For those looking for BFA Acting/MT college coaches for next audition year…here’s a few to research. Others can add more to this list. It’s in no particular order. Just resource info. The Broadway Collective, Polish Your Passion NYC, College Audition Project (CAP), College Audition Coach (Moonifieds), MTCA, Broadway Artist Alliance, Actor therapy. Research all of these. All helpful resources. And can do most on skype so can coach from anywhere in USA. There are more. These are ones that readily came to mind. Break a leg on your journey. Take advantage of summer training programs so many excellent ones out there. That’s a whole different list. One can definitely do this process without a coach. But if looking for a BFA college coach. These are helpful place to start your research.
@TexasMTDad I totally agree with you. Doing this process once was enough financially and emotionally for my family. My second kid is equally talented in MT but saw sibling go through the college audition year and said no thank you. My second child has eye on A&M engineering too. I’d be so thrilled if we had college locked down by December next year.
I keep hearing this year was very hard. We have two friends who did everything with coaches and applied to 25 plus schools and no offers yet. Every year the process just keeps upping the ante. Many are saying the college audition process is broken for the applicants and the colleges alike. Add to that the coronavirus wrinkles…Crazy Year indeed. I sure hope they find a way to make it more streamlined, easier and affordable for all.
Also it’s way too early for waitlist movements and even notifications this year. So chins up! For those with multiple offers that you know you will not take… start RELEASING them ASAP! Make these waitlists start to move for others waiting to hear. Play the kindness forward.
I do think colleges will make adjustments this year. So many MT heads are having to worry about current students and how to do MT classes virtually. So much scrambling happening on college campus as students are being told to move home with so little advance notice. Lots of MT senior showcases have been cancelled also which are happening over Spring Breaks. So the MT department heads are juggling way more than normal right now. Hopefully time will yield answers for all.
Don’t discount other avenues for training! I know I keep saying this but college (or a BFA) is not the only pathway to success in this field! I say this both with lots of love and personal knowledge of wonderfully talented and WORKING professionals who took alternative pathways. The BFA is one avenue, but it’s not the only one and for some, it’s not even the best one.
What are other ways for training aside from college? Sorry if that’s a stupid question. I did throw out the idea of moving to NY or Chicago and taking dance/voice/acting etc and just going to auditions but my daughter got big deer in the headlights at that idea. I think she needs a community to join or connections first. Plus she is nowhere near feeling ready to audition for professional work. She knows she needs voice work and has had little acting training aside from the shows she’s done. Living in MI we don’t have anything nearby she could train outside of high school. How do people do that without just moving to NY?
@StephKK Do you have any community or professional theatres near you that offer classes/masterclasses?
@stephkk what about a 2 year certificate program? Atlantic Theater, AMDA, etc?
I know a two-time Tony award winning actor who didn’t go to school for acting at all. His world view is: go to college and study psychology, history, sociology - what makes people tick. Learn about the world and about people. Act for fun (so he’d recommend going to a school with a robust theater life that one can engage in extracurricularly). Then, consider an MFA program.
We had this discussion with D prior to auditions / results. She had a pretty top heavy list and I told her she needed to be mentally prepared for getting shut out. First we discussed what rejections meant and they are not a reflection of your talent (I truly believe that when a school only takes 1%-5% of auditioners). I also told her I could see her getting in to several programs, so again the talent thing.
Our conversation was basically a decision tree. If you’re shut out what do you want to do:
A. BA program
B. Something different
C. Gap yr.
B was an immediate “no way!”
A. wasn’t thrilled with the idea but would do it if it was at certain schools (too prestige conscious so we had to have other conversations)
C. She could get her head around gap yr. Her only hesitancy was that it would make her feel less than accomplished when all her friends went away…;
Fortunately, she got a few offers and is now exploring those schools. But still I’ve told her not to go just to go. You need to really like the choice, feel the training is right for you. etc.
If MT is your dream, passion, goal, etc and your are resilient, fierce, relentless in your pursuit of DOING THE WORK (not so much about the program or prestige), I think a gap yr can make sense. If you go that route, don’t think of it as time off, quite the contrary. Put a plan together that includes training, applications, auditioning for local professional theater, etc.
