<p>my son has been thinking about Chapman.They say that its an up and coming university. My interests lie in Screen acting and theatre, At first I thought it concentrated on film. I know UCLA and USC carry a name that can bring a lot of connections. networking opportunitys. I’m not sure about Chapman, He wants to do a double major in sociology as well. UCLA will not let you double major if you’re a theatre major. I’m curious to what you think of these schools or have any ideas about any others in the Southern California area</p>
<p>Ace: Yes, Chapman is an outstanding program and as far as I know, it also carries some excellent industry connections. You can double-major if you take a BA track; it might take five years or extremely meticulous planning if you want to take the BFA in Theater Performance or Screen Acting. Personally, I’d call it one of the best, if not THE best, in Southern California-- if mainly because the best schools are out East.</p>
<p>As for the rest of Southern California:
USC and UCLA are too cutthroat for my tastes-- the vibe I got off those was very competitive, as opposed to cooperative. The five schools in San Diego (UCSD, State, USD, Point Loma Nazarene and CSU San Marcos) aren’t specially geared towards undergrad theater, although UCSD has an excellent MFA in Acting.</p>
<p>Loyola Marymount seems to shunt their theater students to the side for the benefit of their film school (a pitfall that I’ve heard is rather common, and is mercifully avoided at Chapman), and CSU Fullerton has a good program but isn’t the greatest school. Long Beach State has a pretty good BA, as does UC Irvine (Irvine also boasts a BFA in Musical Theater, but good luck getting in-- you’ll need an outstanding GPA and scores to get into ANY UC except for Riverside and Merced).</p>
<p>And last but not least, UC Santa Barbara has a pretty good BFA Acting as well, but it’s probably the northernmost school in the region you’d call “southern” CA.</p>
<p>^^^ StrangeBro - no comment about CalArts?</p>
<p>StrangeBro… My D is a Jr. at UCLA. I don’t think I would say “cutthroat.” It is exhausting at times. Lots of hard work. Easier to be cast if you are a guy. But she is very close to her classmates, and because it is not that large, you become very good friends. As for your “snowball’s chance in hell of getting in”, keep in mind that for UCLA, 80% of the decision is the audition/interview. My D would not have gotten into UCLA based upon her SAT. Still, because 80% is audition, she got in and is on her way to Magna Cum Laude. She knows lots of kids in her program with relatively low GPA and SAT scores who got in because of skill, but can handle the academics. Now, I know the classes at UCLA TFT are really small now, so it isn’t easy to get in, but it is worth the shot because it is UCLA. And I always remind her that no matter what happens in the future, she will always be able to say she got her degree from UCLA. That says something.</p>
<p>I am posting for the first time but I have been an obsessive reader on CC since my S started applying to schools. CC has truly been an incredible resource for me as nobody in my immediate world can relate to this process. Thank you all for your insight. My S is applying to 17 schools in an effort to make sure he gets into a program he feels good about. He refuses to say what his top choices are…but I know which ones he has his heart set on. This is such an enormous undertaking. The essays alone are so abundant and then add to that the pre screens. This is on top of preparing for the fall musical at school (Bye, Bye Birdie). Still, with all this, he is not nearly as anxious as I am. I just wanted to say how helpful hearing all of your stories has been. We will be at Unified auditions in NY and Chicago and I’m sure we will meet some of you there.</p>
<p>Welcome, fullhouse! Best of luck to your son. I hope you will continue to share your experiences and discoveries as you go along!</p>
<p>Seventeen applications, wow… :)</p>
<p>I agree with fullhouse; this has been an incredible resource for us as well. </p>
<p>I wanted to offer one additional thing that we are learning as my D tries to fine-tune her list of schools where she will apply and, where appropriate, audition. We are attempting to see a show at the schools in which she is interested, if possible. For instance, JMU’s program has been of interest to her and we visited their theatre dept. this past Friday and then stayed around to see a show that night. First of all, their brand new facility is absolutely gorgeous, the faculty member who spoke with us was super helpful and my D loved everything she heard about the program. Extremely professional and impressive all the way around. THEN, we saw the show! WOW! I could see by intermission that my D was just blown away. We drove back to our home in Northern VA late that night and she talked all the way home about the incredible talent of the actors and the professional quality of the performance. This program moved way up the list for her based on what she saw as the product of their program. It struck me on the way home that we are actually lucky to get the opportunity to see just what the program produces…something those who are looking for a major in English or Physics might not necessarily get to see in such a tangible way. </p>
<p>This experience has inspired us to look at the upcoming seasons at all the schools where she is applying and see if we can make it a priority to go see some more shows (at least at the ones that are close enough.) I don’t know what others experience has been on this, but I think it will be helpful for my daughter. Kudos to JMU for a very impressive experience all the way around!</p>
<p>That’s terrific advice, Kelly. I will say that my D and I saw a Senior Showcase show at a very reputable school and both of us were extremely disappointed. We were quite surprised, and decided it must have just been a fluke, but she couldn’t help being turned off by the program. This doesn’t prove anything, but it can go both ways. It’s wonderful that in your case a show reinforced your good opinion; I know that if a show isn’t good, that’s valuable information, but we have to be careful that it doesn’t sour or confuse us, either.</p>
