@OrangeFish DePaul went well! Given that they are such an intense and highly selective program, I was pleasantly surprised that the people interviewing my daughter were so kind, supportive and generous with their time. I got the impression that their conversation covered a lot of ground, not just about her portfolio and experience, but also about theater and the arts in general. I was more than a little concerned about a school of that caliber being her first interview but she walked away feeling positive about the whole experience, even as she fully understands that the odds of gaining admission are not in her favor. Now she just waits… And good luck to your D at UNCSA!!
Does info about a costume concentration belong in this thread? Here’s an exciting new scholarship opportunity:
https://news.psu.edu/story/543432/2018/10/23/arts-and-entertainment/costume-design-scholarship-endowed-name-beloved#.W9HdVvFGseY.facebook
@OrangeFish Winston-Salem and Elon are very close - about an hour. Have you looked at Elon’s theratre program? I can’t remember if you are in NC.
Sounds fabulous, @Bubblewrap666 – warm and supportive is just what one hopes for during a faculty interview, especially for an early/first interview! I believe @momof2lefties has a DePaul costume designer, in case you want to reach out to someone who literally has been there and done that.
Thanks, @TwinMom2023 ! I had mentioned Elon to D19 and for some reason she was not interested. I think UNCSA was pushing the limit of her southern boundary :)) and she has friends attending UNCSA now in stage management, so UNCSA made the cut. I will do a drive by, though, as we’ll be nearby. Thanks for the suggestion!
My D is currently a junior. She attended SSTI this past summer and heard about regional/national theater conferences, such as SETC and USITT, and is very interested in going to one. SETC is in early March, and there are opportunities for tech students to set up portfolio tables and arrange college interviews during the conference – does anyone know who the target audience is for this? It seems too late in the game for seniors to benefit, but, as a junior, she won’t have submitted applications yet so perhaps it’s a chance to get on some schools’ early radar screens(?). Any thoughts/info would be appreciated! Thanks!
@TwinMom2023 – we did a drive-by of Elon yesterday. D19 was not a fan. I have given up trying to predict what she likes. ?
She was on UNCSA’s campus with a friend yesterday and she loved it! Her interview is today.
@OrangeFish I totally agree what Twin A likes. It is a total crap shoot. Glad you did the drive by and Good Luck today!! I hope it goes well.
Are there any UNCSA School of Design and Production (D&P) folks here?
@OrangeFish One of my daughter’s closest friends is a D&P student at UNCSA. If nobody pops up here, I’d be happy to pass along any questions you might have. How did the interview go?
Thanks, @Bubblewrap666 – I will PM you. (And the interview went great!)
@Loganator – I have no experience with SETC/USITT conferences but know the various professors we have met with during portfolio reviews absolutely rave about USITT in particular, for college level theatre tech students. D19 would love to attend in March 20-23 2019, but we’re saving days-out-of-school for any necessary college visits before accepting a school.
My S17 is a member of his school’s USITT branch. It’s a great resource. He was thinking of going this year but didn’t want to ask me for the money. We talked about him going next year (2020) to Texas when he will be a junior. I will pay half if he earns half.
My D goes to USITT every year, she started off as a college freshman when she was presenting research. I don’t really know how helpful it would be for a college applicant as the profs are there to learn and meet with their friends and colleagues, it’s a professional event. But for a college student it’s an amazing opportunity to learn and meet people who live and breathe technical theatre - she says it’s like Tech Theatre Disneyland.
@Loganator as @CaMom13 says USITT is a great event for college students, we have a student chapter at JMU, whereI teach, and send a group of students each year. It is more of a professional conferences, not really geared towards HS students.
SETC is a terrific opportunity for HS juniors. They can set up their portfolio materials and talk with college representatives. The colleges are there to recruit students, and encourage them to apply. Some schools can make recruit seniors (rolling admissions schools, or schools with late deadlines), but many cannot, and are really there to meet juniors.There are workshops that the students can go to, which is a bonus. For college students looking for summer work the job contact service is great… they have the opportunity to meet and interview with companies.
I have two friends who go to UNCSA for lighting and scenic design. I could reach out if someone has questions. 
I am a freshman DP at CMU if you have any questions about this program as well
Thought about starting a new thread but probably makes more sense to keep it here – would love to hear feedback on choosing between a BA and a BFA for Theatre Tech and specialties. Of course the frequently mentioned difference is the ability to minor in something else with a BA.
@techmom99 – I think your son recently went through the switch from BFA to BA and is happier now. Would especially like to hear your perspective.
Yes, S17 did switch from BFA Theater Tech (Lighting Design) to BA General Theater with a psych minor. He doesn’t regret having started in the BFA because it gave him a level of exposure and access to the tech faculty that most BA’s don’t get, at least not right away. Even though he’s no longer in the BFA, his advisor, the head lighting prof, is keeping him on his roster and enrolled him in a one credit course for master electricians. He will be taking lighting design next semester, but he is done with the artsy classes that were dragging his GPA down and bringing his stress level up. He made dean’s list this semester for the first time.
The one thing I wish we had known was that there is a difference between lighting design and lighting tech. Tech is what my son wanted. There are apparently some schools that offer a BFA in lighting tech. When he first announced his plan to switch out from the BFA, we looked into transferring to one of those other programs, but they all cost more and the opportunity for scholarships were gone and he would have lost some of his credits. Besides, he really likes his school. Fortunately, he will be able to do as much lighting tech as he can manage. In the BFA program, students need a 3.5 to do work outside of the program. S17 now has no such restriction and has worked on the school’s opera and dance productions since the switch.
He wishes he didn’t have the D and D+ on his transcript (in art based classes) but he is happy he began in the BFA and even happier that he’s not in it anymore.
My daughter started in a BFA (theater) program but ended up with a BA in History. I’d say the biggest downside was that the BFA had a ton of lower level course requirements, so she took them, and when she switched to the BA they were just general credits. For her last semester, she was scrambling to get upper division courses.
I think if she’d stayed in the BFA she would have needed more upper division credits too. The advising for the first year had everyone taking World Civ and Psychology, because those classes fit well with the theater courses. They were both ‘wasted’ as other required classes met any requirement those would have (general A&S humanities, for example). The World Civ helped my daughter because she ended up a history major, and I made her swap out psych for English (which was required).
I’ve never seen the benefit for a BFA over a BA.
@Twoinanddone – what area of theatre tech was your daughter centered on? (I should remember but I am drawing a blank.)
The difference I see of the BFA compared to the BA is the exposure to more areas in the broader world of technical theatre – a course in scenic design, a course in costume design, a course in lighting design, a course in sound design (etc.). With a BFA there are more credit hours to have such courses, which is not the case with the BA (in many cases).
With the BA, because there are more electives, there’s likely a greater opportunity to minor (or, I am guessing double major, with enough AP/IB credits) alongside the theatre major.
@OrangeFish my oldest D is about to graduate as a double major - her “second” major is Technical Direction (BA). She feels she could walk into a work situation without any learning curve, her BA provided pre-professional tech training in addition to academic general ed. IMO the “F” in BFA implies a curriculum that is creative as well as technical. She’s not at all an artist, she’s a total techie so the BA was definitely the right degree.