<p>As my BFA researching has continued- I’ve come across two acting programs that I simply LOVE: Texas State and Pace. Because I still want to expand my list, I was wondering if anyone knew of any schools that offered similar programs. Here are my favorite attributes of each school:</p>
<p>Pace: Manhattan location, career-building philosophy, Inside the Actor’s Studio on campus, off-campus opportunities, honors college scholarships.</p>
<p>I’m really looking for schools that are intent on building their students’ career potentials–giving them experience in the professional theatre world before they graduate. Affordability is also a big factor.</p>
<p>**In addition, a friend recently told me that I should find schools that embrace their students’ quirkiness, as that is one of my most prominant characteristics, any suggestions there?</p>
<p>The entire philosophy of a BFA program is a that it is a professional degree program. So, I don’t know that you’ll find any that aren’t interested in “career-building.” Or perhaps I don’t understand the term, which is the more likely scenario. Perhaps you could elucidate on that aspect of your post. Then I’m certain many people will be happy to lend you their expertise.</p>
<p>TheatreFish - If you are looking for affordability in an auditioned BFA program, I recommend that you try to apply and audition for as many schools as you can reasonably manage, and not set your sights too narrowly on any one program: it is at least as heartbreaking to get accepted to a school you can’t afford as it is to be rejected. Am I correct in guessing you are a Texan? If so, check out all your state schools, and then see whether there are any reciprocal tuition arrangements with other states (I understand this exists in some places). State schools like UNCSA, SUNY Purchase, UCLA, and Mason Gross/Rutgers are all less expensive for out-of-state students than private colleges are, but they are often stingier with financial assistance, so you might find a better price-tag elsewhere. If your grades and test scores are competitive, you will also have an advantage at many schools. I recommend paring your list down to a schools that provide the curricula, opportunities, and locations you like, and then try to find a good range in terms of academic and artistic selectivity, price-tags, financial resources (some expensive private colleges also have impressive scholarship funds), and logistical feasibility (ie. whether you can travel to their auditions conveniently). My experience with my son was imperfect, but ultimately worked out as well as we could have reasonably expected. If it is at all feasible for you and your family, try to visit as many campuses as you can. I understand that this is unaffordable in terms of both time and money for many people, but sometimes college visits can be combined with family road-trips and vacations. Different schools have distinct “vibes,” and you won’t get a feeling for a school from its website or from regional auditions. My son is satisfied with the school he will attend, because he liked what he perceived during visits there; he might have been more disappointed (it was definitely a back-up choice) had he not decided that he liked the faculty, students, neighborhood, and overall climate there.</p>
<p>Yes, Actor12, I did mean that they encourage students to proffessionally seek work out side of their school- sorry for the lack of clarity.
