abtsmom

You might want to consider UNC-Greensboro. Their BFA program is audition in December of freshman year. They also have an option to get certification to teach theater which makes you more employable (plus you can get instate tuition!) Acting students from UNCG are often recruited by NCSA film students to star in their films.

TheatreFish

EasternActress- I'm mostly looking at structured conservatory style programs although I would like to gain experience outside of my school as well (i.e. study abroad, workshops, etc.)

Thank you so much everyone for your thoughtful replies- they have certainly opened a number of options for me!

anxious4answers

I go to western Carolina for BFA acting, it is a beautiful campus, and the faculty is very helpful. it is definitely a liberal arts school, no doubt, so if you're looking for the university experience, and good training, WCU is a good fit. But if you're looking for intense conservatory style, UNCSA will be your best fit. But, keep in mind conservatories are very selective and competitive, so a school like Western or Coastal Carolina, are VERY good schools for the price of tuition and quality of training.

anxious4answers

Also, i don't know how far Point park is away for you, but my best friend goes there and loves it. She is a BA actor, and then you audition for BFA at the end of sophomore year. message me and ill give you her name and you can Facebook her if you're interested

austinmtmom

Coastal Carolina has been mentioned several times. My D is a rising junior in the MT program, but one of the reasons she chose CCU was because of the acting training. One thing you may want to do is lay out the curriculum for the schools you are interested in and see what classes you will be taking each semester. My D did that later in the process, but she figured out she could have eliminated some of the schools on her list if she had done it earlier in the process. So just a thought for you.

Here is the 4 year plan at CCU:
http://www.coastal.edu/theatre/docs/acting-bfa.pdf
CCU Department of Theatre

Also, even though she is an MT major, her description on what it is like to be a BFA student at CCU might be helpful to you as well:
The Freshman Experience
The Freshman Experience

As always, I am happy to answer questions about CCU. Best of luck!

fishbowlfreshman

The BFA at Southern Oregon University is one to look into. It could catapult to the top of the popper if they could find a way to get a partnership going with OSF ...

StrangeBro

Fishbowl: I looked at that one and it's just so lackluster. I'm sure it's a solid program that turns out well-prepared graduates, but until the day comes when they team up with OSF I wouldn't want to study theater in Ashland.

For a similar campus with connections to another top-flight Shakespeare festival, let me recommend Southern Utah again. I don't mean to sound like I'm pimping a particular school, but it was a very high choice for me artistically before being bettered financially (and everybody was so nice throughout the admissions process, too). And they're tied to the Utah Shakespeare Festival, which is as highly regarded as Oregon's and held on the school's campus! The rest of the school is on the rise as well and could vault into Public Ivy status within the next 5-7 years. Definitely worth a look for both affordability and academic/artistic achievement.

StrangeBro

Also, re-reading this thread and something strikes me-- for all the times Coastal Carolina has been mentioned, you'd think someone would point out that it is very much NOT a safety. The auditioned programs in MT and Acting both take about two dozen students a year, if I recall correctly.

actor12

Is any audition BFA a safety? I thought not.

austinmtmom

StrangeBro - You are correct that CCU is NOT a safety. But there are fewer people auditioning for the Acting and PT BFAs at CCU than at some of the "better known" schools so I think it is appropriate that it is on this list. But in terms of class size, it is indeed a very small class of BFAs. I believe the incoming class of MT, Acting and PT majors is around 20.

Portathor42

Some up-and-coming schools to look:
Mason Gross, Rutgers - they already have a credible name (especially for their Meisner Training, which is the best in the nation), but from what I hear they are making some changes that may make them an even more exciting program! Also you get an entire year at the Globe Theatre in London (most schools only offer a semester abroad!)
Fordham - they are a BA program, but offer a very unique approach to the balance between Acting and Academic. If you feel that a BA program is more suitable for you, take a look at Fordham for sure!
CCM - The school is mainly (or entirely) known for Musical Theatre, but I think more people are going to start talking about their Drama program. They are really starting to make a name for themselves. I think - especially as of recent - they are producing some of the best young actors out there.
UCLA - Another BA program. They have a very solid connection with the film industry. Many of their actors audition while at school, because it is encouraged! You'd have to be willing to do the academic work, but the location is unbeatable.
Pace - Does not have a reputation but I'd say they are up and coming. They work hand in hand with the Actors Studio and students have the advantage of being in New York and seeing what the real world is like while in college. Pace as a whole is making some major changes and their acting program is not an exception!

stagemum

Portathor42 - I think you define "up & coming" differently from the rest of us. I don't know anybody who wouldn't place Mason Gross on a short list of the most respected and selective programs in the country. They audition hundreds of students for 18 spots, with an acceptance rate lower than Harvard's. I'm not sure than Fordham-Lincoln Center's acceptance rate is quite that intimidating, but they have much higher academic standards. I suppose they are "up & coming" simply because Fordham University, overall, has become increasingly selective in recent years. Students have to qualify academically, as well as audition for the Performance major. I don't know quite what the numbers were this year, but I'd be surprised if they accepted much more than 10% of those who auditioned.

Portathor42

Oh no, I agree with you completely. But from what I've heard, they are making some changes at the fundamental level to even make their program better (such as adding a callback week for auditioning students, and some changes to the curriculum/casting of productions). Mason Gross is in fact one of the top schools in the country, but I would categorize them as up and coming, because I think in the next few years they will be more so compared to the likes of Juilliard or Carnegie Mellon.
Fordham accepts roughly 20-30 BA Acting students a year, so it is of the likes of many other BFA programs in terms of that. Much of the good Fordham has done has been in the past 3/4 years, that's why I put them on that list, if a student is willing to have the academic portion as well.

kjgc

If you are looking for a program that has study abroad opportunities: CCU has just signed an agreement where BFA students can study acting/commedia in Arezzo, Italy for up to one year. The program will send 7 students this year to Italy. Those students will travel to Berlin and Paris for master classes and students in the program will be devising a new theatre piece that we hope to have performed in Turkey next spring. All very exciting. (I bring this up because study abroad was mentioned.)

TheRealKEVP

And don't forget that another way to "study abroad" is to go to a foreign college or university . . .