WallyWorld

Well put, I agree.

travellinghopefully

Other than Juilliard what are other great theatre conservatories? It looks like Boston Conservatory only as an MT BFA. After spending the summer at CMU my d is more determined than ever to do a straight intensive drama BFA program. Does the New School have one or is it just a masters?

WallyWorld

The best thing you could do IMO is go read all 9 chapters of this forum. It will answer that and many other questions.

travellinghopefully

I have read everything. I think what I am asking for is the list of not only conservatories but also conservatory programs within a larger university, all BFAs

WallyWorld

If you had read everything, you wouldnt be asking the question. Both Fishbowlfreshman and Thesbohemian and others have answered that and more in detail.

ckp

You may have read everything in the particular part of the thread, but go back to the begining and there is a link to older threads (1-8). After you read that come back here with any questions as Im sure lots of us will be willing to discuss them!! I know I will...summer is boring.

aljabeel

Yes...the New School is just masters...ah, it hurts just to type it.

fishbowlfreshman

There seems to have been some misinformation given about the cut situation at DePaul in an earlier section of the thread. The real situation was spelled out on the MT forum here and here.

raphael

My son's first choice is Tisch & his second is Juilliard, but we're really trying to narrow down to possible and affordable. Both Purchase and Rutgers are state colleges and are much less expensive. Can someone please give me feedback about these two programs?

My S would love to do musical theatre, but is also happy acting if he can't. He is awesome in Shakesperian roles - has a deep resonant voice - and loves Shakespeare. I saw that Rutgers has a third year in London. Does anyone know more about Rutgers, its program reputation, etc. (more specific than 'it's been growing a lot these past few years)?

About Purchase--I heard it was depressing, I think because of the campus and out of the way location (30 minutes from Manhattan, but still in a small town). What about the program itself?

My son's SATs were 1520, and he is in the top 5% of his class, taking all AP courses. Any other colleges that might offer him scholarships based on his academics?

Many thanks!

D


An

WallyWorld

I would give you the same advice as was given Travellinghopefully above. In the short run got to the top of this page, click on “search this thread” and type in Rutgers and see if that does not answer your question

raphael

Thanks --But i did a search on the whole thread and though I've found references, I can't find the info I'm looking for about Rutgers or Purchase for that matter. What is Rutger's reputation and how good are they at helping graduates find work? Is Purchase indeed dying?

Thanks!
D

gc03

This isn't about Rutgers, and I apologize, but I’ve noticed that there is a limited amount of information on the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program on this forum. I’m a rising junior in the Program, and thought that I’d share some of my experiences there.

Information on the Program’s philosophy and mission statement can be found at http://www.guthrietheater.com/FORART...6/Default.aspx, and http://www.theater.umn.edu/undergraduate/bfa.php. They are as true in practice as they are on the page, I have found. If there are any specific questions about that information, I will gladly answer them, but thought I would limit this posting to my individual experiences.

I think one of the most important elements of the Program is the ensemble nature of the training. Every year, a class of about twenty students is admitted (sometimes less—my class has 19), with an equal amount of boys and girls. The class stays together for the four years of training. The individuals learn how to work as an ensemble (to my mind, one of the most powerful and wonderful things about working in the theater), to support each other both personally and artistically. I don’t mean this to sound sentimental and hunky-dory—that doesn’t mean every class gets along all of the time, merely that they know how to work together—but it’s an extremely important element. When someone comes into this program, they come in with a group of others that they will be with for the duration of their training—each person on their individual path, but with a commitment to the group.

The curriculum is comprised of four elements: acting, voice, movement, and academics. Freshman year acting class focuses on the actor’s most fundamental tools: creating an environment, listening and responding, pursuing an objective, etc. No particular “method” is espoused, but the Meisner technique was particularly central to the training during my freshman year. Near the end of first semester/beginning of second semester, the various tools one has been taught start being applied in scenework. Generally, about three scenes are explored during the year. In the final months of the year, a “final scene” is assigned, and performed in a public presentation—the only performance during the freshman year. All of these scenes are modern and contemporary, only going as far back as Chekhov.

