As @vvnstar said, for those with demonstrated financial need some of the most expensive well-endowed private schools can end up being among the least expensive options.
@halflokum I suppose that is the real problem. most people leave once their kids are off to college. Whether or not there is any success is unknown for several years.
The best way therefore, to find out what I’m looking for is to do what @EmsDad did; provide a list of Playbill info, which is helpful but time consuming. Or if MT programs would do surveys on 5 years out what are their graduates doing. Unfortunately that is very unreliable as you have to have voluntary participation. And what college PR dept will provide that kind of info if almost none of the graduates are doing what they came to study?
Before I get a response like " it doesn’t matter, all graduates will benefit from an MT degree in some way…" I’m not really interested iin that. I know that already. H is an architect. If 95% of architecture students who were NOT admitted to the ivy league/ public ivies never made a career in architecture, I’d want to know that as a parent. It might have to do with their individual talent but it might have to do with something else. That’s all. But I’d want to know if the other schools offering architecture programs ever had graduates that got into top firms or made long term careers. ( I know they do, I’m simply using this as an example)
It’s a PIECE of the puzzle for ME. And I may be willing to hedge my bets on tuition depending.
That’s why I asked if there were any parents who knew personally of students not from NYU,CCM,CMU,U of MICH, Northwestern, BOCO, ITHACA, IVIES, who were getting regular broadway work or national tours. Or regular as compared to kids from those schools I listed.
A lot of people don’t care about this. The list I made just came from Playbill info not on the quality of the programs.
So I’m just looking for personal stories from other schools. If you know of any, great, if not, that’s fine, too. Ignore this post.
Oh, and if possible, we know that males have an edge over females, but stories about women from other schools is what I’m hoping to hear. Thanks.
mtmcmt: I can tell you a girl from my Daughter’s program, Ball State, was Belle in Beauty and the Beast and was then in the touring cast of Wicked. But I don’t know if that will, or should, give you comfort that graduates from what you refer to as lower tier schools will make a living on Broadway or in touring shows.
If I can be a little blunt perhaps, the idea that the only way to make a living as a performer is in touring shows or on Broadway is, shall we say, restrictive. My D was asked as a freshman by a current Broadway star what she hoped to do once she graduates. So many said they wanted to be on Broadway. My D’s response was that she simply wanted to make a living as an actor, and the Broadway person applauded that answer as being the most realistic. I have absolutely no idea what my D will wind up doing next year when she graduates. A lot will depend on showcases, etc. She has talked about going back to Europe to perform (she spent a summer there during college), perhaps working on a cruise ship, perhaps locating to Chicago or New York, or pursuing her dream of working and performing for Disney (I think her dream job would be as a performer on a Disney cruise ship). If she were to have regular employment, say, as a Disney performer I would think that would qualify as a success, even though it’s not Broadway or a touring show. Maybe she’ll go get her MFA and teach. Maybe she’ll do something entirely different for all I know.
I am of the opinion that you should not go into deep debt, either the parents of child, to get a 4 year degree. My younger D is not going to pursue a BFA like her older sister (at least I think so right now), and my philosophy is the same with both: we want them each to graduate debt free. That is a solid idea regardless of major or degree, at least in my opinion, and others here differ. But I think most everyone agrees that because it is a BFA MT degree that philosophy need not be different than other degrees. Once out of college kids will get jobs based on their ability to provide employers with a work ethic and skills that make them marketable. And I can tell you my D’s program has certainly given her skills and a work ethic that should serve her well regardless of her eventual path.
I know you indicated this is not what you necessarily want to hear. But it is reality for kids with a performing arts degree from what I can tell.
@mtmcmt, this info you’re asking for would be anecdotal, so I’m not sure how helpful it would be. But…here goes. I do know at Ithaca (one of the schools you asked about), 2 girls booked work from senior showcase in 2014. The first was in an off-Broadway show (Atomic), then she moved to the National Tour of Kinky Boots after the first show closed. She is still doing that tour. The second girl booked Aladdin on Broadway, and she is still in it. Others in their class are working a variety of shows…TheatreWorks tours, cruise ships, regional theatres, etc. This past May’s graduates (2015) are also working, although I don’t think any are on Broadway or Equity nat’l tours right now. I know one did NY Fringe, and another is on Disney Cruise Line. A third got an Equity contract at New London Barn right out of college, and is now working in another regional theatre. This year’s to-be graduated (they graduate in May, 2016) had great success at showcase, with 5 of them getting Hamilton auditions, and tons of interest from agents and CDs (one girl had 22 CDs and agents contact her after showcase). No one has booked anything yet b/c they haven’t graduated yet…but given the interest, I’m sure they will.
