baymom

I agree 100% with what onstage wrote. My S is at IWU and at first we weren't too happy about the freshmen not being able to audition. But for all the reasons articulated above, it was a good thing. Plus, ushering isn't what the "x" hours (tech requirements) are all about. My S did costumes one show and did actual construction which he hadn't done before, lights for one and house managing for another. And in the spring, the freshman MT'ers put on their own musical, a full production with costumes, props, band etc. of "Triumph of Love." All 7 of them had great parts and it was a good experience to work together on it. Don't underestimate the experience they get in student-directed shows. They are extremely well done, rehearsals are demanding and there is a lot of room for creativity. IWU's Musical Theatre Society just put on a "staged reading" version of the "lost musical" Do-Re-Mi that they cast, rehearsed and staged all in 10 days complete with costumes, choreography and a full orchestra made up of IWU music students. It was staged in the beautiful Hansen Center, (definitely not a dump!) to full crowds. I wouldn't dismiss schools that don't allow freshmen to audition.

I do agree, however, that the main theatre needs an overhaul. The campus is so gorgeous and almost every building is new so it's kind of a sore thumb. Hopefully it will get some attention soon. Although I must say, after seeing the spectacle of "Scrooge" the musical in December, the production values don't suffer for it!

IWUSoTA

Hey everyone,

We in the Theatre Recruiment office here at IWU found out about this message board through one of the parents at our last audition day, so we thought it would be a good idea to make our own account and answer all your questions directly! Not that bearsfann14 hasn't been doing an excellent job

We'll go through all the previous posts within the next couple days and try to catch up on any questions that haven't been answered yet.

Thanks and we hope to chat with many of you!

IWUSoTA

Ninnynoodle-

Minors are possible with all our degree tracks, but if you were to decide you wanted to double major your only option would be the BA track.

As for the cuts/re-audition deal, do you mean once you've been accepted into the program? We have juries at the end of every semester so the faculty can see student progress, and there are Sophomore Reviews at the end of the spring semester of your sophomore year. The faculty technically can't boot you out of the program, but they can suggest that you move degree tracks.

For music theatre I believe we accept around 20 students and expect about half to choose to come here.

As for dance, the faculty encourages you to always be in AT LEAST one dance class per semester. Our dance requirements right now are at least 2 semesters of modern, 2 of ballet, 2 of jazz, and 1 of tap. By the end of your senior year you must be able to pass into either Tap II or Jazz III AND Ballet III or Modern III (that's ONE from EACH of those pairings).

Yes, music theatre students take voice lessons every semester. There is also a repertoire class once a week in the chapel on campus. It's basically a master class.. all the music theatre majors gather and sing for each other and the vocal coaches work with you in front of everyone.

I think we have a pretty good balance between the three disciplines. With the BFA in Music Theatre you're basically getting an Acting and Voice double major with a Dance minor. We're also required to take 2 semesters of theory and 3 of keyboarding. If you've never had theory before I HIGHLY RECOMMEND taking some sort of "Music Theory Basics" class or something before you get here. It can get pretty rough if you've got absolutely no background in it.

Freshmen are not allowed to audition for any of the main stage shows, but are eligible to be in any student run productions. Being a freshman (my name is Erika, I'm one of 4 student workers in the recruitment office who will post on this board) I'm so glad that pressure was taken off me this year! Like other people have said, the adjustment from home to college can be rougher than you'd expect and you get crazy busy with classes, etc etc. You always have the opportunity to be involved in a show in one way or another, though.. I've been on two wardrobe crews so far (I'm a freshman) and I actually enjoy the backstage work way more than I thought I would because I'd never worked BEHIND the scenes before, which I think is the case with a lot of students. Also, I like that we're required to work on crews because it reminds you that you need to respect everyone around you. A show can't go on without the performers and the people backstage working together, and I think performers forget that sometimes. You get a really well-rounded theatre education here at Wesleyan and knowing how to sew a hem or build a flat will come in way more handy than you may think it will once you're out in the "real world".

Hopefully this helps!

Ninnynoddle

Yes, that helps a lot! Thank you so much! I think my questions are answered, I really appreciate that!

