@OrangeFish unfortunately I haven’t! when I do, I’ll let you know!
Another question for you tech theatre people (I’m assuming it is okay to add this here and not start a new thread?). Did whether or not the school offered an MFA in tech theatre impact your/your student’s decision making process?
I can start a new thread if that would be better. This one is getting kind of long.
@RKmom I can definitely say that it is a factor D is considering. Whether or not MFA students are given a priority over upperclass BFA students when it comes to designing/directing their area of study in shows is definitely a question to ask the department (and maybe students). It’s definitely not the only (or even most important) consideration for her, but it is in the mix.
We just visited a college that only has an undergrad program and they were touting all the benefits of that, which prompted my question. They suggested that if a school has a grad program it means less design opportunities for undergrads and also that some classes are taught by grad students instead of professors. I’m just wondering how much that really matters.
It’s definitely important to consider, however different schools handle the issue differently. For example, NYU has both undergrad and grad programs but they are kept completely separate. At Penn State, there are MFAs in scenic and costume design but not in lighting and sound. However, sometimes at programs with no grad students, faculty will design the productions. It all depends on the school, so it is definitely something to ask about while touring!
Fredonia has no grad programs in theater. The presence of MFA programs was not something that S17 focused on when deciding, primarily because it didn’t occur to us but I do think it’s a worthwhile thing to look into.
Rutgers is in an odd position right now re: MFA/BFA. In the past (including my daughter’s second year BFA company), the BFAs & MFAs from a single year take classes together, work, and put on productions together as “the first year company,” “the second year company,” etc. Each gets the benefit of the others’ strengths—described by one of the faculty to as parents as experience (grad students) vs. “will walk off a cliff for you” (undergrads). My daughter still received an assistant design opportunity first year and this year has had both a design and an assistant design opportunity. I think it works well. But for 2018-19, Rutgers as a whole is cutting funding to various departments—arts being a perennial fave. This from their website: Due to the implementation of a new university budget system, the Mason Gross School of the Arts Theater Program will not be accepting applications for MFA candidates in this upcoming year. We are making this decision to ensure and maintain the financial status of our currently enrolled company and to support an on-going effort to more fully support our future students. We plan to accept new MFA candidates in the next recruiting cycle beginning September 2018 (for Fall 2019 entry).
@RKmom: While making the college tour rounds, we also heard “we can focus just on undergrads,” spiel. I can see how that would work very well for certain programs but not others—I think there are many recipes for success! What I like about Rutgers’ program as they presumably will implement it again in 19-20 is the inspiration some of the grad students give the BFA, particularly among the actors. Even though my daughter is a designer, the MFA actors have just blown her away, and they’re so nice! Some of the designers have been incredibly nice, too. She is assisting an MFA who’s been working in the field for about 10 years, and she’s given an awesome tour of lesser-known NYC resources!
She has not had any classes taught by grad students. She did have a TA for an Art History (i.e., non-theatre) class where the the TA was better than the prof!
@katiefitz We were very impressed by Penn State’s facilities and tour, too. And on the day of portfolio reviews, they had faculty and students come and talk to the parents for quite a long time
@RKmom MFA vs. BFA influenced tech students at my D’s school. She’s been talking to freshmen about their decision-making process, and that’s come up as a comment.
She’s a senior with a concentration in lighting design. I had asked her to find out what this year’s freshmen were saying about how they made their decisions regarding which schools to apply to, and which to accept. It’s certainly been interesting!
Current thought since I have a senior – another thing I would look for is faculty who will be proactive about internships and future jobs, including having students bringing in their contracts so they can discuss on an individual basis how to best negotiate terms.
I would guess that technology will constantly change, so using any particular tecnology in class may or may not be an advantage, same as getting a degree in computer science. On the other hand, introducing students to the up-and-coming designers who are already out there, and teaching how to navigate the interpersonal side of the theater tech community (including interview and negotiation) are timeless skills.
Accepted to UNCSA and on priority waitlist at Carnegie Mellon! Still waiting on Webster and CCM, but it’s almost over!
Congratulations @Ashley102399 ! My D has two friends in SM at UNCSA and they both love the program. Good luck with the (short) remaining wait!
@Ashley102399 - My D received her letter of acceptance from Webster last week(lighting design). I think, by now, you could email them to find out.
@lazs91 I emailed last week and my admissions counselor said decisions haven’t even been made. CCM was supposed to post decisions last Friday and it still isnt up in my portal today but hopefully it comes soon!
@Ashley102399- Fingers crossed!
congrats @Ashley102399 !
