Playwrights Horizons Theater School?

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
1

<p>My son was on the Tisch waitlist and received his acceptance email yesterday. He received his studio placement today: Playwrights Horizons. We’ve visited the website and found a few older CC posts about it but would love to learn more. Since my son is primarily interested in Musical Theater, we’re trying to understand if this studio might be a good fit for him. We are particularly interested in the Music Theater “advanced training” described on the website (pasted below). </p>

<p>Any CCers out there who know about Playwrights and would care to share their opiniions about it?</p>

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<p> Music Theater:
Recognizing current trends in American and International Theater, the New Music Theater Practicum at Playwrights Horizons Theater School offers advanced students the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the exciting field of Music Theater. Driven by music, and incorporating experimental forms and interdisciplinary combinations, the New Music Theater Practicum demands a rigorous commitment to craft, the flexibility to incorporate the ever-expanding opportunities presented by new media, and the intellectual rigor to participate as a full collaborator in the development of new work. Playwrights’ project-driven methodology offers a fertile landscape for the ambitious Music Theater artist. Emerging and professional lyricists, composers and writers are commissioned to work hand-in-hand with NMTP students in the creation, development and presentation of original new work. From inception-to-performance, course work is designed not only to support the skills necessary for a specific piece, but also to build the discipline and flexibility necessary for long-term success in this exciting, demanding and ever-expanding field. Forging collaborative relationships with their professional peers, NMTP students effectively bridge the gap from student to professional experience.</p>

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<p>Momof MT, I keep hoping someone will answer your question. My son graduated from NYU Playwrights in 2008. Whereas he initially auditioned for MT (and took private voice lessons his first year) he did not opt for the Playwrights MT option.
I’m happy to give you (dated) info about Playwrights in general (It was really great for my son) but his closest friends opted for the Directing track.</p>

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<p>Thanks, jasmom. I truly appreciate the offer of help. I’m not too surprised I haven’t gotten answers. I imagine most people have their college decisions made and sleep peacefully every night, while I toss and turn thinking about this latest development in my son’s college journey. Ah, I envy those CCers who have everything all settled and can spend their summer casually shopping for dorm room bedding and accessories. :)</p>

<p>I have read almost every post in CC about Playwrights since I submitted the post above, and I think I have a basic understanding of the program now. It sounds absolutely amazing. There are many aspects of it that seem like they would be just right for my son. I’ve read that it is a tight knit group - small classes, lots of collaboration, working together on all aspects of the process of developing a theatrical production. It all sounds wonderful. </p>

<p>But my son doesn’t necessarily think the program is the right fit for HIM. He is concerned that since the program is not focused on MT, that he might lose out on a lot of the dancing, music, and vocal training he would receive in a more traditional MT program. And he’s concerned that he might be spending time on endeavors that do not interest him. While he is an excellent writer and scored very well on the writing portion of the SATs, he HATES writing and is not at all excited about the prospect of writing a play. He also has no interest in design or directing. And, of course, there is the enormous cost to consider as well. While they did offer him a very nice scholarship, even with that factored in, the cost to attend NYU is more than twice as much as the program he prefers.</p>

<p>But the main reason he has reservations is that he is deeply, deeply passionate about MT performance and little else. He feels that another MT program to which he has been accepted will be a better fit for him. He thinks it has all of the same benefits as Playwrights – small class sizes, a tight knit group, lots of collaboration, etc. – without the drawbacks. He does admit that Playwrights will likely offer better acting classes, but not enough to make up for what he feels he would be giving up in choosing that program over the one with a more “traditional” MT curriculum.</p>

<p>Don’t get me wrong – he would LOVE to attend NYU. He wants to be in NYC yesterday. But the more he read about Playwrights, the more he just felt it wasn’t for him. The decision, of course, is his to make. I guess I’m looking for either validation that he is making the right choice, or more information that I should share with him if he should reconsider. For instance, we were really hoping to get a better understanding of the MT track. We’d like to know more about when it begins – is that after two years in the program? What are the potential ramifications in losing two years with little vocal or dance training? Is having NYU on his resume enough to make it worth giving up that kind of training? </p>

<p>My son and I would like to make sure we’ve carefully evaluated this from all perspectives before making a final decision and – yikes – possibly saying no to NYU.</p>

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<p>I wish I could help you but I wonder if you could ask Tisch or ask Playwrights Horizon directly, to put you in touch with students who are attending or who have graduated from the MT track in that studio. I am aware of their MT practicum. I also know that students who have been in that studio have been cast in Tisch mainstage musicals and have gone onto MT careers and entered with a desire to pursue MT. So, I think you are looking for more nitty gritty details of his curriculum and the experience for a MT oriented kid and I think talking to current students in the MT track or even faculty in that studio may help you a bunch. Keep in mind that a studio placement is just for two years and there is opportunity to switch studios after the first two years. Kids from other studios, for example, do PH studio’s MT Practicum after their primary studio. Also, students in any Tisch studio can take private voice lessons throughout their four years of Tisch. </p>

<p>While I can’t help more on the PH stuff, I will give one experience…my kid is a MT kid too…through and through. She went to Tisch and back then the MT studio was CAP21 (now it is NSB). If anyone would have ever told me she would ever switch studios while at Tisch, I would have said, no way. But she studied in CAP21 for five semesters and did advanced studio in ETW for three semesters! She got a bit of everything. She is performing professionally now in musical theater, as well as a singer/songwriter, MT composer/writer, and on faculty at a BFA in MT program, and so just saying that she even found that the non-MT studio to be beneficial in her overall training. She could not have known that before starting at Tisch. Again, many MT kids are in various studios at Tisch, not just the MT studio.</p>

