Important Information to Consider Before Applying to Ithaca College MT

ICStageManager
Tue, 22 Feb 2011 01:13:16 +0000

Some further insight on the original post, as a student at IC who has had many friends in the BFA program, a couple of whom have been discontinued.

1) The first response accurately sums up my view about review as well. And if you ask most BFA students at IC, they’ll tell you that the review process, while stressful, is ultimately a really strong training tool. You’re not put on probation for taking risks and failing; you’d be far more likely to be put on probation if you weren’t taking enough risks to begin with. Not to mention then there’s the technical stuff, like not showing up for class, etc. Also, to be clear: students can, and often are, placed on probation more than once. Probation simply indicates that there are multiple areas of concern in the actor’s craft, which the faculty wishes to see improvement in. If students are making progress in some areas and not others, they might still be on probation after a second review, but not discontinued. I know multiple students who were placed on probation for multiple semesters for different areas of concern, who did not get discontinued. I hope anyone applying to IC recognizes the use of review as an important diagnostic tool – not as a way to “weed out” students.

2) About IC’s dance program (and Lee’s comment at auditions). We have a number of students who could do Chorus Line in a heartbeat. And if you’re the type of performer who comes in with an extensive dance background, I promise you that you’ll find the dance program at Ithaca both challenging and rewarding. Go on Facebook and ask some current MT students if you don’t believe me. BUT, if you’re like a number of very talented actors and singers within any MT program who are not experienced dancers, the program will help you establish a strong foundation in dance that will prepare you for any dance audition and most musicals, although in only four years time, it’s true that you probably won’t be ready for “Chorus Line” right away. And I think any program that tells you otherwise is either exaggerating or not spending enough time focusing on the acting and singing part of your training. That’s just my opinion though.

All the best.