Thank you very much, Stagemum!</p>
<p>Interesting. So, what you desire is to take classes during the day, but be in productions elsewhere that are “professional.” I use quotes there because there are levels of theatre that are labeled as professional that have lower production values and talent than some universities. I would ask you this question: If you are paying to go to school and study with (what I hope) are solid faculty members, likely a few guest directors, and be in their studios what is the attraction to the outside work. </p>
<p>I’m not suggesting turning down work at a respected LORT theatre, but I am suggesting that theatres that look to hire students still in the midst of their training are likely to have less accomplished people directing than your faculty. Not always the case to be sure, but many times. Don’t dismiss the studio work, at this point in a career it is far more important than getting a role at a local non-equity company. </p>
<p>I also don’t want to suggest you are wrong. It’s your training and your future career. If you feel this is an important thing to you, then by all means seek it out. There are schools that have agreements with local professional companies. For example, Webster is connected with the St. Louis Rep.</p>
<p>Also consider going somewhere where the faculty are themselves “professional”. Some schools make a point of hiring actual theatre professionals, instead of a bunch of cloistered academics.</p>
<p>That way, when you work with these folks on school productions, the faculty use their professional methods. Also, you will be networking and making valuable contacts with real theatre people. And then if in addition, your fellow students also have the commitment to professionalism that you do, it’s a win all around.</p>
<p>There are really HUGE differences between different theatre programs, and all of these factors (and many others as well!) really should be looked into when making your choice.</p>
<p>Working theatre professionals do not automatically make better professors than those solely committed to teaching. I personally believe that all educators are deserving of the highest respect and just want to point out that there can also be some disadvantages when faculty are also working theatre professionals. </p>
<p>My S was thrilled to have a two time Tony winner as his Acting professor last semester but felt that the momentum the class was building was abruptly halted when the professor left to work on a project of his own mid-semester leaving them with a substitute for two weeks. He said they never quite got back to where they were before he left.</p>
<p>^ Good point. My son had a class at his BFA program taught by a wonderful working playwright of some renown. She was fabulous when she was there, but she was so often absent that it almost cancelled out the benefit.</p>
<p>^ Have seen the same experience with my daughter (and it was a playwriting professor) when she was in a BA theater program. And at her small, fairly rural school in the midwest, there was certainly NOBODY I would classify as a “cloistered academic,” which is a pretty dated concept in the 21st century anyway! Absolutely everyone who taught her was hooked into their profession. I would argue that it’s the current state of the academy–no matter what the discipline or location, faculty are expected to be current and active in their fields.</p>
<p>My experience as a theatre undergraduate at Columbia College Chicago–where the entire faculty are working arts professionals (not just the theatre department)–was that when one of these professionals had to take a break for their professional work, the substitute would always be another experienced professional who was just as good. But maybe other programs aren’t like that at all.</p>
<p>I would never say that an INDIVIDUAL faculty member was necessarily “better” than another simply because one was more professional and another was more academic. But if a PROGRAM is committed to hiring professionals, it can make a real difference to the PROGRAM as a whole. And again, it’s not necessarily “better”, but it might work better for individual students and individual learning styles. It really worked well for me to work with these professionals at Columbia College Chicago. But maybe that wouldn’t work for someone else.</p>
<p>TheatreFish is saying she is looking for the opportunity to work with professionals, so I think my advice was valid FOR HER. Other students will be looking at completely different programs, and there is nothing wrong with that.</p>
<p>Times3, I am glad there are no “cloistered academics” at your daughter’s college, but I do think there are still, even in the 21st century, a few still around somewhere.</p>
<p>^^^I wasn’t questioning your advice to the OP. You are certainly entitled to your opinions and it’s really no surprise that they are based on your own experiences. But I do find your use of the phrase “a bunch of cloistered academics” to be derogatory. Maybe you don’t mean it to be but it reads that way to me and I’m not even an educator so it’s not like I’m taking it personally.</p>
<p>For the record, my S loved his Acting professor last semester and the substitute was not inadequate either. But the very fact that a substitute was brought in mid semester was solely bc the working theatre professional had another engagement and it wasn’t the students. I’ll leave it up to the OP to decide whether this is something he or she wishes to consider.</p>
<p>Also for the OP and just stating the obvious, but you, of course, can just as easily end up with a professor who is a working theatre professional and doesn’t take time off for other commitments! My S just finished up his favorite class ever with a two time Tony nominee and very busy working actress who NEVER canceled class. :)</p>
<p>The fact is that every once in a while I see a theatre faculty member do or say something that I know someone who was tied to professional theatre, as opposed to merely teaching acting classes, would never do or say. The sort of thing that I would have to say “Well, yeah, that could work in a classroom, but it can’t happen on an actual stage (or an actual professional audition, whatever) .” There are still a few of these people around, and they do seem to me to be “cloistered academics”.</p>
Absolutely everyone who taught her was hooked into their profession. I would argue that it’s the current state of the academy–no matter what the discipline or location, faculty are expected to be current and active in their fields.</p>