Voice class is taught by the resident vocal coaches at the Guthrie Theater. Freshman year voice class focuses on opening up the free and expressive voice, expanding breath capacity, identifying and releasing areas of tension, developing proper alignment, and developing vocal support. Linklater and Rodenburg technique are employed, as well as an introduction to Fitzmaurice and Roy Hart. Once the basic tools of vocal production are learned and “in the body” (as the teachers are fond of saying), various texts are introduced—ranging from Japanese haiku to Neruda’s sonnets—to apply those tools. It’s important to note that this “technique” class is not divorced from the acting class—students are expected to apply their acting work to the voice projects, and vice versa. Edith Skinner speech work is also introduced.

Freshman year movement has four components: African dance, Yoga, circus skills, and Lorca movement. Lorca movement is taught by the Guthrie’s resident movement coach, Marcela Lorca, and focuses on releasing tension, improving alignment, incorporating breath with movement, and “grounding” the body. A free and expressive physical instrument is the goal. Again, this class in not divorced from the core skills taught in acting and voice. African dance and yoga further the integration of body and breath, and again develop groundedness, as well as a sense of rhythm. Circus skills encourages risk taking (in a safe environment, of course), and the testing of one’s physical abilities—some of the skills taught are juggling, tumbling, balancing, trapeze, and Spanish web.

Sophomore year acting class shifts to the exploration of classic texts, specifically Shakespeare. Students learn Shakespearian rhetoric as well as the intricacies of his poetic form (iambic pentameter, etc), all as it applies to the speaking and acting of his plays. The goal is to be able to play Shakespeare dynamically, with clear and muscular speaking and a close relationship to the text. That last phrase sounds odd, but there’s no other way to put it—respect for the word, the playwright’s text, is tantamount in this program. Students layer all of this work onto the skills learned freshman year, in order to perform Shakespeare in a technically skilled but still human way.

Voice class shifts from vocal production to speech work, and Edith Skinner’s Speak With Distinction becomes the students’ bible. Students learn how to speak “Standard American Speech for the Stage” (a sort of neutral accent). It is important to note, though, that students are not merely taught how to make pretty sounds for sound’s sake. They are taught that the specific sounds a playwright chooses to use are clues to that playwright’s intention and to the specific state of mind of a particular character. In short—students learn how to use a text as a roadmap of how to perform the playwright’s play. Dialect work is also introduced, and in my year we were taught the Standard British dialect, as well as doing a project on a dialect of our choice. Finally, near the end of the year, there was a return to vocal production work as we explored the Suzuki technique—a Japanese technique used to develop grounding and incredible vocal power. This was in preparation for the work on Greek plays done in the junior year.

Class with Marcela Lorca continues in the sophomore year, this time incorporating text, and exploring character movement. Classes in Ballet, Jazz, partner dancing, and stage combat are also introduced.

I can’t give a practical perspective on the junior and senior years because I haven’t gotten there yet, but here is what I know. First semester of junior year, the students study abroad in London, furthering their training in Shakespeare and other classic texts with teachers at the Globe theater, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and others. They study LeCoq technique at the London International School of Performing Arts. Returning from London, the focus of the training shifts from the acquisition of skills to the application of those skills, and students spend more time in rehearsal and performance than in the classroom, as is the norm in the final years of most training programs. Classroom work is, of course, not neglected, and students have more specific instruction in the Roy Hart vocal technique as well as audition technique and the Alexander technique, among other things. Near the end of the year, the Guthrie Theater commissions a playwright (or two, or three) to write an original play (or two, or three) specifically for the class, to be workshopped in the coming year and presented in the final showcase senior year.

Senior year is focused almost entirely on performance, as well as preparation for the “real world” of a working actor. In addition to the original play(s) mentioned above, there is a mainstage show, as well as a collection of classical scenes to be presented in the final showcase. Last year’s senior class also did a studio production of two Shaw one-acts, and an act of a Chekhov play. Various casting directors, agents, and representatives from some of the country’s most prominent regional theaters are invited to attend the final showcase in Minneapolis.

gc03

(sorry this is so long)

I know I haven’t really mentioned the performance opportunities during the four years. There is not a fully produced (ie costumes, lights, makeup, etc.) play until the senior year. Until then, the class presents a number of “projects”—plays presented without production values, but focusing on the actor and the text. As mentioned above, students do not perform freshman year except for the presentation of scenes at the end. Sophomore year there is an American realism project and a Shakespeare project, and Junior year there is a Greek project and a Commedia project. The senior year performances are outlined above.

