i read the billion entries on those twelve threads

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p><strong><em>DISCLAIMER</em></strong></p>

<pre><code> My spelling is atrocious and I jump around a lot…sorry but try to stay with me.

Ok, I read all of thost twelve threads and it was VERY helpful but I still have a few personalized questions that couldn’t really be answered. A few times they were touched on but not as in depth as I needed.

I am a junior in high school, a regular one not a performing arts one, and my high school has an AMAZING theatre program. Plus an awesome academic program that i excelled in. Unfortunately, I am moving to the United Arab Emirates to finish my schooling there. I have been in theatre since 8th grade, not mentioning elementary school productions. And this year I competed in the district Trumbauer Festival and won both my contemporary comedic duet (novice) and my classical dramatic monologue (varsity), I then competed at the state competition and placed with my duet but I was unable to perform my monologue, if I had been able to compete I am sure I would have placed with that as well.

Once I am in UAE I plan to look for a community theatre program because I know I need more of a resume. From reading all of these posts I feel really inexperienced but I know I have the drive and the passion to succeed in this industry. I am going to pursue getting voice lessons because it is something that I definately am not skilled in. Although these threads have been informative a lot has been a little…confusing. My father, who I am living alone with, is a little “unsupportive” of my passion for theatre and is pretty much no help whatsoever to this whole process. So I am left to research and do all of this by myself.

Now I understand that in auditions, colleges have “looks” they are looking for. Will height be an issue, because I am a pretty small dude. 5’ 4" to be exact. And, in the past, it has helped to be my downfall for parts I wanted. It does however help if there is a child’s part being casted for. Umm I know I am going to have to pocket about 6 monologues for auditions.

Now the colleges I am looking at, so far, are:
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<p>in no particular order
Juilliard
NYU Tisch
UCLA
Emerson
SUNY Purchase
Carnegie Mellon
University of Minnesota/Guthrie
University of Southern California
Boston University</p>

<pre><code> If anyone has any tips or has a lot of info for these colleges feel free to add to my not so wealthy bank of knowledge. Or if anyone has colleges to add to this list, feel free.

Now, will my living overseas hurt my chances of attending any of these colleges? Is there any additional training anyone would suggest? This is just really hard for me to pursue all by myself so any help is definately appreciated.
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<p>I actually wouldn’t worry so much about connecting with community theaters to increase your resume; the most important thing at <em>most</em> college auditions is the audition itself. (I say “most” because NYU/Tisch, in particular, cares about your grades/transcripts/recommendations and SAT scores, which count for about half of your admissions decisions.)</p>

<p>Again, the most important aspect is how you perform at the actual audition and whether your high school transcript shows you are a focused student who can handle the work at the various programs. </p>

<p>I am no expert, but I seriously doubt that having lived in another country will hurt your chances. In fact, I daresay that the auditors might find it intriguing and a jumping off point for starting a conversation. Other than that, I cannot imagine it will help or hurt you. Again, it’s about the audition.</p>

<p>Re: your list. You need to put a true “safety” school on there, and by “safety,” I mean a non-audition school that you KNOW FOR SURE that you can get into and which you would be HAPPY to attend. That means you need to research universities and liberal arts colleges that have a strong theater major whose curriculum and coursework you like. This is a really important thing: I know some quite talented kids who did not get into any of the audition-based programs they tried for, who are very happy and successful at their safeties and frankly cannot imagine having gone anywhere else.</p>

<p>Best wishes!</p>

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<p>I second what notmamarose says above… particularly on finding a non-auditioned school that you know you can get into academically, and would be happy attending. </p>

<p>Admission to BFA programs is very competitive and there are very talented kids who do not get into the programs they apply to.</p>

<p>The other things to think about is how easy will it be for you to return to the states to audition for all of those programs? Do you plan on doing unifieds? This would allow you to audition for a bunch of schools in one location over the course of a day or two. Some schools will accept video auditions, but if you can audition in person for some of the schools that will increase your odds.</p>

<p>Good luck!!</p>

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<p>Yea. I am going to try my best to make as many auditions as possible and unifieds is something I am definately going to attend because I will save so much time and money. I totally understand what you have to say about safety schools as well. I have thought about them but not much. There are a few I know I can get into in which I will most likely be happy with their theatre program. I’m not sure how I feel about vidoe auditions, I will do it if it comes down to the wire, but otherwise I know that an audition made in person is more helpful in determining how I can take direction and what my personality is really like.
So it really sounds silly to ask, but is height an issue or not.<br>
Thanks, NotMamaRose and KatMT!</p>

