EmiMcD

Hi everyone! I've been following this forum for a while, but just now joined and am excited to be a part of a community like this! Anyhow, as I search for schools, one of the things that I keep thinking about is making a list of questions to call and ask students/professors about. What questions do you think are vital to finding out if a school is for you? What can you ask about their theater dept. that will tell you a lot about the school? I have my own list, but I'm wondering what you guys think! It'd be great to know what others have used.

chrissyblu

What an outstanding question!
My D actually had to come up with such a list when she was deciding between the schools that accepted her.

Some of the things that were on her list were the following:

1. Do you cut? If so, when and what are the criteria?
2. Do you showcase? If you don't, what ways do you assist your seniors in entering the workplace?
3. How strong is your alumni network? How does it function?
4. Do you use a method? If so, what method or methods do you teach?
5. When are you allowed to audition for shows? (What year?)
6. My D is an actor, but she sings, so.... Can I take voice lessons?
7. Do you teach masks?
8. What movement instruction do you have?
9. Do undergraduates compete for roles with graduate students? (She doesn't care, but is curious. Some care and think if you do, you will never get a good part.)
10. If there is a film school at the university, Can I act in student films?
11. What type of acting for screen/film courses are available?
12. Are there internships? If so, what type?
13. Can I study abroad? If so, what types of opportunities are there?
14. What is the academic coursework like?
15. Do you teach stage combat?
16. She looked to see how many entered freshman year, and how many graduate, and then if she saw something off, she would ask "Why are only x students graduating? What happened to this class?" She often only asked this question of the students because they often gave a more honest answer.

These were the things that concerned my D.

NJTheatreMOM

What do others on this forum think about asking the following questions:

- Do you use the Linklater approach to voice training for the actor?

- Do you teach the Alexander Technique? (This is a subset of chrissyblu's question about movement training. Alexander Technique is a form of movement training.)

I'll admit I am not highly knowledgeable about either. I do know that my son's BFA program teaches Linklater. He is learning it now as a freshman acting student. Apparently it really helps the singing voice as well as the speaking voice.

The Alexander Technique I have mostly heard about from college acting students referring to it on this forum.

Chrissyblu, you included a question about teaching masks. I know only a little tiny bit about this subject (the "neutral mask," etc). How important do you think it is? Do most good BFA and/or BA acting programs teach masks?

soozievt

• What is the enrollment in the Drama Department? Males? Females? Undergraduates? Graduates?

• How many faculty members are there? Full-time? Part-time? What is the student/faculty ratio?

• How many faculty members are working professionally in the theater world? How many have more of an academic background and approach?

• Do you require an audition? If so, what is required?

• What does the basic curriculum entail? What acting technique is taught?

• What is the philosophy of the program?

• Who are your resident directors?

• Who have been recent directors of your productions?

• Do you have a program of master classes or guest speakers? Who have given these in the past two years? Did students have an opportunity to get to know the guests?

• What repertoire is performed?

• How and when do you evaluate a student’s progress? Do you have a “cut” after one or two years?

• How often do students perform each semester? Which of the following types of performing opportunities are available and how frequently: fully produced productions? Informal workshops? Workshops?

• Are student-initiated projects/productions encouraged? Is there a budget for these? What are examples of this in the past two years?

• What performing facilities are available for students?

• How many productions are presented by the theater department each year?

• What is the casting policy? (Ask a student, “Is the casting policy fair?”).

• Are there any restrictions on freshmen activities in the department? In casting?

• Are there private voice lessons? Are these available to freshmen?

• (At a liberal arts college): Is there a drama club? What is the relationship between the extracurricular drama activities and the drama department? Can non majors be cast in the productions?

• (At a school with both a BFA and a BA theater program): Do BA students have an equal chance at casting in the productions as BFA students? Do BA students take classes with the BFA students?

• Does the college have any relationship with a professional theater company or summer stock theater? If so, which one and what is the relationship?

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of this program?

• (Ask a student): If you had it all to do over again, would you choose this program?

