Being a Theatre Major... stress & venting — Page 2

My SAT score was 1220 and I got into NYU...but I wrote a kick butt essay and had a nice resume too.

BU is Boston University
GWU is George Washington University

I love Marymount, but I decided to go to Boston before I auditioned for the theater program. I believe you need two different monologues. Definately check out their site.

I think you should go with your heart. If theatre is the only thing you can see yourself being happy doing, then do it. My first day of school the teachers asked us "Is there ANYTHINg else in the world that you can see yourself doing? If so go do it. This is an extremely diificult biz and if you'll be happy anyplace else then do that!" If it's all you've dreamed of your entire life, then its what you have to do. I was lucky b/c my parents were incredibly supportive, and even let me go to a conservatory instead of a typical 4 year university. I don't know if this applies to everyone, but I know some schools will let you teach w/o actually having your degree in education. As long as your degree is in the field you are teaching. You can always go back later and get your masters in teaching. Go for theatre now. You sound too passionate about it. And you'll end up resenting you parents if you don't.

You also might want to look into Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA (ignore the 42nd street stigma...) It's a small liberal arts school that has a fantastic theater program and also a great dance program. Robert Lafosse will be our guest artist next semester for Pippin'. It's small and there are so many other great options for majors. To give you a feel for how diverse the school is, academically (unfortunately, not ethnically) the two most popular major are...biology and theater. Look into it...www.muhlenberg.edu and I would be happy to answer any questions.

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IUP (indiana university of PA) has a decent program. we do 4 shows a year. along with studio shows.

Carnegie Melon, West Chester, and Bloomsburg are suppose to be pretty good.

And yes i agree with what a few people here have been saying. go with your heart. if you think you'll be happy doing theatre all your life then go for it. i started off as a graphic design major and was miserable. so i switched over to theatre and i'm happy. although i do at times get crap from some family members not all but some, which you will learn to block out.

good luck.

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i don't think i could get into the University of Michigan, unless i audition through theatre and get in... but i don't know if i'll do only theatre as a major.

For anyone who's auditioned for Marymount... how many songs/monolouge do you have to perform?

Fordham University @ Lincoln Center Theatre Dept.

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my girlfriend is about to start at OCU. her voice teacher is florence birdwell and she is amazing. OCU was mos def. my second choice!

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glad to hear good about OCU.. it's my home state and i feel like i'm not really looking outside ok that much... but i've really been hearing OCU's amazing. as far as the other okla schools... eeeh. i dunno. lol and birdwell's fab! love her! ha

Just to represent a program that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves...

you may want to also consider The Univeristy of the Arts in Philadelphia. (www.uarts.edu)

I will be a junior MT major in the fall and this is a very intense program... just as competitive as the other big boys in the business and often neglected because of its age (its a very new program- the acting program is 20 years old and the MT is around 10) and its location (not NYC)...

but let me just say- given the oppertunity to work as hard with a very professional and renowned faculty for half the cost of living in NYC is something worth considering.

the program is very competitive- they take about 20-25 (out of around 600-700 auditioners) every year... tho that number dwindles- we now have 12 Junior MTs...

and the emphasis is on the acting. we study all three but with the understanding that the acting is the most important part- you never dance without acting, and you never sing without acting. we study the Meisner method from some of NY's top Meisner teachers (for example my teacher was Sandy Meisner's 'right hand man'...)

there are lots of performance oppertunities and at the end of the four years there is an industry showcase where the seniors travel to NYC and perform for casting directors and agents.

from the last graduating class we have one person playing Mimi in the national tour of RENT, one originating the role of Randy Hastings in "Gemini: The Musical" (opposite Linda Hart from Hairspray), one in the European tour of "Grease" as Jan, one who just performed in "Pacific Overatures" with NSMT, one in the national tour of "Oliver", one performing and understudying the role of Peggy Sawyer in "42nd Street" on Broadway... and then of course tehre's Justin Guarini- lol if we can count that... and that chick Heather from The Blair Witch Project... lol... okay well maybe not them...




but in any event... its a really great program- I left high school DEAD SET on CCM or BC or CMU or Ithaca, Shenandoah, Point Park, Michigan... but then someoen turned me on to UArts and its been the best choice for me... (and it wasn't my only option-- I chose it)

you owe it to yourself to at least check it out and consider it.


good luck to everyone-- and if you have any questions about UArts or any number of things just drop me a line...

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Although my parents are supportive of me in the theatre, I made my own little gameplan. I don't really have a "backup plan", however I havent' entirely ruled out the option of teaching if I break my leg and can never dance again or something like that.
Go to university and get a degree. In Canada, you just need a degree to get into teacher's college. I'm not sure how it works in the States but I'd imagine it would be similar. That way, armed with your degree, should you ever decide to teach, you can always go back to teacher's college.
Make sure you have a "teachable" (minor in english or history or biology or whatever is of interest to you, and preferably a mandatory highschool subject) but get that theatre degree!
Also, in terms of school size...... a lot of schools are all in what you make of them, especially for the arts. I chose a university with the best reputation in Canada, but it also has a very small music program. The instruction is phenomenal and there are a ton of opprotunities because the program is small. As well, the profs tend to care more about you as an individual and spend more time helping you. I chose a small school (for music, but the school itself is huge), but examine what you value most in an education and go from there.
Good luck!

Updated On: 8/9/04 at 02:58 PM

". If in your heart you hear a voice that says "i want my name in lights" then there is no arguement go for your dreams."

Unfortunately, when I'm living on the street, I'm going to regret hearing that voice.

There's the reality, there are SO MANY people out there vying for the spot that you want. It's a once in a lifetime shot to make it. I think that one should definitely pursue theater while being practical. The double major concept would really help here.