rents to be ridiculously high for the tiny run down apartments offered but that’s just how it is in a university area. Great food in Philadelphia! D and most of her friends loathe SEPTA and think it’s the worst public transporation system on the east coast. The Philly theater community is very low key and is very different from NY theater.</p>
<p>My daughter plans on moving out of Philly upon graduation but many of her fellow actors plan on staying and working within the Philly theater scene. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions!</p>
<p>Stagemom, I just now saw this post. Thanks. Very helpful. We saw Macbeth and I thought all the witches did a great job so congrats to ur daughter! Given that some of the actors in that show were the MFA students, extra kudos to ur daughter for landing such a big part as an undergrad!</p>
<p>does temple have a showcase?</p>
<p>broadway, not that i know of. musical theatre program might; as far as i know, regular theatre program does not. My kid starts there tomorrow(although in communications, not theatre). If i get a firm answer down the road, i will post it here. philly has a lot of theatres so there would be oppurtunities to make connections </p>
<p>Hi, I’m considering applying to Temple! I have a question though… I want to be a science major but I have no idea how strong science is at Temple… from what I hear it sounds like the MT is super strong… how about science?</p>
<p>Sciences are decent at Temple. are you a good science student? i have heard some of the intro science courses are weed out. That is only a rumor, not something i can personally verify. But it seems like serious students who had A averages in their science courses and who went to a decent high school or had teachers who made sure they were challenged make out ok in the sciences. if you are a very strong science student, Temple will provide you a good education. I had the impression pitt has more to offer there but my kid is more of a liberal arts/communications type so we were not focused on the sciences when looking. here is cc’s link to Temple overall. some of the threads discuss the sciences.<a href=“Temple University - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/temple-university/</a> </p>