<p>I guess nobody else liked my idea of disclosure. I just think it would be nice to know where people are coming from given that some readers may base accept/decline decisions on info garnered on CC. For example we know that being in the respective programs nick and the fishgirl have some credibility (and biases). I think for example if you say that this is as good as that and you have never even been in the state that that is located, it would be helpful to know that. Or if in the past a person had described themselves as an <em>MT mom</em> and they were discussing the finer points of a straight acting program they had never been to that might be useful to know. But evidently nobody else thinks so. </p>
<p>I would also welcome more disclosure (maybe its out there and I have just missed it) on the various coaches around here. How have they done? How many kids do they coach in a season? Where are those students getting into and what are their final decisions? How does that process work, do the students travel to the coaches? I would be curious to know such things.</p>
<p>This is a public message board. Anyone may post without regard to “credentials.” It is up to readers to, over time, take the opinions posted by various individuals and weigh the strength or validity of those opinions. Everyone is posting anonymously. People ought not to believe everything they have read. However, if one reads a message board over time and numerous posts by various posters, they may get a sense of whose opinions they want to take as having some value to them or not. If they read the opinion of a poster who has like five posts so far, then they have to weight that opinion accordingly. Over time, a reader can base their thoughts on whose posts matter to them or help them based on the “history” of reading that posters’ posts and weigh those posts accordingly based on opinions they have formed about that poster.</p>
<p>By the way, I was unaware that fishbowl attended either of the two programs in this thread. I thought she was attending a certain wonderful program this year and has chosen to not disclose that program and I am not about to do that, but I did not think it was one of the two being discussed in this thread. </p>
<p>Those who read message boards can take other posters’ posts with a grain of salt or if they feel that the poster has established a certain credibility over some topic of knowledge, then weight those opinions accordingly. There are no rules of disclosing anything about oneself on a public forum, and readers must ascertain for themselves whose posts they put stock in or not. People share their experiences and everyone can take those for what they are worth. Important information should be gotten directly from the source (such as a particular college) and not rely on public posts on a message board. </p>
<p>As far as so called “coaches”…any coaches that have posted here are not obligated to post their “track record” simply to post. I am glad that various coaches have opted to participate on these forums. Their track record and “testimonials” are only relevant if someone opts to hire them for pay. ANYONE can post on a public message board. One need not any credentials or track record to post here. These are free forums…people are free to post and people get to read all sorts of advice for FREE. A lot of volunteer hours go into the posts that people make here. I’m not sure what credentials someone must put forth to offer FREE ADVICE. If you wish to hire someone, then it is up to you to inquire about their backgrounds and so forth.</p>
<p>CC, however, has verified the identity of college professionals who post on CC and has put “College Rep” status under their names so that the readers know that if they speak on behalf of a college, they truly do work for that college. In my own case, I volunteer on CC’s forums as I like to try to help many people at once as it is hard to field all the individual requests for free help in emails as a volunteer. I have a title under my name as I am a College Counselor on staff at CC. CC provides these free forums as a service. Posters like myself are volunteers on the forum. We are not paid to post or to volunteer to answer NUMEROUS emails and PMs which I get daily and put hours into helping as many as possible for free. If someone wishes to hire a poster here for pay, I would think that is when someone would inquire about credentials and references or testimonials and so forth. That is not required of posters who volunteer to post here.</p>
<p>Wowzers. I don’t recall saying where I go anywhere on the public forum and I’m glad I realized I shouldn’t tell a certain someone about a certain change in plans ($$$!!!) due to some previous loose-lippedness … Seemed wise at the time … Nice to know my instinct was good. 
</p>
<p>NotMamaRose,
All goes swimmingly. :)</p>
<p>The Fishgirl … LOL</p>
<p>Glad you continue to swim happily, fishbowlfreshmen. I am only one of the people here who are so happy to see you back here sharing your knowledge and point of view. I have learned a lot from you. Keep up the good work!</p>
<p>Hello everyone, after reading all the posts I decided that I should probably ask some questions myself. I, myself, have applied to both NCSA and UM. UM audition in January and NCSA in February. I’m not asking for monologue help bc that’s not this is for, but I will say that I am having trouble finding appropriate ones. Especially for UM when they ask for your dream role monologue. </p>
<p>Does anybody have any advise pertaining to what they might be looking for, or just helpful tips?