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<p>UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara both have great programs that you don’t have to audition for until after your freshman year, and if your academics are good (I think you said they were), you have a good chance of getting in and they could be relative “safety, nonaudition schools.” I just read an article about how the University of California is considering admitting more out of state and international students because it can charge those students more than in state students to help make up for the budget deficits that the university is facing, so it may be a good thing right now to be from another state or out of the country and applying to the UC schools. This means your odds at UCLA may also increase by virtue of not being from California, but there is an audition for UCLA. </p>

<p>Either CMU or NYU (can’t remember which, but it is on the webpage) does allow for video auditions under extraordinary circumstances. I think being in another country may be such a circumstance, but I would expect this would decrease your chances. I just read about another family coming from Chile in a few weeks and they are doing the “tour” of auditions. It can be done.</p>

<p>Northwestern does not audition. This is an outstanding school. They make their decision based on what you write, and your background and your academics.</p>

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<p>yea. i’m really holding off from doing any kind of video audition because it doesn’t give me the same opportunity. With the first schools you mentioned does that mean I can’t do drama my first year? So i get into the school and wait a year and then audition? Yea I remember, I think it was NYU that accepts video auditions and they had a list of questions that you would have to answere on camera. They just said things like make sure your whole body was in the frame and stuff. I’m really wary about the video audition. Yea my grades are pretty good plus I am going to be going to a really, really good school in UAE. The graduating class is only 65 as compared to my old 800 so I will, more than likely, be leads in the plays which is good.<br>
I feel stupid to keep asking this but is height an issue? i’m short. 5’ 4" which means, if cast, i am usually a little kid or something.<br>
I really like everyone’s feedback so hard. Everyone has been helpful. Chrissyblu, I am researching those schools you suggested now. So I will post what I think of them.</p>

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<p>I think that you should not worry about your height. It is not something you can change, so it is not worth stressing over. I think that you are right that when you are young being smaller will translate into being cast in children and teen roles farther into your 20s… as you get older you will most likely be cast in character parts. There is a lot of work for character actors!</p>

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<p>As KatMT wisely noted, your height is not something that is change-able, so don’t worry about it. I promise you that not a single person auditioning for college (or anywhere else, for that matter) is perfect: everyone has his or her “stuff/challenges” to deal with. The key is to own who you are and what you have to offer and to make it work for you. As Kat said, your height may mean that you play younger roles (younger than you, that is!) for awhile and then you will be cast in other character parts, which are often (imo) the most interesting parts in plays and musicals! I know that most young people want to play the handsome leading man or beautiful woman/ingenue/love interest, but I have noticed that when you read interviews with the actors who are routinely cast as those characters, they inevitably mention how they wish that they could try some meatier/funnier roles. So I guess the grass is always greener. The bottom line is to walk in there being confident in who you are and what you have to offer. Break a leg!</p>

<p>One addendum: if you are a good student and have strong academics, you might want to look especially closely at NYU/Tisch. Tisch’s Department of Drama offers a number of acting studios offering different approaches, and NYU is one school that really cares about turning out well educated actors who have taken a number of liberal arts courses across the curriculum.</p>

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<p>KAT and NMR…you guys both agree that 5’4" is short…what do you consider 5’5" and 5’6"? Where would you say “tall” begins?</p>

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<p>Okay. First, let’s remember you are still growing. You could still be growing until you are in your twenties. </p>

<p>Second: how’s this for a list?
Devon Murray (Harry Potter Movies) is 5’3"
Peter Lorre (amazing actor) was said to be 5’3 to 5’5"
Tom Cruise is only 5’6"
Nathan Lane is 5’5" if he tries hard
Rex Lee, who is in Entourage, is 5’4"</p>

<p>The list goes on and on… so don’t worry about the height issue.</p>

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<p>The truth is that 5’4" is shorter than average for a male. I think I am correct in saying that 5’10" is the height of the “average” male, but of course that means that there are many people on either side of that (both less tall and taller). </p>

<p>Slapping a label of “short” on yourself or someone else is not a useful thing to do. Plus, as the last poster mentioned, there are quite a few actors out there who are not the average height and who do well. (I don’t think Dustin Hoffman is real tall, either, to add to the list of less-than-tall successful actors.) </p>

