Thanks to those who passed along their wisdom. I’ve spent so many hours on CC that I think my eyes are permanently crossed. I have pages and pages of notes from all kinds of threads. Baldwin-Wallace is definitely on the list but so are dozens of others. It’s pretty overwhelming. I’m looking for good BA Theater schools with good academic reputations that have at least two of the non-theater majors/minors she’s considering. It’s a slow slog. And, frankly, she’s going to be too busy with her classes & ECs to think about it much next year. I’m trying to be a good mom & narrow it down to 20 or fewer for her to surf or visit. Those of you with auditions and unifieds to worry about—I don’t see how you get it all done!
@Cinemaparent - my D is graduating this year with a BS in Theatre Engineering and a BA in Technical Direction. Her career goal is to engineer the solutions behind the marvels of live entertainment. One of the things that has helped her is internships. Cirque has a fantastic internship that might help your son break out of traditional theatre tech and into live entertainment. But there are others - my D interned for Five Currents for the Special Olympics and that really opened up the field for her. As long as the education at all of his choices fits what he wants to learn I would have him choose the school where his mentors will help him connect with live entertainment production companies and tech folks.
@foolfortravel Hi! A school that I’d recommend at least looking into is Fordham University. Just an FYI: I’m a current high school senior and I just committed to the school, so I’m not the most professional, well-versed, unbiased source here. I’ve visited the campus a lot and I’ve gotten the opportunity to sit in on a few classes, so I’m speaking from my own personal experience.
I’ll be pursuing a BA in theatre design/production with a concentration in stage management. A lot of the students that I’ve talked to are double majoring, whether it be within the theatre program or something outside of it. Fordham is well-known for their strong academics, and their Lincoln Center campus (where you’d be primarily studying as a theatre major) is in a great location for outside internships. The tuition cost unfortunately puts it on the more expensive end, but the scholarships they gave me were extremely generous. With your daughter’s grades, I’m sure that she would also qualify for academics-based scholarships that I didn’t receive.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions about Fordham, or my overall application process in general 
Hi everyone! I just joined and am so glad there is a post for theatre tech here! I have a HS junior interested in this major and looking in the Philly area (or anywhere within an hour). She wants a liberal arts school so she can also take/minor in English. We are just starting college tours. Any suggestions, advice, good schools for this? Thanks!
SMCharlotte–sorry for getting back so late. I was one of the lucky ones who got the last dregs of flu season. D21 is going to NYC next week with her high school theater group. They’re seeing four musicals (and doing all the touristy things). I know the first night they’re going to Lincoln Center. I’ll be interested in what she thinks of NYC and if she’d want to study/work there. We have two in-state public schools and one in-state LAC lined up for visits soon. A trip to Ohio and Pennsylvania is being planned for summer. I wish were more on the ball last year when we went to DC and Williamsburg for vacation. We went to church right across the street from Catholic U., stayed in a hotel about five minutes from William and Mary and drove right by U.of Richmond. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks for your help, everyone. This could be a long two years!
Anyone have a student that transferred into a theater tech program (stage design and/or lighting are his interests) or knows of some schools that would consider a transfer student with poor grades (2.3 overall in an engineering major with about 70 credits completed)? Has been actively involved since high school and college in stage design and lighting and sound- over 20 theatrical productions so he could pull together a portfolio if needed. His understanding is that he will lose most of his credits even if he can transfer into a BFA program so he is also considering finishing up his bachelor degree (in a non engineering major) and then applying for an MFA program instead (not sure if that is even an option!) NYS residents with a budget of about $40,000 a year total.
I am no help on the transfer situation @ceiliblue but do agree it may be worth considering staying to complete the undergrad degree and looking for an MFA instead. Might be worth him talking to someone at his school to see how many courses/credits he would need to complete the bachelors. Seems to me he has so much invested already so why not finish it up.
Look at SUNY Fredonia. You will have $15K left over each year from your budget in case he has to stay an extra year or semester.
My S17 was in the BFA Theater Tech/lighting design program, but switched this semester to General Theater BA with a minor in a non-theater area. He loves lighting, but realized that he has zero interest in designing, he just wants to execute and solve problems. He has a friend who transferred in this year with a AA and was admitted to the BFA lighting concentration, so it can happen.
