Welcome to the latest conversation regarding Wright State’s MT/Acting program. Lots of good information on previous ones, but it’s time to start a new thread for the next group of auditioning students and parents. If consideration of WSU has just recently entered your radar, please look through the 2015 thread to see if your questions are answered there. If not, feel free to ask away. My S will be an MT junior in Fall 2016. There are a few other WSU MT/Acting parents active on this forum and amongst us we can often share some insight as to what is going on in the program. This is meant to be a safe place to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as the “next generation” goes through the exploration, application, audition, acceptance/rejection and move-in process. Please join in!
Chiming in to say I’m the mom of a D who will be a senior. I can’t believe it!!! Really seems like a few months ago that we were making lists of schools and scheduling auditions. We thought anyone older than a freshman was so mature - not true! 
Speaking for all of us parents - we are huge fans of WSU and have very happy kids in the program. We are happy to answer any questions that we can. My D is also loves to talk to prospective students about WSU & has worked multiple auditions all 3 years, so if your S or D has questions about the program, I’m happy to get her information to you for a student perspective.
This past weekend was the 17th annual Arts Gala at WSU, a huge fund raiser for scholarships for the Art, Music, Theater, Dance and Motion Picture departments. Here’s an article about the event written up in the Dayton Daily News. MT students performed in cabaret-style and Disney-themed shows throughout the evening, as well as a “mini” version of Music Man. For anyone interested, a link to a short video of Wells Fargo Wagon is featured near the bottom of the page.
http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/events/wsus-artsgala-breaks-records/nq3XZ/
ArtsGala was amazing!!! And last weekend also included the Freshman Showcase, which was incredible. The maturity and depth of talent these acting and MT majors displayed was so great! We witnessed scenes, songs, films, poetry, monologues, and a show-stopping finale. WTG, class of 2019! Great things ahead!
Tom Hanks was at WSU today to dedicate the new Center for Motion Pictures. Hanks participated in a Q & A session with the students and and tonight at a big shindig in his honor, the student cast performed excerpts from the fall production of Chicago. Here’s what Hanks had to say about the performance: “This was, without a doubt, of a quality that matches and goes beyond what I’ve seen on the Broadway stage. These were already accomplished artists that we saw up here dancing and singing. They’re all going to go very far.”
Here’s a link to the campus news coverage of his visit, especially focusing on what the new building will do for the Motion Pictures department. It includes an entertaining and inspiring 14 minute video of his speech. The beginning and the end of the speech focus on things related to WSU, but the “heart” of the speech is about Hanks’ words of advice for film students that he believes will will lead to success. What he says can really apply to anyone in any creative field and definitely for any student pursuing a major in the Performing Arts. http://webapp2.wright.edu/web1/newsroom/2016/04/19/actor-tom-hanks-dedicates-tom-hanks-center-for-motion-pictures-at-wright-state-university/
A few of the MT/Acting students have received Tom Hanks Scholarships and one of the recipients - a graduating senior - will be joining the national tour of Rent in a lead role.
So excited to S’s decision is made: signed, sealed and delivered! I’ve been on the WSU website often! He’s in the middle of the spring musical. Last three shows this weekend and then I assume he’ll be more hands on with checking things out. Question: Is it cold more often than warm? What is the weather situation. For example, here in the LA area we’re mid 70’s to 90’s and dry as a general rule. What should he expect there?
Hooray! Welcome to the WSU family! It is definitely more cold than warm and ALWAYS windy! We live in Alabama, and D had to get warmer clothes & a real coat. The boy moms (who also live in colder climates!) can help you with boy clothes better than I can. In the winter it can be single digits with wind chills below 0. This past winter was actually very mild (for Dayton), but overall it’s cold! It didn’t snow much either, but the previous years she’s been there they have had a good bit of snow, so also had to get snow boots.
Welcome to land of the Raiders @Dankadon’s S!! Yep, winters can be very cold, but as @MTmom2017 mentioned, they can vary a lot from year to year. I may not be remembering correctly, but I think the WSU campus only closed for snow once in the last two years. My S has a very heavy coat and snow boots, but I’m not sure he ever wore them this year. Same goes for hats, gloves and scarves. The guys can be really ridiculous in their winter clothing choices (IMHO). Many - including my S - wear hoodies for all but the most severe weather events and some will continue to wear shorts all year round. It is definitely windy and the chill factor can make “normal” sunny days a bit uncomfortable, but many guys seem to be impervious. My S rides his bike around campus rain or shine or snow and generally seems to wear as few clothes as he can get away with.