<p>To answer MamaBear, though, I would say that “tall” begins when someone is taller than the average, which is about 5’10." “Tall” implies, at least to me, someone who stands taller than the average because, otherwise, that person is average. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>The only reason this is even worth discussing is because in the acting business, what you look like matters a great deal. Casting directors care what a person looks like and whether that actor conforms to the casting director’s notion of what the character looks like. For many plays and musicals, height might matter because the director would want the leading man and lady to “match” or to look good together. If a leading lady stands, say, 5’6", it might mean a guy who stands 5’4" wouldn’t be cast. </p>

<p>That said, there are lots of guys and gals who are less tall and taller than average who do just fine.</p>

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<p>I thought brownxeyes was female so I wondered why “she” didn’t wear heels to counteract that…so sorry I didn’t read closer…now knowing the gender, you have just gotten some great words of encouragement from Chrissy and NMR… good luck with your auditions!!</p>

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<p>5’4" - 5’6" is definitely average for a girl. :)</p>

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<p>I thought that maybe I was out of touch with reality for a while there, LOL!</p>

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<p>haha thanks guys. I appreciate everything you have said. Yea I have been this height for years. I had my growth plate or whatever it is measured and they said this is my adult height, which I am fine with, I was just worried about how that would effect auditions. I never considered the character part perspective, that is really interesting and I hope it works out that way for me. And, just to clarify, yes I am a boy. haha.<br>
Yea, I believe that NYU Tisch is my top 2 right now.</p>

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<p>first of all, good luck with everything, i hope all turns out well. might i recommend BU for you? i see it’s on your list already, but it should be a pretty strong consideration. it seems like while theater is your main passion, you also excel in other areas. bu is a fantastic place for creating theater artists as opposed to simply a polished actor product: in other words, it prepares you primarily as an actor, but truly for anything youll end up doing in life. this brings me to the inviting aspect of BU, its theatre arts program. after freshman year, in which you are a “performance core” student, you choose between acting or theatre arts majors for the rest of your college years.</p>

<p>acting is your standard conservatory-style experience, comparable to something like emerson, depaul, or certain NYU studios. this program is fantastic for those who want a solid, concrete schedule with a sharp focus and who dont want to worry about scheduling. theatre arts, on the other hand, is a broader approach, allowing you to have secondary focuses in other major aspects of theater such as directing or writing. some believe that being more developed in your skills as a theater artist all around makes you a better actor. mind you, this program doesnt deny you of amazing acting training. as a matter of fact, you are so in command of your schedule that you can practically mimic the acting program if you really wanted to. another great thing about theater arts is that you really get to mold your own acting training. bu offers training in a wide variety of techniques, and you learn a bunch of them freshman year so you can decide what works for you and what doesnt, so you can make your future schedule accordingly. acting and theater arts are both great, and are split down the middle every year out of sheer coincidence, because theyre that even. either way, it’s a unique approach to acting that’s very hard to find.</p>

<p>somebody mentioned it before, but NYU is also a good choice because it offers a BA as opposed to a BFA. mind you, the one problem some have with NYU is the size. while there are a variety of small studios, in the general scheme of things ive heard of a lot of people getting lost in all of it. still a great program, dont get me wrong. just things to consider. all programs will have pros and cons (including BU, I don’t mean to idolize it). other good BA programs on your list are Minnesota and USC (i think?). also, in giving you some things to watch out for, film is a very film oriented school in a very film oriented environment, and ive heard the training is a little less well-rounded because of that.</p>

<p>my best advice: go to the place you feel most comfortable at, what place suits you. i think other people have written that where you go to school doesn’t matter. let me rephrase that, of course it matters. you want good training, and you want a degree under your belt. a better way to put it is that you have the ability to be successful without going to a school with a major name (although pretty much all of the colleges on your list are major names lol, pick a safety or two).</p>

<p>anyway, once again, good luck!</p>

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<p>the Tisch School at NYU offers a BFA not a BA I believe.</p>

<p>the Minnesota/ Guthrie program is a BFA… they do also have a BA program I believe, but not the conservatory program affiliated with the Guthrie.</p>

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<p>For something different, take a look at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, which has a new major called “Acting for Film.” It’s a different kind of training to act for film than for stage; more close-up, subtle/smaller facial reactions; different ways of rehearsing. Read about the differences to see if you think you might have an interest in that direction. Also, sometimes film can work around height differences more readily than stage, although that itself isn’t a reason to train for film acting. </p>

