The real NYADA?- Page 2

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 9/24/12 at 10:35pm

I thought NYADA was some Juilliard/NYU hybrid, with Whoopi Goldberg's character as some ersatz Leontyne Price.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/24/12 at 10:36pm

Huh. I know someone who's in an acting program there and isn't getting a Master's but said it didn't matter since it was Juilliard, etc. But I just Googled and they have BFA and MFA programs. They must have non-degree programs as well. She auditioned though (a very rigorous process, from what I understand) so I have no idea. Ignore me.

Updated On: 9/24/12 at 10:36 PM

[all that jazz]

Posted: 9/24/12 at 10:41pm

Hi, thanks for all the helpfull replies! I'm definately not ruling out Ithaca. Julliard doesn't have an MT program, so it's not on my list. Marianne, I not expecting at all for any college experience to be like what they show on glee, not expecting a fairytale. I know how intimidating, vicious, and competitive this businness can be, but I'm emotionally, phisically and menthally ready for it. Kelly, yes I know living in NYC is very expensive I was there last weekend, but fortunately I can afford it. Cost is not the only thing I don't like about NYU, I also don't like that it is not a conservatory program. In regards to the distractions of the city, I'm very very extremely passionate, disciplined, and dedicated to my Art. I'm not going to NYC to create memories and have the "perfect" college exprience, I'm going to chase my dreams, master my craft, network, audition, get established as a serious and marketable actor, do Broadway, and eventually, when I'm ready make the transition to LA. I'm not going there to make friends and have fun, I'm going to start a career. But in order to succeed I need to find a school which will offer me the tools I need to achieve my dreams. When I asked about NYADA, what I meant was: Which school in the real wold has the same prestige or reputation that NYADA has on Glee-Universe. I don't want to sound defensive, I just want you to know a little bit about myself and what my aspirations are. I trully aprreciate all of your comments, please kepp them coming!

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 9/24/12 at 11:00pm

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/

This is a link to a great forum that is all about what you're asking for. I advise you to read as much as you can and check it frequently so that you can be as well informed as possible. Most people taking his seriously probably have a set list of all the colleges they are auditioning at by now, and they're probably already very prepared for early auditions this fall. If you don't know where you want to apply yet, you have a lot of work cut out for you, especially if you have such high aspirations.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 9/24/12 at 11:00pm

" Kelly, yes I know living in NYC is very expensive I was there last weekend, but fortunately I can afford it."

If you can afford 1500$+ a month rent and living expenses, then how is tuition a dealbreaker? Especially when at least you can take out loans and receive financial aid to help with that...

Speaking from experience of being in audition rooms, I've seen more of a reaction regarding schools NOT to go to rather than any particular applause for a certain program. The important thing about the big programs is that their senior showcases draw an audience from some very major casting agencies, general agencies, and management company. If you're serious about pursuing acting or performing as an actual money-making career, that's a big deal. I wouldn't get your heart set on NYC because IMO, Tisch or Julliard are really the only top-tier programs in New York. If you want a BIG reputation, then that's the equivalent. If those schools don't interest you, then IMO it is better to pursue a top quality education in your craft and reap the benefits that top-tier schools can afford you and focus a little less on the dream of NYC and auditioning.

Any working actor (or not-working actor) will tell you that if you're in a genuinely demanding program, your time for any kind of auditioning and networking and "doing Broadway" will be extremely limited. Many programs directly encourage their students to not attempt to obtain Broadway work while they are in the beginning stages of study. It's great that you're enthusiastic about your dream, but you have to realize that the way you see it in your head is not how it will actually happen, and finding the most realistic path for your dream that has the highest probability of a payoff doesn't always involve the glamour, lights, and excitement of New York and a holding room at Ripley-Grier before you've got some serious training under your belt.

Updated On: 9/24/12 at 11:00 PM

Posted: 9/25/12 at 12:08am

Or you could just do theatre Juile White had no training and look what happened to her.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 12:21am

Did anyone else laugh heartily at this line:

"I'm not going to NYC to create memories and have the "perfect" college exprience, I'm going to chase my dreams, master my craft, network, audition, get established as a serious and marketable actor, do Broadway, and eventually, when I'm ready make the transition to LA."

Oh honey. How old are you?

Kelly2, taking out $200,000 in loans on a degree which qualifies you to wait tables for a living is hardly good advice. Most students at NYU are up to their eyeballs in crippling debt. The rest either come from well-off families, or they foot the bill by dealing pot out of their dorm rooms and getting Wall Street sugar daddies.

[TheGirlUpstairs]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 8:47am

The thing about maturity is that if you have to tell people you have it...

[HoldThatThought]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 9:47am

"Did anyone else laugh heartily at this line:

"I'm not going to NYC to create memories and have the "perfect" college exprience, I'm going to chase my dreams, master my craft, network, audition, get established as a serious and marketable actor, do Broadway, and eventually, when I'm ready make the transition to LA."

Oh honey. How old are you?"

Yeah, I chuckled at that. They did say that they were a senior in high school, so that would explain it. I had a similar attitude at that age going into a well-known music school, and while academically I did well, socially and career-wise I pretty much failed. It's not what school you go to that counts, it's the maturity level and what you do with the tools you are given. A lot of established actors, musicians, artists, etc. do not have a degree.