So this is from the past 3 years (including this year). And I know I am giving short shrift to what they are all doing, b/c I don’t keep track of any of them except the ones my D is close to. The bottom line is, yes, many of them are working in the industry, but not all. They are all over…Broadway, off-Broadway, national tours, cruise ships, regional theatres. And some are waiters/bartenders, etc. But I think this is true of pretty much any school you look at.
I agree that what graduates of MT programs are doing should not focus solely on Broadway and National Tours. In my view, working as an actor and being paid to do it, no matter the venue is a better measure. Add in other work in theater and music and dance.
As well, I think just looking at what graduates of these programs are doing the first year out is a poor measure too, because it takes time to build a career and get established. My D, who is a professional working actor says this.
Another thing is just looking at Playbills, while interesting for sure, shows who is working on Broadway at that given point in time. No Broadway contract lasts all that long. You can book a Broadway show and then be out of work.
In any case, my D’s cohort from NYU/Tisch for the most part, are doing really well…a large number that I know of, anyway. Several are on Broadway, including starring roles, or have been recently as well. Several have had good roles on National Tours. Several have been in Off Broadway productions, including starring roles. Several have performed in well known regional theaters. Some have been in movies, including starring roles. Some are now directors and choreographers, ,including on Broadway and Off Broadway. One classmate is starring in her own TV show. Some are doing well as singer/songwriters. This doesn’t represent every graduate, but does represent a very large cohort of my D’s friends from her program, now in their 20s.
For OCU, we have been trying to keep a CC thread updated on what alumni are doing:
This list is by no means comprehensive. But it gives you an idea. I can tell you we had 3 grads last year all cast in the same national tour of Wizard of Oz after showcase, we have grads currently in Hamilton, Anastasia, Sponge Bob the Musical, She Loves me and others; there are 4 grads currently in the national tour of Cinderella, we have people on cruise ships and regional theaters … Kids are working. But the nature of the business is, most of these jobs are not something they will do for years. These roles will be done and they will be hopefully on to the next job. For example, one friend just finished a stint in the Stephen Schwarz musical “Magic to Do” for one cruise line, and has just accepted another nine month contract with another cruise line. It is not a profession that is a steady job with benefits by any means. If you are looking for guaranteed work and a stable income, you will not find it in theater performance.
My guess is, for the majority of performers, there will come a time when they decide to pursue a more traditional career. Their theater background will allow them to be great marketers, board room presenters, teachers, lawyers., whatever they want to be…the world will still be their oyster. They will be poised, confident and well-spoken. And ready to take on whatever life brings them.
@monkey Yes, thanks for that, but Ithaca is one of the schools I was excepting. Sorry. It was schools OTHER than those listed I was looking for!
@jeffandann Ok, great- that’s a good story about the Ball State girl!
p.s. I was specifically using the Playbill info as to ranking as to what schools had the most grads performing within a certain time frame. Not an assessment of the program or the kids in them.
And to add to this mess…the question of which came first the chicken or the egg…do those who go on to successful careers do so because they already had that “it” factor that ANY program would have made them look marketable because they would have made it even without college. And large programs like NW and NYU that graduate larger numbers should have more kids reflected in Playbill due to a sheer numbers game. Comparing architecture to performing arts is like comparing apples to oranges. An architect is not hired based on his/her height/weight/race/gender etc. Even the most talent/trained graduate is not going to be hired to play Belle if he is a guy.
I agree with both @Monkey13 and @jeffandann and others - anything posted here would be anecdotal and the definition of “success” is different for everyone.
Here is a quote from the head of Wright State’s MT Dept: THE GOAL IS HAPPINESS
It is so gratifying to watch the many generations of my alumni pursuing meaningful lives with such passion, kindness and personal satisfaction. Many are working in the field they studied in college - bravo! But, at least as many have found new directions that make them happy and make the world a better place - tutti bravi to them, as well.
I could list some of WSU’s “successful” alumni, but is it really only because of their time at WSU? Nicole Scherzinger attended WSU. She’s had a successful career as a pop star, lead in London’s West End, on a TV show with Neil Patrick Harris, and it was recently announced she’ll be in the live broadcast of Dirty Dancing. Is that all due to her time at WSU? (I’m pretty sure she headed off to pop stardom before she graduated.)
