<p>Well it sounds to me that the concept of the rough play or workshop of a preexisting script can also be something informal that some of these conservatories or theatre programs put on in a short amount of time to help educate the students with no or little concern to an audience in plain clothes and possibly in a classroom on a random day during class time. I also think that some people who are disappointed to hear that a mainstage production was not on the resume, in truth, the experience from a number of these kinds of exercises can provide excellent training in skill sets that sometimes enhance an actor than being cast in an ensemble role to a large audience that your family members can boast about. When looking at and comparing theatre programs this training could be the misunderstood element of programs that are not explicitly available or understood from brochures or quick discussions with students in an info session.</p>
<p>Ok, to address actual question, I don’t like the idea of guaranteed casting at all. Yes, doing shows is valuable educational experience but it’s not preparation for the real world at all. A good theatre education includes a good dose of realism. A kid that is not getting into mainstage shows may need to rethink their position. If they want to stay in theatre, they need to find a way to get those opportunities. On their path they may find other ways to be in the field without relying strictly on acting. There are undoubtedly theatre stars but there are countless people who manage a solid career because they know how to. If you don’t start learning this in college when there ARE countless opportunities to collaborate and create (and where they can get free rehearsal space lol) then when else are they going to do it? Kids that are coming from high school programs or “pay-to-play” programs often need a little reality and not getting cast, having to make your own opportunities will secure them a quality life in theatre.</p>
<p>I myself prefer to rethink my positions when I’m not paying for an education. But-- most schools don’t have guaranteed casting so you won’t have trouble-- just steer clear of Julliard, UNCSA and a few other top schools.</p>
<p>I believe Carnegie Mellon doesn’t have guaranteed casting nor can you even audition until junior year. So… It seems there is more than one way to skin a cat!</p>
<p>Even the schools that do have guaranteed casting, handle the process differently. Interesting.</p>
<p>Okay, each time I read these boards I find a new question to consider…I know many colleges don’t allow freshpeople to audition but how many make them wait until their junior year like CM?</p>
<p>I’ll answer for NYU since it s a school your child is interested in, and I have up to date info.</p>
<p>You can not audition for any play freshman year, but you can audition for student films.
Starting sophomore year can can audition for MainStage s which are often directed by professional directors ( not students or teachers) and which seem incredibly competitive to get into, GAP shows that are Tisch student directed, and the plays put on by each studio. </p>
<p>Supposedly there are around 200 play opportunities a year if you added them all up.
Some studios have a guaranteed casting play that they do, and some don’t.
And there are countless casting calls put out for student directed films, which as I said, you can go on freshman year. My daughter is constantly going on auditions, going on call backs, and it is only the 3rd week of school! </p>
<p>The beauty of a large school like this ( and I am not putting down small programs!) is that when she goes on a audition, the director has never met her ( usually), has no idea what she is capable of, so she has to show them and prove it- just like she will have to do in the real world.
Hope this helps!</p>
<p>DePaul has some sort of stepped-up system…I don’t remember the details now but there was something about not being in the “casting pool” till junior year, perhaps?</p>
<p>At CCPA, you are guaranteed a role in at least one production per semester. There are two freshman showcases – spring and fall – and after that, you enter the general casting pool.</p>
<p>Personally, I love the idea of auditioning for unmet directors because the reality at some of these programs is that casting is pretty much done well before the auditions. That’s the whole typing thing they use when in choosing the incoming class. Shows are resume builders for graduates. Nothing wrong with that but is a different approach. They all have merit and none of this was a deal-breaker or even a major consideration for my daughter. And the actual meaning of some of this minutia varies so much from school to school that it really becomes almost meaningless in a general discussion.</p>
<p>This is an interesting discussion, but yes, it is apples and oranges, chicken and egg. It is a good idea not to be surprised by a school that, for example, does not allow freshmen to perform, or that does or doesn’t guarantee casting when you assumed otherwise.</p>
<p>Lots of productions might mean lots of auditioning opportunities, but it doesn’t necessarily mean lots of chances to perform. Students who don’t learn in college - as they might not have in HS - that being cast a lot, or a little, still does not mean anything consequential about your talent are probably going to be in for a rude surprise in the working world.</p>
