What’s a good hotel to stay at near the school? Thank you.
Since LIU seems to give out a larger number of acceptances, about how many are in an incoming MT class? Didn’t know how that effects classes, or performance opportunities. Just trying to find out some more info regarding their program. There doesn’t seem to be much on the site. Is there benefits with being so close to the city, individual voice lessons, or individual training? If there are any current students/parents that can give some input would be greatly appreciated!
Hi all! Just going to address general concerns -
- performance and rehearsal spaces aren't great. Not going to sugar coat it. Allegedly we are going to be getting some renovations this year (over the summer) so perhaps that will be fixed for the next group of incoming freshmen.
- pretty much everyone in the theatre department lives on campus. However, many with cars chose to move off b/c it is cheaper and in some ways easier. Dorms are honestly okay, but there is some issue with the dining options on campus.
@tygerpig Hi! Current student! This year’s freshman class is enormous (c/o 2023) - around 80 people. I believe the department wants to scale that number back; this is largely because in recent years the program has gained a lot of traction and LIU’s yield % has grown immensely. I am a current sophomore and I think we have 35-36. I think part of why the freshman class is so large is because they have significantly more BA Theatre majors (who don’t take advanced acting and potentially don’t take intermediate acting) than we do, so the comparison and numbers might not be entirely accurate.
A few things
- I feel like I do receive a lot of individualized feedback and training despite the size of our overall department. Freshmen in particular receive an additional acting class on Fridays that is specifically about exploratory and developmental work - giving you tools on ways to approach your scenes when rehearsing and discovering things outside of class (this is only second semester).
- Performance opportunities are pretty good. There are a lot of people but there are also so many different shows. We’ve already have two shows open and close this semester so far, and another (that I’m actually in) opens this weekend. You have to be cast in something at least 4 semesters (including freshman showcase), so you will be performing for most of your time in PTC. Being in a production is a HUGE time commitment, so honestly, because of all of the things we work on and spend time on, not getting cast and not performing for one semester is often not a huge deal. In addition, there is a student-run theatre company that puts on a lot of different productions throughout the year.
- MT majors (and most acting majors) take half an hour of voice once a week. This sounds like not a lot, but with outside practice in addition to MT classes (one of which you take fall of your sophomore year and the other which you take spring of you junior year) you grow a lot. The voice faculty is incredibly impressive. My voice teacher, for instance, has conducted and music directed on several national tours and Broadway shows. I can honestly say he changed my life as a singer.
- Being close to the city is SO convenient, especially in terms of auditioning. You can hop on a train and attend an open call, go to a scheduled audition, etc. A lot of students have been able to go to A1s and Strawhats without even missing class and it lets a lot of people book. You can also go see shows and get cheap rush tickets. Prior to coming here, I’d seen one Broadway show, and since my freshman year, I’ve been able to see Waitress, Once On This Island, Anastasia, Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief, and I was even able to get great, pretty well-priced tickets to see the OBC of Hadestown this past fall which was amazing. One of my classmates, a dancer, goes into the city all the time to take dance classes at Steps and Broadway Dance Center to supplement her training.
Thank you @mtmaybe . It’s nice to hear the good and bad from a current student. LIU is on my son’s list. We have been looking for any info we can find and hope to tour this spring. He is a Junior and just getting started. I do understand the facilities need some work and hope that what they say is true, that they will be working on them this spring and summer, but what I have enjoyed hearing is that the students and faculty are amazing. It’s great to hear that through all the negative, you all shine through!!
@mtmaybe is there any kind of cut or evaluation after sophomore year? I saw that on a thread and wondered if you could speak to that!
@CBSQandA it is definitely not a cut program. While after your sophomore year, for the upper level acting classes, you are placed on a “track,” one focusing on outside-in acting methods vs another on inside-out acting methods (we usually just say Suzuki and Shakespeare), there isn’t a “cut.” Since this track program was introduced (last year) some people have been redirected, but they are few and far between. If you want more info, please pm me about that.
Has anyone received an artistic scholorship notification from LIU? We received the academic sholorship offer and were told artistic offers would be made later.
We did
@NeensMom – not yet. That would be a nice addition!
@DramaLove2020 how was this communicated to you? Did they send you some separate communication, in the portal, etc?
I received a letter in the mail and then it was followed up by an email
@mtmaybe I took you up on your offer and I have PM’d you with some more questions.
Thanks!
I have informed LIU Post that I will not be attending so maybe someone else will get in there!
@DramaLove2020, first thank you for posting this, but may I ask what made you decide not to go with them?
Anyone have any inside info about whether LIU will be closing sometime soon?! Hoping we can get in a visit and we live close enough that we could do it on short notice if need be…
I already called the school. I said, “Can my D have @DramaLove2020 's scholarship money since her D’s not coming?” They hung up on me. Weird.
@StanfordAI2019 - do you write for SNL? I think you missed your calling!
@Ontheverge – that’s nice of you. James Cameron gave up being a truck driver after he saw ‘Star Wars,’ because he said he could ‘see himself doing that,’ and just had a sense how to do it. Nowhere near that level, but I often get the same ‘kind’ of sense when I watch The Simpsons, 30Rock, or Curb Your Enthusiasm. I think – ‘I’m not Larry David, but I could have written that episode.’ I entertained the idea of getting into that industry several years ago, but never quite had the stomach to give it a try.
@StanfordAI2019 - it’s never too late…maybe you and your daughter could “create” together? Sounds like she inherited your comedic aesthetic!