Here’s a Playbill article about four young men who are currently “successful” in various forms of Book of Mormon. The one currently playing Elder Price in London is a 2002 WSU grad (notice he’s been out of school for 14 years). But the article is about how these four boys all went to the same Georgia HS.
http://www.playbill.com/article/how-did-four-actors-from-the-same-high-school-all-get-cast-in-book-of-mormon
Maybe we should all be more vested in where we send our kids to HS. Or kindergarten.
@mtmcmt You can go here to see what some of the BW grads are doing:
http://www.bw.edu/academics/undergraduate/music-theatre/
All or nearly all of the seniors for the past number of years (4 or 5) have signed with agents following showcase in NYC. Many go on to tours, regional work, cruises and yes, to Broadway (although, as you would expect, those numbers are smaller).
@artskids This is the kind of link I believe I wanted! Just some stories. About women graduates. Who are working on Broadway and National Tours. From schools other than those listed above.
Please forget I mentioned success and talent and architects.
Here’s one for Marymount Manhattan: http://www.mmm.edu/departments/theatre-arts/alumni-credits.php
Here is something I noticed on the BW page (which has NOTHING to do with BW as a program, but the link was there) It seemed to me that the majority of people had 1 show listed - and some of them graduated more than 12 years ago (I saw several as far back as the class of '04) To me- that is a very telling thing about the naturing of working in the industry as a whole.
I was a big fan of annoyingactorfriend on twitter and his books. Once he “outed” himself - his story was very interesting, and a little bit cautionary, and a little bit inspirational as well. If I am recalling correctly - he dropped out of Hartt to take a spot in an Equity tour - and never booked another equity job again. So he became a personal trainer and worked with many bway actors (who became his sources) and eventually created a whole new career for himself via social media.
@mtmcmt, SORRY! I read your post wrong. I remember when D was auditioning at Ithaca, the head of the program at the time said, “95% of our graduates are working…and some of them are even working in theatre!” We all laughed, but it’s kinda true. Anything you look at is a snapshot in time. Yes, some people work continuously, but for many, it’s a job, then down time, then a job, then down time, and so on. As others have said, many times and in many threads, a degree in MT prepares you for a whole lot of things in life. You have to look at it as an education, not necessarily as an education in MT alone. So much of it has to do with the kids themselves…how driven they are, how much work they can make for themselves, etc. But you can find examples from probably EVERY MT program where kids are working in the field…either on Broadway, off-Broadway, tours, regional houses, cruises, etc.
The only thing that gives me pause is the number of brand new programs popping up, and people’s desire to find these “hidden gems” that no one knows about. I guess I would be hesitant to send my kid to a brand new or even relatively new program that had no measure of success shown…yet. Unless there are people running the program who have run a successful program elsewhere, I would want to wait to make sure the school can train the kids adequately. Even schools that have Broadway stars on their staff…b/c being able to DO doesn’t always translate into being able to TEACH. But that’s me, and others obviously feel differently. There are SO many schools with proven track records, and schools beyond the “top 10” list, you shouldn’t need to go to programs that people know nothing about. Let them prove themselves first…again, just MHO.
@toowonderful, If I recall correctly annoying actor friend realized acting wasn’t what he wanted to do. I’m sure as all the MT majors everywhere start to mature and figure out what they really want that will happen both during school and after school and possibly even after having some success in the business.
A bit OT, but remember that relatively few of NU’s (Northwestern’s) Theatre class of 100 are MTs. D’s year the MT cohort was 15 students. Unlike other schools, the Theatre program there includes MTs, straight actors, writers, directors, designers, etc., so it is not a large program. For example, to compare its size to UMich you’d have to add up their MT, acting and tech programs plus throw in some writing students focused on theatre and the programs are actually about the same size.
@GSOMTMom - you are right, but I think that happened as a result of a long dry casting spell, as opposed to starring in a bway show and waking up one morning thinking “I want to be alone”…
I guess I don’t see the point in finding out what some graduates of MT programs that are not the “top” schools (however you define this list) are doing. I say this because some graduates from all of these programs that have been around a while (“top” or not) have had success, including on Broadway (though for me, Broadway is not the measure I’d go by). I would not pick a MT program based on these factoids of who is working where at one given point in time. I would pick a program that the student is admitted to, really likes, fits them well, provides the kind of education and MT training the kid wants, and a great four year experience. In the end, it won’t matter their school in terms of who succeeds in the field so much. It is a lot more about the person (plus elements of luck). And going to college, even for MT, is not ONLY about being able to secure work on stage.