• Who are some renowned alumni?

• What do the majority of alumni go on to do?

• Do you teach auditioning skills?

• Do you teach about the “business”?

• Is there any sort of alumni network?

• Is there a technical requirement? If so, what is it?

• Does the school recruit at any Thespian Societies? Which ones? Are there any scholarships available through these?

• Does the school participate in any of the regional events of the American College Theater Festivals?

• Is there a senior showcase? If so, can all seniors participate? Is it in NYC? Do top agents and casting directors attend? How do the seniors fare in obtaining agents?

• What sort of jobs do the recent graduates get?

• For BFA programs, what percent of the curriculum is liberal arts? What are the liberal arts requirements?

• Is there dance placement and leveling or do all freshmen take the same dance classes?

• Is there a music theory placement test? What are the requirements? Is piano taught?

• OBTAIN A COPY OF THE 4-YEAR THEATER / MUSICAL THEATER CURRICULUM AND REQUIREMENTS.

EmiMcD

These are GREAT questions! I will definitely add some of these to my list!

ProudDadFL

Excellent questions!

kjgc

These are all wonderful questions. But I would suggest trying to just talk to your the teachers about theatre. Not specifics. For now, my guess is even if they told you the program focused only on Viewpoints, it really wouldn't mean much to you. If you just start talking about shows, about time on stage, about the art form, you'll get a sense of how much they love what they do. That is invaluable. There are plenty of faculty out there that no longer have the passion they once possessed, and many times that is reflected in their classrooms. Finally, ask to sit in on a class and just watch. If you want to learn from that individual, it will become clear quickly. How they treat their students and their time in the classroom is far more telling than all of the questions you could ask. The current worth of a program is the sum of its faculty, not their missions, not their stated approach, not even their reputations or alum. Not that you shouldn't ask the above questions... but trust your instincts as well.

chrissyblu

NJTheatreMom (and everyone) - I think that by the time my D got to asking the questions, she had narrowed her schools down and was really looking for the one she wanted. (She was already admitted.) Her number one criteria was alumni (how successful were the alumni? How strong was the alumni network). Then other factors kinda of moved around, changed significance depending on the program.

She didn't ask about a specific movement teaching method, voice instruction method or acting method. She asked in general how they taught. This gave her an idea of the kind of school they were. Was the school a program that was very focused on one particular method? Or was this a school that tried a variety in an effort to help the actor come to what worked for him or her?

She did ask many questions about body movement (this is the question about masks) because for my daughter, working with her physical movement is the singular thing she wants to focus on the most. Masks are a strong approach to teach movement. In the end, she is not attending a school that has a strong masks program, but does have other strong movement techniques (Tai Chi, Ballet, and movement classes all in the first year, followed by combat and more movement classes each year remaining.)

Masks cover the face, first entirely, forcing the actor to use only the body (no voice, no facial expression.) Then, the mouth is exposed. Then the nose and mouth, with only the eyes covered, until finally the student is permitted to remove the mask. With each step, the actor becomes more aware of the body and then reincorporates the voice and face into the process. Maybe she will have this experience when she studies for the summer abroad....

Son of Tranquil

I think asking about Alexander and Linklater techniques is a very good question to ask, if that is the type of training that you want. I know that other schools like UMiami use Fitz-Morris, and many other programs are taking on Viewpoints and Suzuki.

And yes, I would highly recommend pursuing a school with a mask program, it's really an amazing experience.

NJTheatreMOM

Thanks for your explanation of mask work and its value, chrissyblu!

Kjgc, your comments about talking to teachers and sitting in on classes describe the very best and wisest approach to learning about a program. My son was accepted by one program that didn’t allow that, even for accepted students. When he spoke with students in the program, he made an attempt to find out about what instructional techniques were used, even though he actually knew little about such techniques.

