<p>My son and I saw “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” at James Madison University this past November and were incredibly impressed with the quality of the student acting and the overall production–definitely one of the best productions we’ve seen outside of New York–JMU is now definitely on his list, and he would be happy (and lucky) to be accepted into their acting program. As much as I’ve loved having my older children attend out-of-state colleges–and I do believe it’s part of the whole college experience to go someplace different–I certainly wouldn’t want my son to pass up applying to a strong in-state program. Overall “fit” is another thing; my kid might not thrive at VCU, but I’ve known quite a few kids who excelled there and received a first-rate preparation for their professional and personal lives. As both Kelly LJ1 and Nansan point out, we are fortunate to live in a state where the public colleges/universities are so strong, and there are several good options (Shenandoah being a private one) for kids who want to study acting or MT in Virginia.</p>