Because I’ve been asked this several times now, I wanted to share some of the reasons why my son decided to attend Northwestern rather than his other top choice, CAP21 (at NYU). My son and I have done a lot of research into both the CAP and Northwestern programs, and he finally decided there were too many exciting things going on at Northwestern to ignore, especially after the incredible experience of the NHSI summer program last year. However, CAP21 is a great program (any large program is going to have its critics), and most CAP students and faculty members we encountered during our visit seemed happy and upbeat, which says a lot.
Northwestern, aside from being a prestigious university (the “Ivy of the Midwest”) has a very active Musical Theatre program that has not been as visible on CC, partly because the academic admission requirements are very tough, and also because NU purposely does not offer a BFA. They strongly believe that to be a good performer, you must be educated in many areas and that that is greatly facilitated by a strong BA/BS program. NYU’s academics are fine, but a BFA just doesn’t allow as much time for other interests.
NU alumni are well represented in professional theatre, both in performance and in directing and producing. Northwestern has many great things going on that will increase their visibility in the industry over the next few years, and because CC has been SO indispensable to me over the past couple of years, I wanted to take the time to share some of what we’ve learned.
Although I believe this is going to change soon, NU’s Music Theatre program is currently a certificate within the BA/Theatre degree, and has not been a separate major. We recently learned from a reliable source that NU is seriously considering making MT a separate major. With the resources the school is putting into Music Theatre, and the intensity and success of their program and their graduates, it’s not surprising. It’s interesting that in addition to launching the AMTP (later in this post) they’ve also just hired two new MT faculty members, both with impressive resumes -- David H. Bell (
http://www.davidhbell.com/bio.html) and Amanda Dehnert (
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/liv...sical?mode=PF).
The campus is gorgeous – there are trees everywhere, the architecture is interesting, and (my personal favorite) it’s right on Lake Michigan, which is breathtaking. The Theatre and Interpretation Center is literally a dozen or so steps from the lake. It’s beautiful. The campus is a few blocks from downtown Evanston, an upscale, medium-sized town, and a short (20 min?) train ride to Chicago, where the theatre scene is very prevalent (2nd to NY). NU has travel-abroad programs, internships in Chicago and NY, senior showcases in Chicago, NY and LA, and – one of the most important selling points for us -- a very good balance between big-city NY-type excitement and Midwestern values.
A lot of people ask why NU doesn’t audition for MT until the end of freshman year, and not at all for straight drama. The answers are firmly rooted in their philosophy – this isn’t verbatim, but their website says something to the effect of “… a student of theatre must be a student of human society and must understand how social forces impinge on human behavior.” In other words, you can’t be a good actor without understanding how different kinds of people react to different life situations. That will come with experience over your lifetime, but a broad education in college gives you a huge head start. Also, by auditioning for MT after they’ve been in school for a year, I would think that the Theatre faculty, or at least some of them, know the student well enough so that decisions are based on more than just a 4-minute audition.
Even before freshmen are admitted to Theatre, though, the application packages are scrutinized to determine who will best fit into their program. (If you apply to NU, you might want to include more theatre-related background and/or recs than are requested.) It’s a highly selective process, and they have an amazing track record of choosing people who have the drive and ability to become skilled at their craft, who love to learn, and are fun to teach. As with any MT program, an exceptional few will rise to the top by the end of the four years, regardless of how new students are chosen in the beginning.
The bottom line is that whatever they’re doing works. NU has a long history of well known theatre alums --
http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/in...#entertainment . There must be a reason why kids who could go to any school in the world, such as Meryl Streep’s and Jill Clayburgh’s (both Oscar winners), have chosen Northwestern. There are a lot of good MT schools out there, but only a handful of really great ones. For people who have worked hard and stood out academically in high school, NU is one of the best choices. Not the only one, but one of the best. If your stats are good, NU’s Theatre and MT programs are up there – their alumni are proof. Don’t let the fact that they don’t audition up front throw you – it’s done that way for a reason.
One more thing I should mention. Last year, Northwestern launched the AMTP (American Music Theatre Project --
http://www.amtp.northwestern.edu/news.html), funded primarily by NU alum Garry Marshall (Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, Mork and Mindy, etc..). It’s been widely publicized, and described as "an ambitious program to develop and produce new musicals by the field's leading artists in collaboration with Northwestern faculty and students." AMTP is an important part of the MT training program, much like CAP21 (Collaborative Arts Project), which is also both a production vehicle and training studio.
I have no connection to NU aside from my son starting there in the fall. I’m taking the time to write this way-too-long post, despite the fact that I own a small business and don’t have enough hours in the day, because when my son started looking at MT programs two years ago, there was very little information on CC regarding NU’s program. It’s not for everyone and is impossible to get into without great academics, yet so many of their graduates go on to not only perform, but also direct, produce, and start theatre companies of their own, because (a) that’s the personality profile NU looks for, and (b) the training at Northwestern is innovative, intense and well-rounded.
I hope this helps to explain how Northwestern can be so good at what they do even though they do things differently. In the end, several factors contributed to my son’s decision to choose NU over CAP21... the research and visits over the past couple of years, the perfect combination of big-city energy and opportunities with midwestern warmth, NU’s life-changing summer program, the shows and rehearsals he observed, and a very informative meeting with an extremely talented and caring program director.
Enjoy your school search – it’s a long, interesting and tedious process for anyone, but especially for performing arts majors. I’m not an NU insider, but I’m happy to answer any questions I can. Here are a few NU websites, if you’ve haven’t checked them out before:
http://www.communication.northwester...e/certificate/ http://www.communication.northwester...te/activities/ http://www.amtp.northwestern.edu/mtp.html
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