Son of Tranquil, it was interesting to read what you wrote about the variety of instructional approaches at different schools. What is the best way for the layman or high school student to learn about such things, I wonder? I can’t help thinking that there would be value in being better informed, but how to go about it? When I tried to Google Fitz-Morris, for example, nothing came up!! The Wikipedia article on Suzuki only talks about instrumental music…

My son had just barely heard about Alexander technique and Linklater by the time he had been accepted at 3 schools and was choosing among them. During his senior year of high school, he had started taking singing lessons with an adjunct professor at University of the Arts (we live near Philadelphia) who was getting him started on Linklater.

I believe fishbowlfreshman has mentioned that the BFA program at the college she attends teaches both Alexander and Suzuki...I'm not positive. I know she has mentioned the rigors of Suzuki.

Last year when my son and I were researching schools, we didn't know about the Meisner approach to acting instruction until we were researching the studios at NYU. When we stumbled across the information that the acting BFA program at Rutgers/Mason Gross has a strong Meisner orientation, we were startled! :-)

Chrissyblu's excellent advice about asking whether a school focuses on one method or exposes students to a variety of methods (similar to soozievt's advice about asking what acting technique is taught) is something we weren't savvy about until fairly late in the game.

KatMT

Voice Training in Fitzmaurice Voicework Founded by Vocal Coach, Catherine Fitzmaurice

Tadashi Suzuki - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

chrissyblu

My D was lucky enough to discover Meisner last year from one of her teaching artists. She finds it works very much for her, but wants to see what else is out there because she is only 18. That's the beauty of being in a program that teaches a wide variety of tactics.

alwaysamom

Talking to teachers and current and former students is always a good idea, as is sitting in on a class or two, but that doesn't lessen the importance of asking the kinds of questions that are listed in this thread.

NJTheatreMOM

Thank you, KatMT! The Fitzmaurice site describes the voice training developed by Catherine Fitzmaurice as enhancing vocal expressiveness though techniques influenced by Wilhelm Reich, various body-based disciplines, and "energy work." One of the places it is taught is Yale.

I get the impression that Fitzmaurice training may be a little bit more New Age-y than some of the other voice training methods....not that there's anything wrong with that!

A description that I found of a Fitzmaurice workshop at Temple University included the following statement:

"Fitzmaurice has adapted/borrowed from bioenergetics and yoga and other somatic trainings to offer her own means of freeing, expanding and energizing the body/mind: particularly through tremors. Just as the body/mind responds...to the threat of cold by shivering, shivering exists as a positive energy to counter the negative of cold. Fitzmaurice teaches that one can tremor as an action instead of as a response. In this way, instead of gaining energy to fight off a threat, one who is not under a threat becomes a recipient of only the added benefit. As these tremors are created, the individual is not only energized but is also released from tension. Just as the tremors create increased demand for oxygen, breath, and blood supply they also require that the individual release tension in order for the tremor to occur and be sustained. The process of destructuring, then, is a means to break down bad breathing habits, locate and eliminate tension, open and expand breathing mechanisms, and also to allow the person to become vibrant. "

I'm not sure I really understand all that (how are the tremors induced, I wonder?), but it's certainly intriguing.

Your Suzuki link led me to sites with descriptions of "the Suzuki method of actor training," which helped me understand a little more about it. Finding one's center of gravity is mentioned as an important element of the training. The rigorous exercises start with the lower body and involve overcoming physical obstacles. "By heightening the actor's awareness of their own physical habits, limitations and energies, the body becomes open to exploring emotion and truth." One of the places where Suzuki is taught is Juilliard.

Son of Tranquil

In response to NJTheatreMom but in relation to everything else-

I don't think Fitzmaurice is practiced in very many training programs, maybe due to the fact that it is fairly frightening to watch, haha.

I think the best way to find out about techniques for voice and movement is to call or visit schools that you are interested and to ask about their approach. I'm sure they'll be more than glad to let you know about it. The way I found out about these techniques is through taking classes at various studios and visiting many colleges.

I actually think Fishbowlfreshman attends the same BFA program that I do, which is at North Carolina School of the Arts. We learn Alexander and Linklater but I'm 90 percent sure we don't learn suzuki. I could be wrong though.