I noticed the conversation about the different techniques that each school uses. At our high school we were taught Stanislavsky, Meisner, and Uta Hagen. Could this end up playing to my benefit at auditions?</p>
<p>Tex, I’m interested to hear what school your daughter ended up choosing and how she feels about it.</p>
<p>I also just noticed this board was three years old. Sorry about that.</p>
<p>Oh my goodness, the days of WallyWorld. I’d completely forgotten all about him.</p>
<p>My daughter auditioned for Minnesota/Guthrie back in 2008 and though she chose to go somewhere else, she really enjoyed her audition experiences with Ken Washington and his faculty. When they tell you to prepare a monologue from your dream role, they mean just that: choose a role that you are dying to play and then put your heart and soul into it. If I remember correctly (and things haven’t changed), they also ask you to prepare a monologue from a role you wish you could play but never will be able to. Again, go for it. If you are a white person and wish you could be in August Wilson’s Fences, then go with that. The idea is to stretch yourself. Also, be ready to answer questions about why you chose what you chose (for all your monologues) and also be prepared to sing. The Guthrie auditions were very relaxed but intense and my daughter truly felt that the auditors wanted her to do well and were interested in her. (She did, by the way, get admitted but chose to go somewhere else to study musical theater. But she is still sure that she could have been happy at Guthrie had she selected it. Well, she hates cold weather, so maybe not …) Best wishes.</p>
<p>When you audition for UNCSA you will be required to provide a dramatic monologue, a comedic monologue, and a classical monologue. You will also be asked to sing a song. They might work with you, maybe ask you to make some adjustments, maybe not. But I wouldn’t read into it either way. I am currently a student at UNCSA and they didn’t ask me to change anything. Although UNCSA has many talented singers, and alumni in broadway musicals, if you aren’t a singer it won’t hurt you. They’re not looking for the perfect actor. If you were the perfect actor already, which I guess is a ridiculous concept anyway, then you wouldn’t even need to go to acting school. They’re looking for talented individuals with great potential. They’re also looking for what you bring to the table, and who you are. That’s why following you’re monologues there will be a brief interview where they ask you about yourself. I really loved my audition and interview session and Robert Beseda and Robert Francesconi, who will most likely be auditioning you, are very welcoming. I can tell you first hand that UNCSA is an amazing program, but I have also heard great things about the Guthrie. It really depends on what your looking for. If you have any further questions about the program feel free to ask.</p>
<p>-SoT</p>
<p>Two more thingsto consider, as well, if you are weighing NCSA versus Minnesota/Guthrie (besides the weather) are these:
- NCSA is a conservatory. Academics, if they exist at all (do they?) are a very minor part of things. I know some very talented kids who were not very good students who auditioned and got in, so this tells me that the audition is <em>the</em> thing that determines admission.
- Minnesota/Guthrie’s acting program is part of a large, comprehensive, liberal arts college/university. You have to be accepted to the university first and then to the acting program (BFA). That not only means that you have to have a good academic record, but also that you will be taking a fair amount of academic classes. My daughter was told that the M/G approach is to produce well rounded, educated actors who know about their world from their academic classes.
- NCSA is not located in an urban area. Quite a few grads of my D’s high school have been accepted there and gone there, and some have stayed and loved it, but several have said they just could not stand the isolation. (Most of these are city kids, btw, and all have remarked on the excellence of the training. That is not in dispute.)
- Guthrie is located in an urban area/city.
