emkolb

Hi, I'm a high school Junior and I'm putting together my list for schools next year. My main concern is money, though I have plenty of schools that are a bit out of my price range that I'm hoping for some financial aid for.

My list is:
Super safety- University of Pittsburgh (this is free for me, I wouldn't major in theatre if I attended, only go for a year and then transfer out)

Safety that I'd be incredibly happy attending and financially completely within reach- Temple University Theatre Arts BA

and then the BFA Programs (in order of how much I want to attend based on a combinatino of reputation and price):
U of Minn/BFA Actor Training
NCSA
Rutgers
Purchase
CCM
CMU
U Arts
Juilliard
DePaul
NYU Tisch

Just wondering what everyone thinks? Too reach-y? Too many schools?

What's my next step?

Thanks for any and all input

emkolb

Also, does anyone have any knowledge about how weight/physicality might affect acceptances? I'm very active and fit but I'm far from skinny (but not fat). How necessary is it that I lose weight before college auditions?

Thanks!

forrest

Purchase and MN/Guthrie are the bargains in that list, the MN Guthrie seems to show a marked preference to Minnesotans. If you can do all the auditions, I don't think you can really have too many.

Regarding weight I can only tell you that after many years of auditioning the two things most important to me are to be comfortable and relaxed. If you are comfortable with your present weight and feel it doesn't prevent you from doing anyything pyshical then I woudn't give it another thought. It's an issue I struggled with for years, being not lithe myself. I finally got to a weight at which I feel comfortable and do my best to stay there.

MichaelNKat

Not necessary at all. Students of all sizes and shapes get accepted. Focus on getting as much experience and training now as you can, starting to search for audition materials, lining up a good diverse list of schools and 9 months from now on applying and preparing for auditions.

Your question, though, raises one of the most pernicious issues in performing arts. In an industry that can sometimes be so preoccupied with anxieties about appearance, it is important to stay grounded and maintain a good, healthy self-image. While more prevalent with females than males, a preoccupation with "weight" can so easily result in unhealthy eating habits and ultimately eating disorders. Re-read how you described yourself : "I'm very active and fit but I'm far from skinny (but not fat)". Why would you even for a moment obsess about your weight?

researching4emb

<<"I'm very active and fit but I'm far from skinny (but not fat)". Why would you even for a moment obsess about your weight?">>

I totally get that. I think it's impossible to be a woman (let alone a teenager) in America today and not be weight-conscious, so I wouldn't criticize the OP for being aware of it-- she's not obsessing, she's just being a normal girl. I've fit the above description for most of my life (with a few times of letting myself slip into actually too heavy), and now my two Ds have the same body types, and it isn't easy being a normal-size girl in a world (as with theater) of skinny-minnies.

That said, we've heard from all the audition-in theater schools that they are all about building a company. They WANT a diversity of looks, body types, ethnicities, life experiences, acting styles.... it doesn't serve them to admit nothing but a bunch of identical-looking blond girls who weigh 105 pounds. Forrest is right-- own your body, use it, enjoy it, and it will find a happy home on the stage.

emkolb

The reason I asked is because a teacher of mine who is an acting teacher at a local university (that isn't terribly selective) had said that she thought the students in the deaprtment should be, for lack of a better word, skinnier than they were. I thought it might be an issue with some more selective schools. I'm very very comfortable with my body and have a good self-image. Promise Thanks for that input though, that's comforting.

MichaelNKat

I was not in anyway being critical of the OP, to the contrary I am critical of those "educators" and others connected with the industry who raise the issue in the judgmental and critical context that the OP's teacher apparently did. As the father of a 20 year old girl who is a junior in a MT BFA program, I am pretty sensitive to the pressures put on young ladies from pre-teen years and thereafter. I was basically saying to the OP, "Wait a minute, look at how you feel about and perceive yourself. That's what's important. Don't listen to that other drivel."

And btw, last night I saw Billy Elliot in NYC. The cast is filled with very talented pre-teens and young teens of all sorts of body shapes and types. They get their training somewhere and are on Broadway. The adults were of various body shapes and types. We have 2 subscription series to 2 professional theatres in Philadelphia that draw their casts from NYC Broadway performers as well as locally and the casts span a variety of body shapes and types. So, just take good care of yourself by eating healthfully and exercising and don't stress your teacher's dopey comments.

susgeek

My daughter and her roommate are both in the BFA Theater program at Brooklyn College.

My daughter is small, but her roomie is not - at least not like my daughter. She sounds a lot like you. And she is doing very well in theater *hugs*