The relationship with the Guthrie Theater grows stronger every year, especially with the completion of the Guthrie’s new three-theater complex on the Mississippi river. Every Monday there is a seminar at the theater with a particular Guthrie artist, be that an actor, director, designer, dramaturg, stage manager, etc. The goal is not only to further the acting training with working artists, but also to have a working knowledge of how a major American regional theater operates. Beginning junior year, students are allowed to audition for mainstage productions at the Guthrie, and many are either cast or serve as understudies. Students are required to see all of the Guthrie’s mainstage shows (and do so for free, of course). Many first-year students usher at the Guthrie to make some extra money. Most of all, this relationship with one of the world’s major theaters gives the student an opportunity to see great actors in action, and represents the great tradition of the theater that they, as young actors, are inheriting and will expand upon.

Finally, I feel like I should say something about what the graduates are up to. This is a new program (only three graduating classes, so far), and I know that there was some concern over whether graduates were actually getting work or not. In short, they are. In addition to the many graduates working at the Guthrie (two just played Hamlet and Ophelia in Hamlet last season), graduates have worked/are working at the Oregon, Utah, Milwaukee, Georgia, Great River and Texas Shakespeare festivals (among others), Wisconsin’s American Player’s Theater, all of the major theaters in Minneapolis (including the Tony award winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune and Children’s Theater) the Chautauqua Theater Company, Playwright’s Horizon’s, and off-Broadway, among other places. In short, not to worry, the graduates get work—they’re well trained, and make good connections during their four years.

Whew! This is fantastically long, so I’ll stop there—believe me there’s more I could go on about, but I’ll leave that up to any questions people might have. And I should also add that these things are a reflection of my experiences and obvervations during my two years of training in the program—not the official word, and not the official curriculum. It’s still a new program, after all, and still changing and evolving. The one thing I am quite sure of, though, is that it is one of the top undergraduate training programs in the nation, producing young actors that are skilled, passionate, intelligent, and ready to do meaningful work in the theater as well as other mediums.

aljabeel

raphael:
I applied to Purchase this past winter and can attest to the dreariness of the campus. It's all lumps of dark brown brick that seem to be arranged randomly, with no attention to accessibility or aesthetics. It is also poorly maintained-- tons of mold, decay, etc.
However, the quality of the training is excellent. The program seems supportive, stimulating, and nurturing. It's very intense, and the faculty will only admit students who they see as able to handle this intensity. In my opinion, its approach to training is very similar to that of Juilliard. The school has a big reputation in the industry, and graduates are well-represented in film, television, and theater. Even if money were not an issue, Purchase would still be a wonderful choice. It's some of the highest quality undergraduate training available, at a workable price.
Good luck to you and your son on his college search-- he sounds like he'll have a wealth of options to choose from when the time comes!

WallyWorld

gc03;
I am very appreciative of the detail. This has to be one of (if not the) best posts I have ever read on CC. Bravo! Why am I not surprised to have such a lucid and well written explanation of the details of what I perceive as an excellent program by one of their students? I have had some limited contact with the director of your schools acting department and it was first rate. The very limited discussion of your schools program on CC has been very positive.

The Guthrie’s reputation cannot be denied. I have seen some fabulous theater there but its been a while…. cant think of the name of that park with all the weird statutes. I would really like to see the new complex.

Foreget the money.. excellent house experience! Another no brainer.

Thank God! I thought I was the only one that had that idea. That seems so obvious yet many programs with professional company affiliations don’t do that.

So well put! Thank you for such a great post.

The only question is that based on your info.. when I read the schools list of performances for any given year that only seniors are on stage? Yet juniors can audition for the Guthrie? Is that correct? How do you and your classmates feel about that? Where I am coming from is that having no public stage time freshman year or even Sophomore year is one thing but nothing until Senior year is another.