MTDad777

Just because you're a freshman and you audition doesn't mean you'll make the show! As a matter of fact it's unlikely. I have a problem with the fundamental fact that you can't even try. A good example of this would be if the school is doing a show and has a character that you are a perfect fit for, now what? And if you don't like the pressure then you're in the wrong line of work! There is plenty of time to work on the stage crew and learn everything it's not likely that you'll make every show. I doubt they'd cast the same people for every show even though they may be the best actors.

MTDad777

Baymom-

Thanks for your informative post about your childs freshman year. I certainly won't dismiss this school because of the freshman rule, I just don't like it and it is a consideration of which school we may eventually pick. Like I mentioned in my original post some kids from large HS programs (like ours) have paid their dues doing costumes, lighting and sound. I also want to say that my daughter and I respect and appreciate everyone that works on a show.

NotMamaRose

Quite a few schools have that no-performing-while-a-freshmen rule, including Carnegie Mellon. I would guess that in addition to giving kids time to adjust to being away from home and to college life, such a rule would allow the freshmen musical theater/acting ensemble/class to bond as friends and colleagues without competition entering into it.

bearfann14

This is for ninnynoddle...

Yes it is possible to take a minor outside of Theatre no matter what major you choose. It will be more difficult if you are a BFA, but it is def. still possible.
There are no cuts here at IWU, although there are Juriesevery semester;this is where you perform a combination of monologues, songs, scenes, etc(whatever is on the criteria for you class) for the theatre faculty and they give you feedback about your progress throughout the semester as well as for the jury itself.
As far as how many audition and how many are accepted, I do not know an exact number of how many audition, but i know it is a decent number, and in my class, 9 were accepted: 3 boys and 6 girls. It usually ranges from 7-11, and the ratio of boys to girls changes as well.
You can take dance every semester. It is also possible to get a dance minor with any theatre degree.
As far as private voice... YES! Every BFA Muisical Theatre student has a voice teacher. The theatre department actually has thier own voice teacher on staff seperate from the music department, but it is also possible to take from the music department as well. Every thurs. there is a rep class for all the MT majors. This gives all students the opportunity to perfrom and get feedback from the MT Voice professors.
Freshman are not allowed to do Mainstage Productions, but they can do shows in our Phoenix theater, which is on of the smaller theatres we have here. I didn't like this at first, but i now think it is a good idea to make sure freshman concentrate on training their first year and wait to perform mainstage till Soph. year.
The curriculum is fairly balanced b/w all three fields. Every student has to take private voice, acting, and dance every semester. It is great thought because IWU gives you the opportunity to take more of one than the other if one aspect needs to be a little more improved. I know a girl who is in almost all dance classes this semester b/c that is what she wants to improve on most.
I hope this helped. I am sort of in a hurry to get to class so if there is anything i missed, feel free to ask. I will be sure to get to everyone elses question when i get back from class. Thanks for you interest and Break a leg!!

:-)

bearfann14

I am reposting my last post with some changes so disregard that one and look at this one.. sorry about that.. there were some typos.

This is for ninnynoddle...

Yes it is possible to take a minor outside of Theatre no matter what major you choose. It will be more difficult if you are a BFA, but it is def. still possible.
There are no cuts here at IWU, although there are Juriesevery semester;this is where you perform a combination of monologues, songs, scenes, etc(whatever is on the criteria for you class) for the theatre faculty and they give you feedback about your progress throughout the semester as well as for the jury itself.
As far as how many audition and how many are accepted, I do not know an exact number of how many audition, but i know it is a decent number, and in my class there are 9 MTs: 3 boys and 6 girls. It usually ranges from 7-11, and the ratio of boys to girls changes as well.
You can take dance every semester. It is also possible to get a dance minor with any theatre degree.
As far as private voice... YES! Every BFA Muisical Theatre student has a voice teacher. The theatre department actually has thier own voice teachers on staff seperate from the music department, but it is also possible to take from the music department as well. Every thurs. there is a rep class for all the MT majors. This gives all students the opportunity to perfrom and get feedback from the MT Voice professors.
Freshman are not allowed to do Mainstage Productions, but they can do shows in our Phoenix theater, which is on of the smaller theatres we have here. I didn't like this at first, but i now think it is a good idea to make sure freshman concentrate on training their first year and wait to perform mainstage till Soph. year.
The curriculum is fairly balanced b/w all three fields. Every student has to take private voice, acting, and dance every semester. It is great thought because IWU gives you the opportunity to take more of one than the other if one aspect needs to be a little more improved. I know a girl who is in almost all dance classes this semester b/c that is what she wants to improve on most.
I hope this helped. I am sort of in a hurry to get to class so if there is anything i missed, feel free to ask. I will be sure to get to everyone elses question when i get back from class. Thanks for you interest and Break a leg!!