I suggest looking at the course equivalencies to see what will be accepted. He may be able to use his current credits for the gen eds and upper level and/or non-theater course requirements. Also, contact the theater department and talk to them because the cycle might be over for auditions/portfolio review.
@ceiliblue - possibly look for BA programs in technical theatre? Going from a BA engineering to BFA seems like a waste - better to finish a BA and get the MFA and yes, there are graduate degrees in technical theatre. No idea about the chances of transferring with his GPA, assuming his current school has no real lighting and sound degree options?
Thanks all for your helpful comments. His plan is to switch to a liberal arts major and finish at his current university with a BA degree and perhaps pursue an MFA in the future. He has started the internal transfer process and has been very happy with the support and advice he has received from both the engineering and theater departments.
Hey DPs…I’m currently waitlisted at my top three and I’m not sure what to do. I’ve kept good contact with all of them and I’m not sure what else to do. If anyone is in the same boat or is about to turn down CMU, Fordham, or Pace let me know to ease my mind lol.
@elenadel - I suggest sending letters of continued interest to each of the schools, and identify a “I would be happy there” school from your acceptances so you are able to make a deposit by May 1. If $ is an issue, it may make sense to start comparing financial aid/cost of attendance numbers across your acceptances and wait list schools, too.
I read through this entire thread in one night! Wow! Lots of great advice. Thank you everyone who has contributed here. My son is going to be a junior in high school. He wants to pursue a career in lighting design. He just finished a three-week summer program at DePaul University. He absolutely loved it! I am very impressed by what he was able to accomplish there. He said the faculty were incredibly kind and very passionate about theatre.
I will admit, I’m a bit stressed out about applying to colleges because admission rates are so low at good tech theatre schools. My son has a 3.5 unweighted GPA. His PSAT score from his sophomore year was 1420. He will take at least four AP classes before he graduates. He will also have a decent design portfolio when he interviews. He has been doing lighting since middle school. I just hope he can get into a school that we can afford!
^ He sounds like he’s going to be a very competitive Lighting Design Candidate! Keep in mind that lots of great programs can be pretty generous with talent scholarships, so try to focus on the school research aspect for now, rather than cost (easier said than done, I know!).
Hello! First post but I read the whole thread, so much useful information. My daughter’s a junior in high school and after years of saying she was going to Georgia Tech for engineering, she informed us she much rather pursue a theater tech degree. She really loves working in the theater for her school and spends every spare minute there that she can, so I’m sure it’s the right choice, now we just have to find the right schools.
If she could stay in Georgia that would be great, but right now we’re still figuring out the ins and outs of well, everything.
@Ephany - if she wants to keep a foot in each camp have her look at the Theatre Engineering degree at Purdue! It’s a great mix of both. My D was also a theater techie /stage manager throughout jr high and high school but she wanted to make use of her math and science skills in her degree. She was looking to double major in tehnical theatre and engineering but a lot of schools were very dismissive that anyone could combine the two. She happened upon Purdue’s program as it was starting up and never looked back. I think UNLV is also working on their own program but Purdue’s is already graduating engineers and they get hired by the best entertainment and theatre companies out there.
https://engineering.purdue.edu/ENE/Academics/Undergrad/MDE/PlansofStudy/theatre-engineering
Purdue or UNLV may not be the right fit for her but it’s such an exciting area to work in - she might want to look over their plans of study and consider if that isn’t worth pursuing as a multi-disciplinary degree elsewhere.
@Ephany If your D wants to stay close to Georgia have her check out Coastal Carolina University. Their Theatre Tech program has been named in the Top 25 (though we all know about those lists), but they do truly have a great program and amazing facilities for tech.
Thank you, I will. I’m not sure it’s want to stay close to Georgia as it’s graduate with as little debt as possible. Georgia has HOPE for Georgia kids who state in-state and it’s a huge financial help if she maintains her grades. I’ll also show her the info on Coastal Carolina, Purdue and UNLV, thank you!
@Ephany - maybe have her contact the SE chapter of USITT and ask which GA colleges participate. USITT is the nationwide organization of technical theatre professionals and it’s an amazing organization to get connected with while you’re an undergraduate.
In early October, we traveled to NYC/Boston/New Jersey and visited SUNY Purchase, Pace, BU (wow), Emerson, and Rutgers (even more WOW), which gave us a great idea about a smattering of programs. Fabulous trip and very informative…but exhausting! If anyone has questions about any of these schools, please ask away – we learned so much.