Both are fabulous programs with a lot to offer. But they are very, very different, both in their approach to training and their settings.</p>
<p>What I found in my research about the Guthrie liberal arts classes is that students are excited about them when they first go but complain bitterly about having to take them by sophomore year. UM is not that great an academic school anyway. It is good as far as state universities go, but you do not have to be a great student to get in. Just decent.</p>
<p>UNCSA has academic classes but not much of a selection and they have an option to not take them and graduate with a Diploma instead of a BFA. That is what Mary Louise Parker did. One thing that I think is funny is that it takes a 4 on an AP test to exempt a UNCSA liberal arts class and it only takes a 3 at Guthrie.</p>
<p>Another thing to think about is the stability of the faculty. Nikilick said that she had a Saturday morning acting class her freshman year because they were looking for a new second acting teacher and one teacher was covering all the classes. That implies that one teacher left. Now Kenneth Noel Mitchell has left to teach in the Tisch New Studio on Broadway. UNCSA has had the same teachers for a long time except that they added a new Meisner teacher to the faculty last year.</p>
<p>Something else I noticed on CC is that there was a Guthrie student who wrote some great posts on the old threads describing the greatness of the program but came back a few years later saying he felt like he needed to go back to school for an MFA. The only ones that go back to MFAs from UNCSA are the ones who choose the directing track.</p>
<p>I hope I don’t sound like I am attacking Guthrie because it does have a good reputation. I just don’t think it is quite in the same league as UNCSA.</p>
<p>Both are top programs, for sure, and each has its strengths and weakenesses. I am really happy, tenyearplan, that you are so satisfied with the program at NCSA. As I said, I know a handful of students who have been admitted/go there/have gone there, and there is no question that it is a top program. </p>
<p>My point about the liberal arts component at Minnesota is just hat there is one, which there really isn’t in any substantial way at NCSA. I know students who are tremendously talented actors who got through high school with D’s and C’s who got in at NCSA, so that tells me that the audition is the thing, just as it is at CMU and Juilliard, etc. I am not implying any judgment about that: just wanted to point it out as a substantial difference between the two programs.</p>
<p>Basically, NCSA is a CONSERVATORY program and Minnesota/Guthrie is NOT. That’s a significant difference right there. Students looking at these programs and deciding where to audition ought to be familiar with those differences, as it is like comparing apples and oranges. </p>
<p>Re: MFAs. Plenty of people who do BFAs in acting eventually want to go on for their MFA. It is not untypical at all, and certainly not peculiar to the Guthrie program. Just because one Guthrie grad felt the need to go back for more training doesn’t say anything negative about the BFA program there, in the same way that one of our friend’s reactions to NCSA (that it was just too remote from the city for her, that there was nothing else to do but go to class and come home) says more about <em>her</em> than it says about NCSA. Once again, just personal preferences.</p>
<p>Wow. A thread reemerges from back in the days when Wallyworld walked the forums, NMR’s D had not yet auditioned and I often minced words in an effort to be nice. How quaint! :)</p>
<p>And you are not a freshman anymore, fish! How about an update? I continue to be perplexed how people can compare NCSA and Minnesota/Guthrie: again, like comparing the proverbial apples and oranges. One is a conservatory and the other isn’t. One is in an urban area and the other is in a more suburban/rural area. One requires students to take a goodly percentage of liberal arts classes and the other doesn’t. One is in the north and one is in the south, so the weather is different. The differences go on and on, yet people seem to want to put these two programs in opposition to one another. Why? Why not just choose the one which seems a good fit for you?</p>
<p>Winston-Salem is no New York City, and yes, it’s more rural than where Guthrie is, but I would by no means call it “rural”.</p>
<p>I stand corrected, though to be picky, I did say “suburban/rural.” I have never been to NCSA (my daughter chose not to audition there) and am going on what some grads of my kid’s high school (a very urban public arts school) have reported over the years. Many have loved it, but others have said they felt isolated and that there was nothing to do but go to school and come back to the dorm. Again, don’t shoot the messenger: just reporting what <em>they</em> said. My point was that it’s really silly to compare Guthrie to NCSA as they are so incredibly different in almost every way. It would be easier by far to compare the acting program at CMU to the one at NCSA as they are both conservatory acting programs. Comparing Minnesota/Guthrie to NCSA is an exercise in emphasizing differences and not similarities.</p>
<p>thank you all for the information. I myself am not a straight “A” student to begin with so I do like the fact that I don’t have to be hot stuff to get into either school academically. </p>
<p>I’m still trying to figure out for myself what I will do with my degree. I am extremely interested in directing, but I absolutely love performing. I have also considered possibly getting the training from either school and then getting my MFA to tech college students. </p>
<p>You guys all have helped a lot and it was much more pleasant than I remember the previous thread being. :)</p>