So many exciting things happening at Penn State! New head (who sounds wonderful), new acting faculty and new dance faculty in this current year that I’ve heard are adored by the current students. My D loved her time in the program. It sounds like its getting even better than it was before! We Are!
@stagedoor22 Could you ask your D how many kids audition for the shows? My D a hs junior is concerned with attending such a large school bc she feels so many will be auditioning for shows it may be difficult to be cast. Thanks!!
@Joyfulmama - MT students are required to audition for the musicals shows. There are about 50 students total in the MT program across all grades. MT students may also audition for the dramas if they so desire (and they are most definitely cast in dramas). Other School of Theatre (SOT) students may also audition for all shows. Also School of Music students may audition for shows. During my daughter’s years, actual casting tended toward predominantly MTs in the musicals and BAs and Grad Acting students in the dramas. But there was also a mix. There might be one or two BAs or music students in the musicals and one or two MTs in the dramas. Don’t quote me, but I think any student at Penn State CAN audition for a SOT show. But in the four years my daughter was there, I can’t think of any instance that students outside the SOT or SOM were cast in a SOT or SOM production. SOT and SOM students have casting preference for SOT and SOM productions.
Don’t confuse Penn State’s “large school” with the MT program (or even the BA Acting program). The SOT programs are actually small compared with other universities (there are only 12-14 in each grade for MT). You will find much more competition for casting in programs that have many more students in the programs (some schools have upwards of 30 students per grade, yet they have a similar amount of shows). You have to look at the ratio of #of students in the programs to the number of casting opportunities (number of show or performing opportunities) available. I would say that the number of relatively low number students in the SOT and SOM programs that would be auditioning for the number of shows put on by SOT and SOM at Penn State is a very favorable casting ratio!
@stagedoor22 Thank you!! Such a great response & I am constantly learning on this forum! I never thought to break the numbers down that way but you are right!! Back to our list to check out the numbers! Thanks!!