<p>As has been pointed out here many times, there are many award-winners who can’t seem to get work, and many people who get lots of work and awards that probably don’t have much talent, or even much experience. As Sondheim wrote in “I’m Still Here,” top billing Monday, Tuesday you’re touring in stock. Wednesday - who knows?</p>
<p>Some mixture of performing in front of an audience, performing in front of peers, performing for a professor, is all probably pretty good. When I was an undergraduate, no one expected us to live the life of a professional while going to college - but that was in a different discipline. In graduate school, we split our time 50-50, and both were excellent learning experiences, especially when we used class time and work to inform each other.</p>
<p>I get a little nervous about kids who are impatient with having to do class work and just want to be in productions. But that’s just my opinion. I also get a little impatient when they don’t want to read plays, or go to plays. I do think there has to be something behind the performing, and there has to be time for that.</p>
<p>
I hate to project what someone else might say, but I get the feeling theatre “pseuds” like James Houghton, Richard Feldman, Michael Kahn, Gerald Freedman, Carl Forsman, Sanford Robbins, Arthur Bartow, David Esbjornson, the late Isreal Hicks as well as the faculties at most of the top UK drama schools where they most certainly “workshop” plays second year and who have extensive experience far exceeding some p***ant community theatre level would most certainly agree that Alexei Sayle is a “twat” for making such a ridiculous statement if they took him seriously enough to dignify such a thing in the first place and didn’t elect to use stronger language …</p>
<p>bisouu-correct for CMU mainstage you don’t go into that casting pool until junior year. They do have other opportunities like student directed and you have crew requirements freshman and sophomore year</p>
<p>
I was under the impression that Juilliard actors did not perform in public until junior year.</p>
<p>
Well put, turtletime!</p>
<p>FBF, I was hoping you would respond in that fashion and you exceeded my expectations!</p>
<p>I’m not sure the reasoning behind the “wait until junior year to audition”. I know for my D that is a deal breaker. So CM is off our list.</p>
<p>I guess I misread…I thought they can’t be in anything until Junior year. At Chapman students must wait until their sophomore year to be in anything. My D is fine with that but would not want to wait two full years before being able to audition. I misread…which I seem to do quite often. LOL</p>
<p>CMU has something called “Playground” which is like an onsite Fringe, student-written, student-directed theater, where freshman and sophomores (and everyone else) can participate. Our tour guide said that some of the best (and worst) theater she’d seen while at CMU was at playground…also there’s tons of scene study and acting work the first two years, just not for public consumption.</p>
<p>Don’t confuse be in anything with be in a mainstage production. And allowed to audition is also sometimes a long way from reasonably likely to be cast, and then there’s cast in a role that actually requires you to do something. Nit-picking is necessary. Sorry!</p>
<p>
From self-identified Juilliard student Annabelera …
That’s the only way they could have as many as sixteen in-house productions on their resumes by showcase time although a lot of them were undoubtedly workshopped … [Group</a> 42](<a href=“http://4yr.juilliard.edu/]Group”>http://4yr.juilliard.edu/) </p>
<p>And it makes me smile when I see people refer to much of anything one does in college as preparing them for the real world. It’s college pure and simple although I’d suggest that if you want to be an actor, the best thing you can do for yourself is to do a lot of … ummm … acting? Like under the direction of experienced people who’ll hold you to something resembling a professional standard? How revolutionary to suggest that to be an actor you should do a lot of acting! ;)</p>
<p>I have a friend who is a staff teacher at one of the name LA studios. It’s always awkward for them when they have a prospective student with a lot of student directed work and whatnot on his resume do his audition/assessment and they have to recommend the beginners’ class because he doesn’t have anything approaching the craft it takes to do the advanced or even intermediate level work. It not always, but it happens more than you’d think. They usually get all huffy, stomp off and write negative Yelp reviews or some such …</p>
<p>Oh, and I just linked this on another thread, but here’s what my experience was at a school where they don’t have guaranteed casting and allow freshmen to audition followed by some discussion with kjgc … <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/745268-schools-allow-freshman-audition-4.html#post8490221[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/745268-schools-allow-freshman-audition-4.html#post8490221</a></p>