:-)

bearfann14

MTDAD777. Here are some things that might help you out regarding your posts about freshman performing:
Freshman Not Performing Main stage:
I completely understand where you are coming from. My high school had a 900 seat theater, a student body of 4,700, and a fine arts department of around 1,000. The reason for not performing as a freshman in main stage is not specifically about getting to do other things like costumes and tech, but it also has a lot to do with training. Much of freshman year is about getting rid of bad habits and making sure all freshmen are headed in the right direction for success over the 4 years they are here. At IWU they want to take your talent and improve you to your best ability. In order to do this, freshman do not perform so that they do not fall back into old habits that are trying to be broken this year, whether that habit is in dancing, acting, or voice, as well as so they can concentrate on what is being thrown at them their first year here.

As far as a student being right for a part, that is not always what performing and shows are about, especially as a freshman. A student’s goal is to improve in order to go out and work, and although a freshman might be able to play a part well (and believe me, they are all talented and could all play parts in our shows), it’s not always about the final production of a show, but being in school, it’s all about the education and learning process. After getting rid of bad habits and training for a year, then students will get the opportunity to use what they have learned and fixed, as well as what they are still learning, and put it into a main stage, larger scale production.

bearfann14

In Regards to a Smaller and Older Theater:

Like others, I had to remind myself, while looking at schools, that it’s about where you will feel comfortable, where you will improve the most, and the training you receive, not about the performance space. Like I said before, I come from a huge high school where I was constantly performing in front of 800 or more, and I also have performed in as large as a 4,500 seat house during an Illinois All-State Production. It was hard to put that behind me, but I know IWU was right for me and that I am and will be pushed to improve to the best of my ability… not to mention I love the people and atmosphere. Another thing to think about is the future. Many professional theatres do not have large 800 seat theaters. Other than B-way and Natl. tours, theatres can be relatively small, some much smaller and older than we have here.

With the training and opportunities you get here at IWU, your performance experience will truly have depth and be full of memories and learning experiences. No matter the size of the theatre, you will have been trained to be ready for the business.

bearfann14

SHOWCASES:

In regards to a showcase, at this time IWU does not have one, however…
IWU takes students, every year, to different audition opportunities around the country for summer work, and for seniors to get full time work. Auditions IWU sends students to include, but are not limited to, the following: MWTA’s (Midwest Theatre Auditions), SETC’s (Southeastern Theatre Conference Auditions), ITA’s (Illinois Theatre Auditions), Straw Hat Auditions, and for seniors only, UPTA’s (United Professional theatre Auditions). All of these auditions are attended by professional theatres from around the country and provide many IWU students with jobs over the summer as well as jobs after graduation. Like was said before by someone else in this thread, IWU’s graduation and employment rate is very high. I hope this helped. Please feel free to continue to ask questions.

bearfann14

Please feel free to keep the questions coming :-)

MTDad777

How many students will they take for MT this year? How many will audition? Also, any ideas on how much financial aid one can expect (i.e. scholarships, university grants etc.). 38K is a lot of coin.

bearfann14

So far we have 125 BFA's auditioning this weekend/ have auditioned and Still have one more weekend of Auditions on the weekend of March 1st. IWU is looking to accept about 20 and expecting around half to attend in the Fall of 08 (I was not told what they are looking for in terms of male vs. female numbers).

As far as financial aid is concerned, I am not as familiar in that catagory, but I know SOTA (school of theatre arts) gives talent scholarships to ( i think ) everyone in the BFA program. I also know of SOTA students who are going here for almost nothing, so i think financial aid depends on a lot of things. You can check out IWU's and IWU's SOTA homepage for more info on the financial Situation.

SOTA Website: School of Theatre Arts

Hope this helped a little. Feel free to continue to ask questions.

You may also call IWU's SOTA at 309.556.3944.