Hi, I am looking for information on costume design as a major or a concentration within Production and Design. Specifically, I am wondering how competitive it is, the number of applicants, # accepted into each program, and the suggested # of schools that students are applying to in order to get accepted. Can anyone shed some light on this side of the production? Thank you
@momma2four – I suggest reaching out to @momof2lefties as her student is in the midst of The Big Wait for theatre tech/costumes.
Sorry for the delay. He checked the portal and it showed a link that took him to his letter.
We would be willing to answer questions but may know more in the coming months once we accept and he gets signed up for classes in June. He’s excited but we are trying to hold him at bay until we see the financial aid package.
Thanks @MAMATO2BOYS l I just found out that I can’t send you a PM until I post 15 times, so give me a week or more, and I’ll be in touch. 
@momma2four like @OrangeFish said, my D is in the middle of this right now. We just had to kind of wing it on number of schools to apply to, since there’s just not a lot of tech info out there. She and I searched through the MT and Acting school lists and looked up their programs online, figuring that many of them would also have tech departments–that’s how we made her list. There are BA and BFA programs: the BAs look to be more general tech with the ability to take several courses in your focus area (and generally do not seem to require evaluation or limit specific number to admit) and the BFAs have many fewer liberal arts courses and more specialized classes (and have more hoops to jump through). Some BFAs divide up Costume Design and Costume Technology/Construction, some include both. It is a competitive admit major (like most BFAs) and your portfolio and interview are the primary methods of evaluation. Each school will have portfolio info on their website, though what you put in it can really be just about anything and does not need to be costume-related. None seem to take very many students in a given year–4 to maybe 8 or 9. Some of the most competitive programs she applied to told us in info sessions that they had 80+ applicants for those spots but most did not share numbers. Several did tell us, however, that of all of the design/tech fields, they generally have the most applicants in costume. (Bummer.) We had no idea how many schools to apply to–D ended up with 12 (one BA safety that did not require a portfolio or interview, 4 tippy-top schools, 7 “second tier” (I hate this term, as I think most of these programs are intense and high-quality) more regional schools, some were conservatory style, some more balanced liberal arts). Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.
Thank you. We are just getting started. I will definitely keep in touch. I appreciate this information.
A question for the theatre tech people – my D19 is unsure of exactly what she would like to concentrate in for tech, and thus far has not been able to work extensively in either set design or lighting because someone else at her high school “has the gig locked up” (as she says). She has expressed interest in both areas, but it just hasn’t happened.
Her portfolio, therefore, does not have a lot of set design or lighting included, and has more make-up design, special effects, and props work.
If she had to answer the question “what interests you – costumes, sets, or lighting?” she would likely say “I’m not sure” and would probably not admit she would not want to do costumes but sets and lighting both sound so interesting.
Knowing she has until the end of the summer or so to better focus on her interests, would you recommend taking BFA schools with more strict specialties (such as UNCSA) off the list, or at least putting them down towards the bottom of the pile?
Also, might you have any ideas how to help her answer the “do you want to do A, B, or C?” question with a better reply than “Idunno”?
@OrangeFish I can relate. My kid is very interested in pursuing a specific discipline however I assume her portfolio at this point shows more breadth than depth because she has done a lot of different things in her two years of stage crew and has not gone super-deep in any. As an outsider to all of this, I personally don’t mind the idea of getting more general experience before committing to a specialty, but it does not seem that the most competitive schools take that approach. (Btw I say “assume” regarding the portfolio because I actually have not seen it yet. She has been reluctant to share what she has, nor has she started to put it in some sort of hard copy, presentable format – hopefully we can address that this summer)
My S17 is a freshman BFA tech and production student hoping to concentrate in lighting design. His portfolio was pretty minimal but it did show that he had been working in school based theater since 6th grade and in summer community theater for about the same amount of time. Until junior year, most of what he did was helping to set stuff up and the like. His first tech job, in 6th grade, was literally holding the side curtain closed so the audience wouldn’t see into the wings! The second night, a couple of safety pins replaced him.
For his interviews, he told them he was interested in lighting design. He did have a little bit of experience. Can your D talk to the person who runs drama club at her school, say that she’s interested in exploring lighting design as a major and see if they will give her a shot. My son started on follow spot. At his first college production, his assignment was follow spot.
In his program, all of the students seem to take the same program the first year. His program offers lighting, set design, costume and tech and production. In sophomore year, they declare their concentration and then some of the classes they take start to diverge.
@Bubblewrap - I will share with you that my son told me that several of the people who interviewed him said things like they are looking for interest, enthusiasm, potential and the ability to learn and work more than they are looking for polished back stage crew people. It’s a college program, not a job, so the good ones expect that you will have a learning curve. They are expecting applicants to have some experience with theater, enough to know that they have an interest in pursuing it, but they seem aware that there are different levels of access available to HS students. My son’s school focused more on academic hotshots and athletes and, almost every other year, parents and students would have to protest to the school board not to cut drama club funding. Other schools are PA based and most are in the middle
Another thing is that many students go to college with little to no experience in their intended major. I was a poli sci major, but I knew nothing about what it really entailed until I began to study.
Hi- jumping in here. My D has been accepted into the 2 BFA conservatories that she applied to for lighting design- University of Arizona (home state) and Webster University. She is undecided - liking different things about each program and campus. Her main draw to UofA is the lighting design professor- Deanna Fitzgerald- she seems so committed to the program and her students. Any feedback would be appreciated.
