<p>I’m a rising senior, and I just participated in a summer program at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I was set on going to New York for college, but my experience there made me realize how amazing regional and fringe theatre is. I would like to have a similar experience as to what I had there, staying at Southern Oregon University, just two miles from all the theatres. While I won’t apply to SOU, (wasn’t terribly pleased with the campus, and I couldn’t live in the dorms I stayed in for two weeks) I was wondering if there were any other towns or cities with amazing theatre, like the Oregon Shakespeare Festival? I want to live somewhere that gets cold, and not in the South. I don’t really care about the prestige of the program, as long as there are many opportunities for student-produced work and nearby great regional or fringe theatre. Some of the schools in New York I was looking at were Vassar, Fordham, NYU, Sarah Lawrence, and Eugene Lang, and some others around the US that I’ve started considering were the University of Washington and University of Minnesota. I also want to double major in Sociology and eventually get an MFA in Directing, so I’m probably steering clear of conservatories. (NYU is the only exception) Thank you!</p>
<p>I’m very interested in the same thing. I’m looking at Southern Utah University-- Cedar City hosts a pretty renowned annual Shakespeare festival. University of Arizona also has good regional connections, and ditto any school in the DFW Metroplex (mainly Southern Meth and TCU).</p>
<p>There are many places in the US that are close by great regional theatre. If you were willing to live somewhere without seasons, Austin, TX fits the bill with great schools and lots of theatre in the community at large. Boston, Chicago, Philly, Pittsburgh, DC, Seattle schools would also fit the bill (I am sure others could suggest additional communities as well). If you are looking at Vassar (which is about 1.5 to 2 hours out of NYC) you also could look at schools with lots of student produced work opportunities that are close enough to a city to travel when you want to see something… Bard, James Madison, Muhlenburg, Hampshire, Conn College, williams, Trinty (CT), and UVA to name a few.</p>
<p>Many college theatre programs have so many opportunities on campus that students spend their summers doing outside work, participating in on-campus productions during the academic year. Some choose to take a semester away at an intensive theatre program in the US or abroad.</p>
<p>PS. If you have the stats to be competitive, Yale could be a reach to look at. Yale has tons of opportunities for undergrads to produce work, and the Yale Drama School (graduate level) and the professional Yale Repertory Theatre are in town. </p>
<p>If you choose to post your stats, posters here on CC could offer advice of individual schools to look at.</p>
<p>3.6 UW, 3.75 W, 670cr, 700m, 670w, 35/204 in my HS class. tons and tons and tons of extracurriculars. Hooks: URM, deceased parent. Willing to submit talent supplement/audition.</p>
<p>Minneapolis!!! Macalester College. U Minn. And it sure gets cold there! </p>
<p>[Macalester</a> College Catalog: Dramatic Arts & Dance Course Descriptions](<a href=“http://www.macalester.edu/academic/catalog/program/thr_c.html]Macalester”>http://www.macalester.edu/academic/catalog/program/thr_c.html)</p>
<p>You will see that Macalester takes full advantage of its location in an active theater community. </p>
<p>Twin Cities are a cool place! (literally and figuratively…).</p>
<p>Consider Drew University, which hosts the NJ Shakespeare Theater on its campus.</p>
<p>Seattle and it’s surrounding cities have fantastic regional theatre. We’ve got the 5th Avenue Theatre where many pre-Broadway runs (Catch Me if You Can, Shrek, Memphis…) are produced along with national tours and their own regional productions. Village Theatre is split between Issaquah and Everett, WA, and also produces brand new musicals each year. Hits that went to Broadway include Next to Normal and Million Dollar Quartet. Both theatres have big youth education programs, especially Village’s KIDSTAGE which takes actors ages 10-20. I believe there production team programs continue to age 25.</p>
<p>There’s also the New Voices Songwriter Showcase at ACT Theatre which features songs from many up and coming composers.</p>
<p>Surprisingly northwest WA does not have any schools with “big” theatre programs. The University of WA offers a BA in Drama and a masters in Acting. We have Cornish College of the Arts which I’ve heard does a lot of small experimental theatre.</p>
<p>The greatest part about Seattle is just the number of audition opportunities available. We have everything from small community theatres to paid professional ones. It’s a great place to see Broadway quality shows without having to go all the way to New York.</p>