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<p>MomofaMTSon…I note that your son’s other options are SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Fredonia. SUNY Geneseo is a BA program in a challenging university. But I don’t think this is going to compare advantageously to the BFA at Tisch. Then there is SUNY Fredonia. I am sure it is a fine program, though one that I don’t know as well as some others and I haven’t personally known anyone who applied or attended. For starters, the setting of Fredonia (rural) and NYU (NYC) are night and day and the experiences on that end of it alone will be dramatically different. I think the sheer resources at NYU/Tisch are not equal to those at Fredonia. The faculty alone consisting of working professionals are not on par with Fredonia. As well, the networking and sheer challenge of the student body in the BFA program at Tisch doesn’t compare with Fredonia. I am not knocking Fredonia but I think these two schools are worlds apart and the opportunities they each present are very different.</p>

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<p>Playwrights has changed its advanced training so you definitely should call them to learn more about the MT practicum.</p>

<p>That having been said, I am of two minds of this for you. It sounds to me like your son has his mind made up and that you are the one interested in Tisch for him. That’s not a happy recipe for success in college if he goes there reluctantly. If all he wants is direct MT training, then maybe the other options are better if that’s what they provide.</p>

<p>However, at Playwrights, he would not “write a play.” There is one class one semester (IIRC) where they do some playwriting, and I think they end up writing a scene. (for those who want more training in creating work, there is a projects track they pursue starting second semester sophomore year).</p>

<p>And, the directing is really an acting class with a directing twist – they are learning about the choices that are made as a director and each of them do direct a scene, but they also are all actors in those as well. It’s not like you are sitting in a classroom just learning to be a director. Don’t know if this makes sense. </p>

<p>The movement classes in PH are really great with some wonderful teachers. But, it is not dance training. They do have at least one required course in voice performance and as soozie said, you can take private voice lessons for 2 credits. </p>

<p>The thing about PH is not just that it is collaborative or close-knit, but that it emphasizes creativity on all levels. This is not signing on simply for technical training (and that applies to acting, not just the “tech” aspects of theater.)</p>

<p>The one thing I wlll say about the Advanced studio options at Tisch is that many of them do require an audition to transfer into, so there are no guarantees as to what the next step will be. It is very common for students to do three different studios during their time,though (with the third being a semester at Stonestreet – the screen acting studio).</p>

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<p>To momofanMTson- My D is in NSB which is musical theater and her room mate is in PH. While there is not as much of a concentration on MT in PH as in NSB it is certainly covered and as Soozie mentioned, private voice lessons can be taken. Also, as was mentioned, after your initial two years in the studio that NYU has chosen for you,you are able to transfer to another studio via an audition which is what my D room mate has done for her junior year. Finally, my D also wanted some TV/Film acting which she could not get in NSB so she is taking that over the summer which is another option if it is financially feasible to do so. I do believe that NYU is really good at placing students in the correct initial studio but understand your son’s hesitation. I would contact someone from PH and have a sit down with them. Good luck!!!</p>

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<p>I guess I’ll be the devil’s advocate. My D knew she wanted MT and only MT. She told NYU that she would only accept MT. She felt that if she went there for any other studio, she’d start her college program feeling disappointed and rejected. Of course she had the luxury at her audition of knowing she’d already been accepted to another BFA MT program. But still, I think she would have done the same thing no matter what. She felt that she knew herself better than anyone at NYU could know her in a 5 minute audition, and that she was more right for an MT program than anything else. I KNOW she would not have been happy going to NYU for an acting studio. And for a program that is not quite the right fit, the expense is huge! And in an acting studio he’d have to pay for voice lessons and most likely extra dance on his own. My vote would let him follow his heart. Yes, NYU is a great school, but if the fit isn’t right, it’s not right. AND if the other school is half the cost, put the money aside and save it to help him during those lean times after college when he’s trying to get a job. Not having to juggle a survival job for a year or two could be a tremendous gift. It just sounds to me like you want NYU more than he does, and he will be happier and more comfortable in his skin if he can go to an MT program that wants him.</p>

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<p>Oh - and my daughter did not get into NYU. I asked her later if she regretted not saying she’d take any studio, and she said, “Not at all.” She’s very happy that she is going into a rigorous BFA MT training program in the fall at another school. It’s what she wanted and she can’t wait. I know that at NYU there are other opportunities and even the possibility of auditioning and getting into the MT studio later, but I would think that would add another layer of anxiety and possibly frustration if his heart is set on MT. What if he doesn’t get into that studio later? As they say, a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. Let him decide so if there are any regrets, they are his and his alone.</p>

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<p>Absolutely agree with Calliene, no school is perfect for every kid and your kid is smart enough to not buy into the “image” or “status” of NYU and to want to follow his desires. I love the idea of banking the saved costs to help him out in the future or help him while in school for any private lessons he might want.</p>

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<p>I think ultimately your son should go where HE wants to attend (after making an informed decision) and that it is best if a parent doesn’t influence that decision.</p>

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<p>Sorry for the late reply. My D is class of 2014 and spend her first two years at Playwrights. She was originally MT, but ultimately decided she really preferred the acting side. Playwrights is a wonderful, diverse experience and does offer students the opportunity to go down the path they prefer, after first learning all aspects of theatre including voice and speech, movement, directing, design, etc. It was a wonderful experience for my D, who then moved to the Classical Studio for advanced training. Playwrights kids can move into MT or any of the other advanced studios so your son would not be giving up the opportunity to go MT if that is what he wants. I agree with others, however, that it should be his choice. I just wanted to let you know that I truly believe Playwrights is a wonderful studio and in my D’s case, helped her find that what she thought she wanted was not actually where she was most happy.</p>