<p>There are schools of theatre that, while they don’t have sparkling facilities and might not be running a show that would impress you when you visit, still provide very excellent training.</p>
<p>At some schools there is guaranteed casting, which can result in a number of smaller-scale productions rather than one big, impressive production during a given time frame. </p>
<p>In many theatre programs, students are cast in productions based on what they need to work on, rather than what they already know how to do. For that reason, what you see when you visit and watch a play might be part of a work-in-progress and not necessarily as impressive as you might like.</p>
<p>The best way to get a sense of the school is to talk to students in the program and to study the curriculum very, very carefully, looking at and comparing various factors that have been discussed elsewhere in this forum.</p>
<p>KellyLJ1-- Glad you had a great visit to JMU and enjoyed the show. I am sorry I did not get to meet you and your D while you were here, but depending on when your D auditions I will likely be in that day as well for the MT auditions. Please introduce yourself then! </p>
<p>Kate :)</p>
<p>“In many theatre programs, students are cast in productions based on what they need to work on, rather than what they already know how to do. For that reason, what you see when you visit and watch a play might be part of a work-in-progress and not necessarily as impressive as you might like.”</p>
<p>Great point, NJTheatreMOM!</p>
<p>fullhouse - I did the same thing! I applied to 18 schools during the time of my school show as well, and while it is definitely a challenge, I feel it really paid off. As long as he is applying to schools he feels he would be happy to attend, then the results (hopefully) will be very positive. Schedules are the most important thing. Scheduling application submissions, essay writing times (probably have to do several a week), audition times, etc is definitely a challenge. I have to give credit to my parents on helping me with that. They did all the financial work, logistical work (of course double checking with me), and things like that. Basically the left me with just the applications, essays (which they revised), and prepping for auditions. In the end after all the stress, I felt so much better having a larger number of schools to consider than I would’ve had otherwise.</p>
<p>You said you were going to Unifieds as well…yes Unifieds are your friend. Try to schedule as many a day as you can, but leave maybe an hour or two in between for buffer time, in case auditions run late.</p>
<p>Also, the thing I found the most helpful was that my parents were basically my liaisons to my schools. Any questions I had that were simple enough to write down (ie, nothing in-depth about the program itself, because my parents don’t quite understand the whole theatre thing), I would give to them to call the school with. Being in school all day and having rehearsal after school meant that by the time I was free, no one was left at the schools to take questions.</p>
<p>Best of luck to your son!</p>
<p>i see alot of ppl put unc greensboro as no audition safety how is there theater program? anyone know anything specific about it??</p>
<p>KellyLJ1- one of my rlyy good friends whos helping me throughout this entire project was in the production u saw!!! i didnt get to see it but i heard it was amazing!!! and i know shes incredible ive been in a bunch of shows with her JMU is one of my top chioces for MT:D</p>
<p>Dancegrl979, we have a friend whose daughter is at UNC Greensboro in theater and loves it. You may want to read their website carefully; there is an audition involved in being admitted to the BFA Acting, but not until the end of your first semester. The BA program is non auditioned. Everyone in the production we saw at JMU was great, so I’m sure your friend did a great job. One of the interesting things about this production was that, except for one actor, the cast all played 2 different parts…including women playing men and everyone doing two different kinds of accents. There were so many layers to this show…really fascinating and such great acting. Congratulate your friend on being part of a very talented cast! I’m sure she learned a tremendous amount.</p>
<p>Good points, NJTheatremom and EmmyBet. Sparkling facilities and a professional production can only be part of the puzzle. So much of this process, it seems to me, is something that is so hard to quantify. Finding the right student for a program, finding the right program for a student…BA or BFA, Theatre or MT, audition or non-audtion. At some level, I think my D is trying to find another home away from home like what she has found in her theatre program in high school and at our local community theatre. That place where she can totally be herself and take risks, explore and learn, etc. I don’t know that you can ever get that sense from a website or catalog. I’m not sure you can get it from a tour either, but I am beginning to believe that we have to get onsite at these schools for her to be able to picture herself there…could she see herself in that blackbox, in that classroom, on that stage? I believe that she could probably be happy at any of the schools we are considering, but I’m not sure she sees that yet. I guess seeing a show helped her start to picture herself as an actor on a college stage…her eyes lit up and she came home and really started working on those pesky essays. I guess all I am saying is that the magic that happens on the stage is what this is all about for our kids…so we have to see some shows! She saw another show at VCU last weekend and we have plans to see a show at American next weekend (did the tour there today.) </p>