<p>A DC-area director told me that DC actually has the biggest American theatre market outside of NYC. I don’t know if that’s true, but DC definitely has a great theatre scene! There’s TONS going on all the time.</p>
<p>True about DC… quite a few of the JMU alums choose to move to DC post graduation and work consistently. Great theatre city.</p>
<p>I think I’ve ended up choosing to do Connecticut College (for its affiliation with the Eugene O’Neill Center) U Washington (mostly because I think I’m going to live in Seattle when I’m older anyway) U Minnesota for Minneapolis, UPenn (I want to try my hands at an Ivy - and Philly has a great theatre scene) and Boston University’s dual degree program.</p>
<p>as well as the five new york schools: Vassar, NYU, Pace, Eugene Lang College, and Sarh Lawrence.</p>
<p>Does anyone know about New Orleans theatre scene? My S is looking for a theatre program but also wants to be able to major in Physics or Arch… Tulane looks like a good fit for him, but doen’t know about theatre opportunities there.</p>
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<p>Philly has a fantastic regional/fringe theatre scene, with over 50 professional theatre companies, and more than 24 professional theatre venues. And something like 25% of their productions each year are world or US premieres. This site provides a great introduction to the Philly theatre scene:</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> | Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia](<a href=“FreeSexCams.one - Live Sex Cams, Free Web Cam Sex & Adult Video Chat”>http://www.theatrealliance.org/)</p>
<p>Also, this 2006 report contains some interesting data comparing Philadelphia’s professional theatre scene to that in other large cities:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.pcah.us/m/theatre/PTIreport_finalREVfromPrilla.pdf[/url]”>http://www.pcah.us/m/theatre/PTIreport_finalREVfromPrilla.pdf</a></p>
<p>DC! we have a fringe festival, it has one of the best Shakespeare companies in the country (according to the New York Times and the WSJ), it has many theaters premiering new musicals and plays…i have in-depth knowledge of both Philadelphia and DC, and theatre-wise, DC has an edge in terms of number of theaters, shows that premier here and move to New York, and avant-garde offerings. other posters are accurate in saying Minneapolis is really impressive as well. and of course, don’t forget Chicago.</p>
<p>only problem with dc is the choice of colleges that have really good theater programs. Some of the most involved folks here did not go to school in DC – they arrived after. Still, American University has great facilities for your stats … Georgetown is a big reach … Catholic University has a really awesome MT program. George Washington is an option as well, but you have to like urban campuses.</p>
<p>I want to Piggyback on 45 Percenter’s statement about Philadelphia. It has a vibrant regional theater scene and a Fringe Festival that kicks off on September 2. Here’s a link to [2011</a> Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe](<a href=“http://www.livearts-fringe.org/]2011”>http://www.livearts-fringe.org/). My daughter, who is applying to theater arts programs this year is producing her own show in the festival and also appearing in a show her sister is producing (and therefore will get a slightly late start on her college essays.) Watching the process close-up has made me realize how much theater talent and opportunity there is in this city-- a great place for young actors.</p>
<p>Baltimore would put you between D.C. and Philly, both of which have tons of theater and its an easy bus or train ride to NYC. And Baltimore itself has a surprisingly lively theater scene.</p>
<p>Goucher sounds like a good fit for your interests and stats.</p>
<p>i traded out penn for northwestern. i’m considering American but i probably won’t end up doing it because i already have 11 on my list and i wouldn’t know what to take off.</p>
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<p>You don’t have to go to Connecticut College to participate in the theater programs at the Eugene O’Neill Center. My D spent a semester in Moscow at the Moscow Art Theater–the program was sponsored by the National Theater Institute at the O’Neill Center. There are other domestic theater programs that the NTI sponsors for students. You get college credits from Conn College, but you don’t have to be a student there to participate in the NTI programs.</p>
<p>I agree about Philly! Very livable city and vibrant theater and other culture.</p>
<p>Baltimore is another city with a lot of theater and a relatively low cost of living for young actors.</p>