Illinois Wesleyan BFA Musical Theatre - Page 2

bearfann14 · 11-28-2007, 11:44 PM

thank you. Please keep us updated.

bearfann14 · 12-12-2007, 03:39 PM

thank you. I also tried to reach some people as well

bearfann14 · 12-12-2007, 03:41 PM

thank you. I also tried to reach some people as well. :-)

bearfann14 · 12-29-2007, 08:55 PM

i hope everyones decisions are going well. Break a leg in auditions and i hope to see some of you at IWU!

motter3 · 12-30-2007, 08:39 PM

ditto to that. i can't wait to be able to go visit IWU, currently it is my top choice. i love that they have such a strong language and study abroad program. I'm auditioning at IWU on the 23rd of february. Break a leg all!

edmondsg · 01-14-2008, 11:05 PM

I'm a fan of the program at IWU, as well. My son met with the program director there three years ago (end of junior year) and really liked him, and the general feel of the campus was friendly and upbeat. He ended up not auditioning since it was scheduled late compared to his others, and by the time it rolled around he had already gotten a couple of acceptances. We know a few people at IWU and it has an excellent reputation in the Chicago area where we live. The average ACT score is 29 (same as NYU), so it's no slouch academically, either. IWU is 2-3 hours from Chicago, but has a small town feel. I agree that its MT program is overlooked way too often.

bearfann14 · 01-18-2008, 02:13 AM

motter3, will you be staying over night before your audition?

bearfann14 · 01-18-2008, 02:16 AM

edmondsg, im sorry to hear you didn't get to audition here at IWU. The program has changed even more since you were auditioning. Thanks for you post :-)

motter3 · 01-18-2008, 11:28 AM

bearfann14, yes i will be staying over night the thursday before my audition, and staying in a hotel the friday night before my audition.

bearfann14 · 01-24-2008, 06:34 PM

Awesome! I hope to see you here next year, and maybe i will see you when you stay. Well break a leg in your audition!

Ninnynoddle · 02-02-2008, 11:44 PM

I have a lot of specific questions...I wasn't sure whether to PM you or leave it in a comment, but thought that maybe some other people would have these questions too...apologies if it was annoying to bump this up so much!

Would it be possible to take a minor outside of theatre (e.g. English or something)? Are there any cuts/re-auditions/evaluations/etc.? How many students are accepted into the major (and do you know how many students audition in the first place)? How many semesters of dance can you take...ballet, jazz, tap? Do you take private voice each semester? Can freshmen audition for the shows? How balanced is the curriculum between the three disciplines?

Thanks so much for any help with these, sorry I have so many questions!

mamalot · 02-03-2008, 06:04 AM

Our s. got into IW in MT last year with a scholarship and was VERY impressed with the people there. He wanted to go to a "big college" type school, but it was a very hard choice. His dad and I were both so impressed, especially with the "whole student" approach.

MTDad777 · 02-03-2008, 10:52 AM

My daughter & I visited and auditioned there recently. We liked the school and I'm confident that she would get a good education there. So things I didn't like were as follows:
- Freshman cannot audition for any of the mainstage plays they have to wait until their sophmore year. They are pretty much gophers their first year. I have mixed feelings on this as I understand that they need to learn crew, lighting, sound, design etc but they have classes for that. Our high school has classes in technical theatre and anyone in Drama has to be a lackey to earn their Thespian points. I just have an issue with paying 38K for relatively talented child to be an usher. They claim that the students can be in any student run productions in conjunction with their 50 seat black box theatre and they will be learning and working hard.
- Their theatre is kind of a dump. The campus is beautiful, the building the theatre is nice but it looks like they haven't replaced the seats since 1969. It appears the capacity is about 300, the theatre at our high school is 3 times this size.
- They currently don't have a senior showcase. They said they are working on that but I think it's imperative if you want your child to have a shot at the big time.

Things we liked:
- The faculty and student aids were very helpful and very nice.
- If you make this program you are going to get a lot of attention. It appears to be a small close-knit group.
- I got the feeling that the emphasis on the MT program is growing and that they are dedicated to making it better year after year.
- The 4 year graduation rate is high, so is job placement after graduation.

letsfigureitout · 02-03-2008, 02:21 PM

It is really helpful to read posts like this one--gives you a real feel for what to look for in a school. I was surprised by one thing, though. We are looking at BFA Acting programs, and it is very clear to us that MOST of these programs do not have freshman (or, sometimes, even sophomores!) perform in mainstage productions. That is something for the Junior and Senior years, once a solid base of skills has been thoroughly established. The students at these programs do NOT seem to feel as though they're missing out. They recognize the importance of their training and they have plenty of performing to do in class. Is MT training different in this respect?

onstage · 02-03-2008, 03:42 PM

Some MT programs have the same restrictions. My D is a sophomore at Syracuse, and was not allowed to audition for main-stage productions until the end of Freshman year, when shows are cast for the following fall semester. The reason given? Students need to be on the same page with their basic acting training; and many have bad habits that need changing.

At first we felt this was a drawback of the program, but in retrospect are very happy the department has this policy, for several reasons:
1. Freshman year was VERY demanding, both physically and emotionally. At Syracuse they call the first year of training "boot camp". A full schedule of classes, plus rehearsals for class-work, backstage work, actual homework and the usual first-year adjustments would have left little time or energy for additional rehearsals. My D has found she is much better at managing her time this year, and is currently rehearsing for her second main-stage production of the year. Even so, she had a few near melt-downs during fall semester while trying to do it all!
2. Another unexpected benefit -- many close friendships were formed during freshman year, when students were not competing for roles. This year, they have been able to maintain those relationships even though they are now in more direct competition with each other.
3. Another point to keep in mind -- at schools where freshman are allowed to audition, there is no guarantee that they will be cast! Don't forget, they will be competing for roles with older, more experienced students who have already developed relationships with the instructors and professors.

I know this is a somewhat controversial issue -- just keep in mind that many schools have this policy for some very solid reasons.