My 2019 son is MT/straight acting but his best friend will be a 2019 theatre tech applicant. If you are in Virginia, have you looked at Shenandoah?
@mindatwork – my D19 is looking for non-conservatory programs for theatre tech. At least the last time I checked.
D17 (Sr. in HS, class of 2022) was accepted at Emerson EA, and she decided to withdraw other applications, except for CMU. Did a campus visit and portfolio review at CMU last weekend – and to our great shock (and excitement!) she was accepted there as well, on the spot (!)
We’re heading back to Emerson to do a day at the school during her spring break (last week of March). She’s really torn as she LOVED Emerson when she toured it, and at the interview, but also was blown away by CMU. I’m personally in camp “CMU,” but letting her make the decision ultimately.
Any first hand experience with either school appreciated! She’s interested either in scenic, or technical direction.
Wow! Congrats to your D, @mdsvc89 ! Two great programs to choose from. No input, though. D applied to both for costume, but is holding off on visits until accepted.
(Non)update: UNCSA Design & Production told D in a December letter that decisions would be made yesterday and that admissions would send out an email with results. No email yesterday, but D’s portal changed and a fully functioning link to pay admissions/housing deposit showed up. That is the only change. We are hoping it is a positive sign, but who knows? Could be a computer glitch, could be a mistake. No way of knowing without more information, which cannot be had over the weekend. A part of me immediately thought, “if I pay the deposit right now before they realize a glitch, they’ll HAVE to take her!” 
Otterbein said she would hear from them “by March” so we are hoping that means “on or before March 1”. Rest of the bunch are not expected until mid-late March.
Good thing this weekend is D’s high school musical. Keeps her mind busy thinking about other stuff.
Good luck, @momof2lefties – Where did she do a portfolio reviews?
@mdsvc89 BFAs at DePaul, UNCSA, Otterbein, BU, Emerson, CMU, Shenandoah, Evansville,. She’s gotten acceptances from the last two and a BA at BW that she didn’t have to interview for. She withdrew her application from 3 others after those two acceptances in early Feb. (She knew at that point that she was in to two programs that she’d be happy to attend and was tired of interviewing and traveling, plus had the high school musical in rehearsals.) Waiting to hear from the first 6 on the list.
Just jumping in. My D class of 2022 is pursuing BFA in sound design. Did unifieds in L.A. She’s accepted at Ithaca and Nebraska-Lincoln with scholarships. Waiting on USC, DePaul, Emerson, UNCSA. Also applied for BA in theater at UC Irvine. Hoping to get news soon so we can plan some visits over spring break in mid-March. It’s nerve-wracking.
Good to luck to all of those waiting!! I will be visiting BW over spring break with my D19, who is likely interested in set design. Even though she is only a junior, I want to make sure she has an option in the midwest that she can be happy about, in case the whole portfolio review process next year doesn’t work out as hoped. We will also be visiting Ohio U, as I hear decent things about that program and it is also does not require a portfolio review, and we are combining our spring break “scouting trip” with college visit for her twin, who has polar opposite academic interests.
@Bubblewrap666 another Ohio program that may be worth checking out is Wright State, which I understand to be a well-regarded theatre prgram. Their D&P degree is a BFA and does not require a portfolio review for freshman admit, choosing instead to submit one after the first year in order to continue on in the department. I think it’s a nice approach, giving students a chance to develop more work freshman year and really getting to know whether or not they want to pursue it as a major. I only recently found out about the program, or would have pushed my D to apply for that as her “safety”, rather than BW, as she was really most interested in the depth of BFA study.
@momof2lefties Thank you! I was wondering about that program, and will definitely add it to the list! Being further along in the journey than we are, do you think proximity to Cleveland and its access to professional theater might give a leg up to BW, even if their program might not be as deep as Wright State’s? For that matter, how much guidance does any school give towards finding internships or summer work opportunities, or is it up to the student to be a go-getter and seek them out on his/her own?
Truly, I don’t know the answer to these questions—I have not researched either school all that much or visited the campuses. Someone who has students further along in their college careers might have some input on that last one. My guess is that, no matter what, these kids are going to need to learn to be go-getters if they want succeed in this business where jobs are often short-term and not particularly stable. Definitely good questions to pose during your visits!
@Bubblewrap666 You asked “how much guidance does any school give towards finding internships or summer work opportunities”. My impression is that Midwestern schools tend to over-compensate for not being on the coast by helping their students make as many connections all over the country as possible. I have no statistics to back this up, but it makes sense that faculty are aware that their campus isn’t in the middle of a theatre hub, and will do what they can to offset that and be able to attract good students.
Really, I’d just point-blank ask places what they do. Are they practicing interview skills every semester? Having portfolio reviews every year? How do they help find internships? These are all valid questions for MANY university departments (background in engineering over here – those internships are important!), and it shouldn’t shock anyone that you’re asking them.
My daughter attends a small LAC on the east coast. Her school provided the students with a few internship possibilities and help with resumes. But it truly is on the backs of the kids to be go getters and research and apply. My daughter just completed 23 applications for summer and year long internships. 99% of those she hunted down herself. This business is a tough one and you have to be willing to make things happen for yourself. Good luck <3
My S attends a SUNY school. Each semester, they do resume updates in class and the program provides access to a website that lists potential jobs and internships. He also had to do a website last semester to highlight his achievements, but I don’t know who it’s accessible to. S hasn’t done much to get anything this summer but that’s kind of because I am encouraging him to complete his math gen ed at the local CC during the summer. He said that there are portfolio reviews as they move along in the program. He said most people get jobs after graduation from what he has heard, though of course he is a freshman. I’ll trust his word on this more next year.
Does anybody know if there are any big state schools (non-conservatory preferred) that are still taking applications? I’ve come to the realization that that’s really where I’d be happiest, and my list honestly doesn’t include that many.
It’s not that big (about 6,000 students, but SUNY Fredonia still has 3 tech audition dates, March 3, 24 and April 7. It’s not a conservatory but the school is very music and performance focused. In addition to the the BFA in theater tech, it offers BFA’s in Acting, MT and Dance, as well as a non audition theater BA. It is also a highly rated school for music ed. I don’t know if it’s too late to apply, but you can call and ask.
@techhopeful You might want to try Univ Nebraska Lincoln. My daughter really liked what she saw at her callbacks at International Thespians last summer. Big state school and amazing facilities with the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. They still seem to be accepting applications.
@bisouu Are any of the theatre summer jobs your child applied to paid? DD is an art major flirting with adding a double-major in theatre. She works in the scene shop, has been a lighting assistant, stage hand, etc.because most of her friends at school are theatre majors.
All of the art summer experiences her college advising recommended were unpaid – she really needs to earn some money because she is studying abroad this fall. The study abroad program recommends that students have 5K for meals/expenses and it’s not covered by financial aid!
Do art and theatre parents just plan to pay food/rent in some random big city so their kids can do an internship? And what about after graduation? Any chance of earning money then? When looking at local theatres where she could potentially live at home, there were unpaid internships for recent grads as well. (Because there’s an arts college with a strong theatre program, I’m not sure how competitive she would be for local jobs anyway.) She hasn’t even officially declared the theatre major yet so no advisor.
Big envelope arrived in the mail today—D got into UNCSA!!!