<p>KatMT, thanks for your encouragement! I will definitely come introduce myself and say Hi when my D comes for her audition. Please let Mr. Beck know how much we appreciated his time and careful attention to all our questions last week. We were in a great group of students/parents and everyone had lots of great questions which made for an excellent learning opportunity for all the kids. Now we know what questions to ask at other programs as well.</p>
<p>Kelly, that’s great - anything that gets these kids sparked and ready to move forward is great, I agree!</p>
<p>One thing that’s important to consider in making a final choice is how much being “onstage” does matter to the individual. My D LOVES to perform. She definitely has the feelings you describe in your D. But on the other hand, she also loves the flip side: talking about theatre, reading about theatre, exploring the concepts, analyzing, designing, imagining, writing. That’s just who SHE is. Some programs have such a performance focus that a kid who thrives on that will be thrilled; other programs are broader-based, and appeal to other kids.</p>
<p>For example, some kids wouldn’t like D’s program at Adelphi, which doesn’t allow freshmen to be cast in mainstage shows (they do get other performance opportunities, but it is limited). They are involved in other ways, mostly in tech. BU does this, too. I have heard kids here criticize a broad-based program, saying “I want to be on my feet acting more than just X hours a week.” Nobody is right or wrong - but these are good things to know as kids choose where to apply and then where to go. </p>
<p>Your comment that what “happens on the stage is what this is all about for our kids” got me thinking - I would never say my D isn’t passionate about that, but on the other hand she is very happy to have significant portion of her time in school devoted to the study of theatre literature, and history, and design, and concepts - and of liberal arts. We didn’t see a show at this school, but we spent several hours watching a pretty advanced rehearsal of one, so she did have an idea of what they were capable of. Yet she had to look at lots of different aspects to make sure ALL of her needs were met equally.</p>
<p>Where she is has had its various disappointments - but I would say that theatre and academics-wise, she is at an excellent fit for her.</p>
<p>I am by no means criticizing your approach - I’m just describing our perspective so that people who read these discussions can consider where they fit on the spectrum.</p>
<p>Dancegrl979, I see that you mentioned JMU being one of your top choices for MT. You are a fairly new poster here, and I wanted to make sure you know that there is a separate forum on CC for MT, with subforums for many of the MT programs.</p>
<p>As I imagine you know, MT auditions are quite different from Acting program auditions in that they have THREE components for each school: singing, dancing, and the delivery of one or more monologues. MT admissions, especially to auditioned BFA programs, are even more competitive than auditioned BFA Acting auditions, which are already quite competitive in themselves.</p>
<p>EmmyBet, you are right on target. As several people here have said, examining the curriculum closely is so important and not that obvious, at the beginning…at least not to a novice like me and my D. We pretty quickly saw the differences between the BFA and the BA programs, but we are discovering that there are significant differences between the BA programs as we dig a little deeper. I think you touched on that in what you said above. Some of the programs have a performance track and some are more a general theatre studies all the way through…both good, but different. When I said “what happens on the stage” I didn’t necessarily mean that always means her ON the stage. Like a lot of theatre kids, her first love is acting, but she loves ALL things theater (like your daughter, it sounds like!) For instance, I don’t know if you guys have Cappies in your area, but she is a Cappie Critic this year which is an awesome opportunity to learn more about the process of analyzing and evaluating theatre productions. She also developed a love for makeup design at her summer program this past year and hopes to take some courses in that, if there is the opportunity. All questions that require a deeper look at the curriculum.</p>
<p>All that to say, understanding what each program offers…both on and off the stage…in terms of theater education is where we are in our journey right now. And that is forcing her to evaluate what her priorities are as well. For instance, we visited American University today. Being in Washington, D.C. allows their theatre students the opportunity to see fabulous local theatre production at no or low cost on an almost once a month basis! That is a hugely attractive component of a program in a bigger city, but is it a priority for a particular student? They also offer lots of opportunities for internships with local theatre companies that a program in a more suburban or rural program might not be able to offer…apparently 85% of AU students do internships. Those are the questions/issues that we didn’t even know to explore before. One thing I have already learned is that I wish we had done more of these visits in her junior year. Clearly, this is my oldest child :-)</p>
<p>Anyway, love this site! Such good insight…always a blessing to travel the path with some folks who are a little further down the road than us.</p>
<p>Hi Kelly! I will pass along your kind words to Dr. Beck, and look forward to meeting you at auditions. :)</p>
<p>Kelly - that is very cool. What I would say now, is do as much research as you can, have her apply to as many schools as she can tolerate the apps/auditions for, and then do more research as decision time nears. It’s not quite so necessary when she doesn’t have the answers yet (in fact it can make her crazy when she gets those “nos”).</p>
<p>Keep asking all the questions you want - we all really do want to help here.</p>