@onette has great experience in this topic. He can shed a lot of light on what his students have done.
@rickle1 great perspective, similar discussions here back in summer, not as direct ( but wish I could have been) agreed on all points…good thing was our first audition at Muhlenberg Oct 1 2019 was a great experience & opened D eye’s beyond BFA or bust
@rickle1 I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said. (Except the “he” LOL…I’m female…but on here, we’re all gender neutral, so…wait…except those hilarious “dads” that reveal themselves in their choice of username!)
It is interesting, also, how criteria can change through the process. I made both of the kids sit down and list their important factors before we started so I could remind them of what they thought was important at the decision time. But guess what?? After this long, grueling year…some of their criteria has changed a LOT. Is this settling or compromising? Maybe, but I don’t think so. I think after the travel, interaction, some visits (not enough, sadly), learning about curriculum and type of training, financial packages and meeting kids and faculty who are part of these programs, I think their idea of the right place for them has “evolved.”
I agree that if your heart and mind is not aligned with your choices, that taking a step back to prepare better for where you want to be is better than diving in to somewhere you know isn’t a good fit for you.
@4gsmom that was exactly D’s Plan B beginning early this fall once she was academically accepted into a school with great merit money that also offered theatre and great performance minor(s) to other program majors. She ended up being able to stay with Plan A, but it made the whole thing a lot less stressful to have what we felt was an amazing Plan B where she could still pursue her passion even without getting into a program.
Yes – folks have summarized well some of the other options I have heard about. Regional Equity theatres like to hire “local jobbers” who can get EMC points but will work for low pay (the theatres have to cast a certain minimum number on Equity contracts, but beyond that, it costs them less money to hire locals … that’s a great place to build repertoire and experience if you can live in a community with a big Regional Theatre). The 2-year certificate programs are great. Training, training, and nothing but training. You can focus on your weaknesses and supplement what you’re getting at one of those programs with drop-in dance classes, lessons with voice teachers your friends have studied with or professionals recommend, etc. You can also work part-time in the industry, in casting or at an agency or multiple other places where you will learn about your chosen field and meet people already in it. Find mentors, research the educational and career trajectories of folks who are doing work you want to do but didn’t get a BFA. Explore the many high-quality BA programs (another big hurrah for Muhlenberg here, we were truly blown away by what we saw there and assuming my daughter is accepted there, it’s a major complication on her list of options because there was SO MUCH that was SO GOOD about what she could get there). Look at some of the BFA programs that are lesser known (though I realize that’s tough because people here aren’t talking about them! We spoke to working professionals and learned about lots of schools we wouldn’t otherwise have heard about, then researched them extensively before narrowing down the application list to make sure they had what my daughter was looking for … these included Florida Southern College, University of Central Florida, Ohio Northern University, and some others).
One very busy and long-working actor we met (multiple Broadway and 1st National Tour credits, both as ensemble and lead roles) got his Bachelor’s Degree in music education from a school few people ever heard of, then moved to NYC and did a 2-year acting certificate program while working odd jobs and teaching instrumental music lessons to pay the rent until he started booking work. Then the momentum just picked up for him.
On the flip side, there are hundreds of BFA MT graduates who leave college every year and don’t break into solvent work in the industry – either because they have other interests (for which the BFA equipped them, as well), or because they simply cannot book work. It’s easy to get caught up in the comparison game and feel like you’re missing the boat if lots of people in your sphere of view are hopping on to something you’ve been shut out of. The reality is there are other boats/trains/rocket ships leaving and plenty of room for you on those. The tricky thing is identifying those and determining which ones can propel you in the direction you want to go.
I’m sending the biggest virtual (and social distancing!) hug I can to everyone who feels hamstrung at this point in the process. I believe in you/your children, I believe dreams are for everyone, I believe there are multiple ways to chase a dream, and I believe the universe unfolds as it should and a closed door can be a blessing – the blessing part just might not reveal itself for awhile but when you look back, you can see “wow, if I had gotten what I wanted, I wouldn’t have THIS right now.”