I visited Baldwin Wallace last week with my D19 who is interested in Scenic Design. We met with a couple of professors in the Theater Design and Production track and they could not have been kinder and more encouraging. I am convinced that my kid could be nurtured and supported in that environment, and would have a multitude of Cleveland-based internship/job opportunities available to gain “real life” work experience. They did a great job explaining how their very small and flexible BA program, with a strong liberal arts foundation, prepares their students well for post-graduation employment and grad school despite not offering the breadth or depth of coursework available at many BFA programs. Even though their argument was compelling (and 100% non-salesy, btw) I am still concerned that my kid would not develop the range of skills there as compared to a student at a conservatory program, and would therefore be at a disadvantage when it comes to finding jobs. For those of you who have already fully explored BA vs BFA programs and are moving on to the next step, how would you respond to this? Also my D was concerned that their facility was small-ish and old-ish, without many of the latest technological bells and whistles. Does this matter, or is it true that once you have the foundational skills down, you can easily learn how to use new equipment? Thanks!
@Bubblewrap666 My one of my D’s non-faculty mentors once commented that a lot of theaters he ended up working at post-school didn’t have the bells and whistles technology either, because they couldn’t afford it. So, learning to use it in school was a moot point.
One question I’d ponder is whether the emphasis on learning technology means that the design process gets shortchanged. Hopefully not, but D sometimes comments she sees that happening. It sort of reminds me of years and years ago when computers-in-the-classroom were new, and kids would get so involved in using cool fonts for their essays, but the actual content of the essays would be trash – the kids were more interested in the technology than in the actual content they were supposed to be producing.
I would also be interested in how they work with the students to get internships, practice interview skills, negotiate contracts, develop a personal website and portfolio, and generally develop relationships in the real world. Technology comes and goes, but the bonds formed with real people will last a long, long time.
@“Jamieand Winthrop” Thank you, very helpful! I believe your second paragraph would resonate deeply with them, as they talked a bunch about how they help build the foundation for students to learn how to make educated design decisions and collaborations, rather than creating art in a vacuum.
S17’s BFA Theater Tech program is housed in a state of the art facility that opened year before last. SUNY spent $48 MILLION on upgrading the theater and just making the place amazing. I toured when I visited last semester and was very impressed.
However, in S17’s first semester, he still had to take mechanical drawing to learn how to draft by hand and this semester he is taking rendering, to learn how to sketch by hand. He actually has to take another semester of rendering as well. He will be learning to sew by hand as well.
The philosophy of his program appears to be that the students need to understand the basics before they can start to play with the bells and whistles equipment. This could be a nod to the point above that many smaller theaters may not be able to afford all of the fancy, expensive equipment and the students need to learn how to do it “the old fashioned way” for when they are not in the hottest, newest venues that are equipped with state of the art technology.
To the other point, my son’s BFA offers a full range of skills classes. He plans to major in lighting design. However, he has to take classes like costume design and construction (separate classes), make-up, directing, stage management, theater history, set design, stage craft and the like. He will have exposure to every aspect. He can even take a class for credit working in the school’s ticket office to learn how to work in the box office. You have to look at an individual BA curricula to see what it offers and in what depth.
When we looked at comparative degree maps and requirements between BA’s and BFA’s, it became apparent that the BFA offers a much deeper entree into the field. It’s like a full meal versus a grazing menu.
There is no right or wrong answer, per se, just what is better for your child. My son has dyslexia and dyscalculia. Although he is very bright, academics is not his passion, so we didn’t look at the academically intense programs, in large part because his grades and test scores were not likely to support admission. He also was not interested in a traditional college program where you kind of take one from column A, one from column B to get a wide range of exposure. He felt that was for students who weren’t certain what they wanted to study. He wanted to avoid having to take math; he couldn’t get out of that, but he will take the lowest level acceptable as a transfer at our local CC. He wants to have a career. He isn’t interested in pursuing an MFA (at least at this point in time). I figure that if the theater doesn’t work out, he can take the electrician skills he’s learning and join the union.
Bottom line is to really look at what the programs say in writing. When you are there, they will tell you what you want to hear.
Good luck.
@Bubblewrap666 – when we visited one of the schools D19 is interested in, a member of the theatre faculty described the BFA like an apprenticeship (or, what parents/older folks might call “vocational school”) and also described a BA as a Bachelor’s degree, where if you are applying for a job online with a company, a government agency, etc., you can type in Bachelor’s degree and your application can be submitted. Both are perfectly fine degrees but they serve different purposes.
@OrangeFish I like that perspective. I have always half-joked that this particular child (as compared to siblings) is the one that would most benefit from being in a trade school environment and in a hands-on career. Bonus points if she can find a program with a supportive and collaborative, challenging but not overly competitive, vibe. And my gut says the more exposure she can get to skill-specific classes, the better off she will be in the long run.