Yay! WSU finally redesigned its entire website - much more user friendly. Audition and performance dates for 2016-17 are still not yet posted, but Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures is updated.
Today I saw some wonderful singing/acting/film reels from current seniors who are friends of my daughter. What a great thing for the WSU seniors to take away with them. Very impressed!
Cool! I didn’t know such a thing existed at WSU - S is not much of a “sharer”.
@mom4bwayboy, Sending you a pm with link
@claire74 - please send me the link too. My D is usually good about telling me things (much better “sharer” than @mom4bwayboy’s is haha!) but I didn’t get this info! Would love to see. 
@claire74 can you send me the link as well. I would love to show S. Also, he won’t be a sharer, too! Heck, he’s not a sharer now. Me: How was school, Him: Good. Me: How was Tech. Him: Good. Sound familiar @mom4bwayboy ??
I like the whole bike riding idea. Even though freshies can have cars I am not letting him have his there at least the first year…too much of a distraction!
I think he’s going to live in the Honors Community. Do you leave a bike in a certain area?
Also, his friend will be at CCU and they are planning “get-togethers” already. I know it’s an hour away, but do any of you know if that’s an easy bus ride? So much to learn!
Lastly, has anyone else on CC confirmed they are going to WSU?
@Dankadon - those are EXACTLY the “conversations” I have with my S. If I don’t know what questions to ask ahead of time and what information I need to hear, I get nothin’.
Most of the theater kids live on the same floor in Honors for freshman year. There’s an outdoor bike rack right outside the front for of the building and there are places to lock them up near just about every building. There’s a “handy” railing outside the back entrance of the CAC (“The Cack”) where the students come and go. S’s bike is outside all the time - so don’t get a nice one just for campus use. On-campus crime is pretty low - at least according to MY S - but despite repeated parental warnings that un-secured bikes are highly prized “portable” items on college campuses, S was not a believer. A few months ago he left his bike unlocked right outside the library (next to the CAC) while he ran in “for just a minute and I was not that far away”. Low and behold it “disappeared”.
Did you mean your S’s friend is at CCM? That’s a very easy bus ride from Dayton. My S has done it. I can’t remember how close it comes to WSU campus (the major Cincinnati Greyhound station is only a few miles from CCM), but there are plenty of students with cars who are usually willing to schlepp classmates around locally when needed (another student helped S get his bike to the shop for repairs and to a pharmacy when he was sick and needed an antibiotic). There are also plenty of kids from Cincinnati at WSU and they/their families are always making the trek up and down I-75 - your S could probably find a ride on any given weekend. A few WSU students try to make a point of seeing CCM productions (some “inter-scholastic” dating has been known to occur between the two)
So far, I am not aware of any other CC students confirming attendance at WSU. There is usually a FB page for the entering freshman, but as of a few days ago my S was not aware if it existed yet.
@Dankadon … My son will be a sophomore MT. Loved his first year in the program!!! Welcome to the WSU family! There is also a campus bus that picks up at the dorm & drops near the CAC. The timing is perfect to make that daily 8:30 dance class! Feel free to direct any questions my way! My sons roomie is from Cincinnati & goes home almost every weekend. ^^^ Agreed that rides are certainly a possibility.
Oh wow…great info!!! I will be in touch. And thank you!
Nice! Thanks for the info. He’s not really a bike rider so I’m wondering if he would really ever use a bike. Only I think if it was really far to get around. I love that there is a shuttle from the dorms to the CAC! You guys need to prepare yourself for so many questions but I will always really appreciate you! ;
Target & Walmart are close if he decides he does need a bike! My D didn’t take her car to begin with, but ended up having to go to vocal therapy (they all get scoped at the beginning of the semester) & also having some allergy problems, so we took her car up to her. It seems like they all drive each other around & to & from the CAC for classes & rehearsals & none of them mind helping each other out.