<p>I agree very much that you (and anyone) should have some non-audition schools on your list where there is a good theater department for a major. Your list is an actor’s dream but you want to have something in case the auditions for the very competitive BFA programs you listed don’t happen to go in your favor. You can actually get a lot of stage acting time plus courses in a non-audition college, but not the intensity and quantity of hours of training in acting, as in the BFA programs you’ve listed. Need.A.Safety. </p>

<p>I think a knowledgeable thing to do would be to prepare audition monologues that are for character roles, rather than lead romantic male roles. That indicates, without having to even discuss it, that you recognize your niche for casting might be for roles where height is less relevant. If you have been told you have genuine comic timing, that’s also something to develop or audition for…but only if you’ve acted in roles and really gotten response from an audience. If you have comic ability, you probably know that by now. That’s harder to find than serious actors. So don’t force it, but if you’ve got comedy, use it; look out for an audition monologue where there is some small piece of it that demonstrates comic timing, for example in a line delivery or how you handle a prop. Just small is fine; no major clown/slapstick, in other words.</p>

<p>There are roles for which shorter stature is an advantage (Puck in Midsummer, for example) and many for which it’s irrelevant. I think for romantic lead roles, being shorter is often a casting problem for males, but just let that go and work with all that you have. In a few plays, I’ve seen smaller men cast in a romantic pairing but only when the girl romantic lead had already been cast and she’s smaller than average. Sad but true. </p>

<p>So really, what’s the first thought that enters your mind if I say “Michael J. Fox” (assuming you’ve heard of him): short, or incredibly endearing character actor. Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Sir Ben Kingsley (I think so), Richard Burton and other classical actors are short. </p>

<p>Being short has the advantage of being cast for young parts. A director would rather work with an actor over age l8 to play someone, for example, aged 14…because there are fewer legalities and no stage mamas hanging over you like the child actors. All through your 20’s you could try for parts of characters ages 14-25; meanwhile develop other character skills so when you hit 30 and you don’t look so young anymore, you can do the character work.</p>

<p>I’m sorry your Dad doesn’t understand this path. He’s worried about the financial profile and uncertainty, most likely. You’ll have plenty of company among actors whose parents don’t understand or take a long time to accept this career choice. </p>

<p>You’d also be wise to train during college for one very marketable skill to serve as your “day job” upon graduation. If you can do language translation, or
work up some well-honed technical or mechanical skill while in college, that’ll let you be paid more per hour for a part-time day job to earn the rent/groceries. Then you’d have time to pursue acting as a starting aspiring actor, and mollify your Dad a bit that you’re being realistic and expect to earn your own living, however frugal, upon graduation from college.</p>

<p>P.S., on your Dad, you might say you want to study and get a college degree with a Theater Major because it’s a good window on the world, humanities, and history.
If you approach it as an academic area of study, or at least discuss it that way with him for now, it might take some pressure off. And in fact, you might discover many more options within theater than just acting; for example, production; dramaturg; theater educator. Acting tends to be what h.s. kids have heard of the most, but a major in Theater will also expose you to some careers within the world of theater that you haven’t even heard of yet. So keep your mind and conversations with Dad open to many possibilities. And give him time.</p>

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<p>We just got back from CalArts… maybe you should also look at them…</p>

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<p>I really appreciate all the responses i have recieved on this thread so far. My new school in the middle east turned out really well, i am in the International Baccalaurate Theatre Arts Standard Level 1 course and it is going really well. I think it is preparing me for college very nicely. I have talked with my new drama teacher quite often about my future and I decided that i want to continue theatre in college but that i want to teach it at the college/university level. i have no idea how one goes about doing that though, any ideas? i just performed in the school play of “Six Degrees of Seperation” by John Guare as Trent. and i am in the community production of The Music Man. I just recieved packages from juilliard and SUNY Purchase, the usual stuff, come check out our school yada yada. I finished my dream school list:</p>

<p>1) Juilliard
2)SUNY Purchase
3)NYU Tisch
4)UCLA</p>

<p>my more attainable options:
1)Troy University (safety)
2) Boston University (not a safety)
3)CalArts (not a safety but not a dream)
4)UCO (safety)</p>

<p>there are a few others jumping around in my head but those are the ones i know i want to get into and that i know i can get into.</p>