Thank you all, you guys are awesome! Yes we do have master classes occasionally nearby but not enough that I’d consider her in training for a year. We could probably piece together something but I don’t know if it would be the growth she needs.
She does have some BA acceptances that she’s considering as well as the one BFA and still possibilities of the few schools we have left (western Michigan audition was supposed to be in person this weekend and was cancelled and now video submissions, her videos aren’t our favorite so that was just another let down).
I think the thing we’re getting caught up on is all the things she should have done differently this year. I wish we had done so much more research and picked better fitting schools for her. I don’t love her song choices. Her health, etc…but I’m sure we all have these thoughts, unless your kid is getting in everywhere. It’s Just been a rough couple weeks.
Muhlenberg is one of the schools we are waiting on and it’s top of my list bc their financial pre-offer they sent to us was the best we’ve gotten. I have heard amazing things about them except possibility of not getting on stage in four years due to large number of kids? Also one thread mentioned they weren’t strong in vocal training although it was a Very old thread so maybe outdated. But it’s definitely high on our list if she gets accepted.
@NYYFanNowMTdad a while back I noticed your daughter’s early acceptances and was wondering… were you guys at Combines in NY and D curly blonde hair? If not that is a weird question ?? I talked to a dad there for a long time who had the same schools and was an MTCAer so I’ve been wondering if that was you.
@StephKK Yes – I think it is true that not everyone is going to get cast in mainstage shows at Muhlenberg through their 4 years. For sure, they are emphatic that if they were casting 1st year students in their mainstage shows, that would reflect poorly on them as a program because why should the 1st-year students be getting cast over students THEY’VE been training for a year or more? I’m sure there are exceptions but it seemed like students had lots of performance opportunities even if the mainstage wasn’t one of them. The theatre department felt vibrant and vital, students were friendly to the “interlopers” who were visiting for auditions, they spoke kindly to and about each other (one of the things I notice when I people-watch!), and they liked their teachers. The quality of vocal training was one thing we could not assess at Muhlenberg but we decided if it was truly awful and not enough to give what my daughter needs over 4 years, her plan would be to study voice in NYC twice a month (it’s an easy, easy bus ride to and from) and focus her academic credits on acting and dance. They have 4-year sequences in every form of dance (jazz, tap, modern) and a 5-level sequence in ballet, with that 5th level being so small that it’s basically a daily small-group lesson for the most advanced students – there is no ceiling for students in dance training. Whether graduates go on to an MFA, professional work, or work in some other field, the Muhlenberg experience seems to be a really great one. My daughter’s biggest qualm with it is the size and heterogenicity of the student body, from what she could tell there. She is really eager to get out and meet lots of different people from different backgrounds and with different experiences, so she’s more attracted to a larger university or college setting with some diversity and other strong academic programs. Muhlenberg is definitely a great option, though.
@stephkk that was me im sure, yes I was at combines at 5;45in the morning proudly 15th in line w 6 paid line sitters ahead of me…& yes my D has very curly blond hair…feel free to pm me, yes we worked with MTCA. I didnt find combines very useful in retrospect but of course everything can be second guessed in this process
So funny! I’ve been wondering if that was you bc I remember her having catholic and okc offers early on. We didn’t have anything great come from combines either. So much I wish I could redo of this year. From your other posts it sounds like you were much more researched going in than we were.
Other two year Programs to add to list:
In nyc
https://www.iamusicaltheatre.com/
In Dallas
http://acting.kdconservatory.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI48OKha2d6AIVx0XVCh3FLQMNEAAYASAAEgI-6vD_BwE
Know kids who have dropped out of BFA mt programs to start own theatre companies or audition in nyc. Good top ten schools too. There is no one path to pursue this endeavor.
@onette Sorry about the “he”. That is so funny. I’ve had this picture of you as this learned man, sort of like Moses of the MT world". I greatly apologize.
Re Syracuse 0 I would assume that means when admissions has the yesses from the theater folks, They weight the higher grades higher (i.e with two equally qualified academic candidates, the 70 MT would get the nod vs the 60 MT?) That would make the most sense OR are all MT kids that get the pass equal in the eyes of admissions.