@OrangeFish - I am not an expert but I know when we toured the theater program at ASU - there was a potential freshman in the tour that was undecided and it seemed like a BA program like the one at ASU might have been the prefect fit for her.
I am no expert, but I do agree with @techmom99 's post. Almost every program D looked at has a first-year curriculum where all tech majors are required to take classes in every field to get a basic knowledge. Some schools are looser on when you have to pick a focus than others, but almost every one of them (even the most intense ones that require a declared major for interviews, including UNCSA) did say that they do sometimes have kids who went in for one thing and changed their minds after the first year, so I don’t think it’s too big of a deal. (But I would definitely inquire about that at visit days, etc.) I got the impression that once you are in and have done a year, it’s not too much of a problem to shift numbers around a bit. We saw some schools even allow two areas of focus–they are generally BA programs. To be perfectly honest, if my kid was really torn between two, I would try to find out from the school how open they are to switches and a general idea of how many apply to a specific program and then apply for the focus that has fewer applicants. (ONLY if your kid is REALLY interested in both, not as a workaround for just getting in.) I have heard several programs mention that they are always looking for more Scenic Design students.
And I think an answer to that question might be along the lines of, “Of all of the areas I’ve had a chance to work in, I find myself most drawn to A and B because … . I like that your curriculum allows everyone in design/tech to take classes in all of the areas so that we can get a real understanding of how they all work together.” That may also leave the door open to consideration for both programs instead of just one. Come to think of it, the day my D interviewed at UNCSA, there was a girl who was presenting her portfolio to two different departments because she was interested in both fields and happy to study either of them.
Also, @OrangeFish , if she can’t get any experience at school with “locked up” gigs in lighting and set, are there any community theatre opportunities in your town where she might be able to arrange to shadow those areas? That would look great on her resume as proof of her interest and also give her opportunities to explore what she really loves.
@OrangeFish Older D is in her senior year at a school that offers BFA in Theatre Design and Technology, which I think is a little more general than many schools. I can’t tell you how many of her friends have come in interested in one particular aspect of theatre, and have ended up concentrating on something else. One came in as a performance major and discovered a love of the tech side. Another had considered a BFA in playwriting, switched gears, and just did an AMAZING job as director of a show (D was dramaturg – I’m not sure she even knew what that meant when she was your D’s age).
D’s main interest is lighting, but she comments something to the effect that she thinks of theatre as a collaborative process, and that she has tried to experience storytelling via as many positions on the design team as possible.
@“Jamieand Winthrop” -
Collaborative is the word that I would also use to describe the type of program my S17 is in. He’s not a competitive kid and programs that focused on cuts, etc. were not for him. Next year, he will have to start going to “jury,” which I think means displaying his current portfolio. He said that students aren’t cut unless they are horribly unproductive and a drain on the overall program, but they can sometimes be redirected to a concentration that might be more suited for them. H and I joke that if theater tech doesn’t work out, S17 can join the electrician’s union because he is certainly learning a lot about wiring and electricity. The happy making thing is that he is really enjoying it, way more than he enjoyed most things he studied in HS.
I also agree that there can be room for change. One of S17’s cohort switched to stage management, which is in the BA at his school.
Thank you all for your wonderful advice!
@Bubblewrap666 – good to know I’m not alone! 
@techmom99 – thank you for your wise advice omce again! D has spoken with her theatre teacher (who is the theatre director) about getting some lighting slots, etc., and then he’ll come to her with an opportunity in another area (such as stage management, which she did last month) and she snaps it up. This is a great thing as she gets to broaden her experiences, but it doesn’t open up lighting and sets. (Her ADHD certainly plays a part, too.)
@lazs91 – congratulations on your D’s acceptances! On the BA vs. BFA decision – D seems to be leaning towards a BA, but the thought of not having to take a foreign language (!) woos her to the dark (BFA) side. Her theatre teacher/director has suggested to her if she is not 100% set in a particular area, she may want to avoid conservatory schools.
@momof2lefties – I love your “turn it into a positive” answer with “I find myself most drawn to” and the the positive of taking classes in all areas. D has a college visit tomorrow (VCU) and maybe we can get some not-posted-on-the-website specifics in terms of switching between specialties. I’m thinking VCU’s foundation year is similar to what @techmom99 describes is the case at SUNY - Frendonia. Also, great thoughts about the community theatre side, thank you! Last summer she did a stint of house managing with an community theatre production in the summer. She’s not sure of her plans for this summer, but she has said she wants to get a job to earn $$ for college. Not sure if she can fit in some volunteer theatre time, but makes sense to scope things out.
@“Jamieand Winthrop” – my D would LOVE to be a dramaturg! She’s props master for the school’s spring musical right now, and is big into the historical research on what type of riding crop would they have during the time period of the musical, etc. I’m getting the sense if her portfolio shows a breadth of experience, and she gets to talking about her background, maybe some of this unbridled (pardon the pun) passion will stream out.
I’m so thankful to have you all here!
Hello! I’m a prospective tech student looking at mostly BFA programs with some BAs thrown in the mix. I’m from Maryland and want to stay in the northeast. I was wondering if I could get an opinion on my list? I have 20 schools right now and I’m looking to get it down to 15. I want to know where I want to apply before the end of the school year so come fall I can jump right in!
thanks for your consideration!
Which schools are on your list and are you interested in a specific area of tech?
What are your stats, what is your budget, what type of exposure have you had in tech?
Hi, @katiefitz. We are in Maryland as well. My daughter is a BFA costume designer at Rutgers night now. What area of tech are you interested in? You might be able to get your list down to well below 15!