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 10:25am

but many today do.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 11:40am

Seriously, ignore the glitz of NYC and go for U of Michigan. You'll get your degree from a school with a great reputation and connections, and you'll also save money, which will help if you do eventually move to NYC.

You don't have to be trained at an NYC school to make it on Broadway. Katie Rose Clarke got her first Broadway gig when she was still at school in Texas, for heaven's sake.

[newintown]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 11:50am

There is no school in this world that guarantees you even the tiniest career in theatre, including Yale, Juilliard, Harvard, NYU, North Carolina, Temple, etc., etc., etc.

Your dreams are your dreams, but I would recommend that you find something else that interests you. Everyone wants to be an actor; almost no one gets a lifelong career at it.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 12:16pm

This is basically the OP.
all that jazz

[supportivemom]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 12:26pm

Clyde- I love that youtube video and I look for that line in every reality show now. People still use it!

[Marianne2]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 12:34pm

But making friends can help you get your career started. So what if it starts in bed? As long as you make that connection, that's all that matters.

[runaways]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 1:28pm

NYADA honestly sounds like the name of the American Academy of Drama Arts (AADA) found in L.A. with the curriculum of AMDA.

Having audited AMDA, I wouldn't be surprised if Murphy went to AMDA, saw what they did and just made it bitchy.

To the OP: stay far away from AMDA. Look into University of Cincinatti's CCM, Penn State or U of M for BFAs. If you want the prestige of a good school and will take a BA, UCLA has an incredible theater program. A lot of alumni tend to end up in television and movies. Side note: UCLA also has one of the best screenwriting programs in the country.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 2:04pm

From Chris Gorham to Milo Ventimiglia, it's a rare night I don't see a former UCLA student on TV or in a film. If the OP wants to end up in LA, why the emphasis on networking in New York?

It's difficult to audition during your first year at UCLA because, unless they've made a huge change, they hold what they call "freshmen boot camp": a rigid program of required courses with mandatory attendance. (It's not all that hard, but you do have to show up every day.)

After that first year, a lot of undergrads audition professionally and a significant number leave to work before completing their degree requirements. Many, if not most, large-cast Broadway musicals hold auditions in LA as well as NYC nowadays.

Not that I'm discouraging the OP from going to New York. There's a lot to be said for that experience, even if one does eventually end up in Los Angeles. Everyone should live in NYC in his 20s, IMO.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 7:16pm

Again, thanks for the replies! Orange, I'm 17 years old, and while many would say that I have a full life ahead of me, I know that my time is limited. My original plan was Hollywood, I've been planning my life since I was 12. I have experienced some serious disappoinments, I know what it feels like to be close to my dreams and then in a flash watch them vanish. I've been to LA two times already. Last january I had about 15 top agencies and management groups that wanted to sing me if I moved there, but unfortunately my family wasn't ready to maka the transition to LA. While others view their tennage years and early twenties as time to enjoy, party, love and have a good time, for me they are the times to start a career. I have given up everything good about being a teenager, for this. The theater is my life. I know some of you will "laugh heartily" at this, but fortunately I have developed a REALLY tough skin. Inicially I didn't plan to go to college, my plan A was to move to LA, when I graduated HS, take classes and audition, but at this stage in my life I feel that it is a safer choice to first study something which I'm extremely passionate about(MT), and then transition from theater to film. And as I said before, No school can make you a star or guarantee you a career in the theatre, TV or Film, but that's where the jorney starts. And while most people say this and don't mean it, i trully mean it: No one's gonna stop me. I'll make mistakes along the way, but in the end, I know I'll get where I want to be.
Tomorrow belongs to me!!!

[Kelly2]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 7:44pm

"Kelly2, taking out $200,000 in loans on a degree which qualifies you to wait tables for a living is hardly good advice. Most students at NYU are up to their eyeballs in crippling debt. The rest either come from well-off families, or they foot the bill by dealing pot out of their dorm rooms and getting Wall Street sugar daddies."

I absolutely don't advocate taking out that amount of money in loans and I apologize if anyone takes it that way. I took out PART of my tuition when I attended school in loans and paid for the rest with a my savings and by working through all 4 years. The point I was trying to make was that there are ways to make the finances work sometimes, it's not the end of the world to have a little debt if it's truly worth it to you and it's your "dream education". But yes, I agree with you that if you need to take out the entire amount in loans, maybe other options should be explored.

[StageStar2468]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 8:11pm

I was really impressed with both Pace and Marymount Manhattan College's programs (though I believe for Marymount it was a minor that you can pair with theatre or dance). They both have many connections and internship opportunities that would help you network with people (I think some selected students at Pace even had a chance to work with Sondheim). My friend also recommends Montclair State which might be nice since it's only a bus ride away from the city, but a lot cheaper and would probably give you more performance opportunities than a school located in the city.

The one thing I will say, like some others have been mentioning, it might be a really wise decision to double major in both Musical Theatre and something that is a bit safer. It's amazing to have all these dreams and plans, but the reality is, no matter how good you are, very few people are able to make acting a full-time career. I wish you the best of luck and honestly hope it happens for you, but in my opinion, I think it's also important to be realistic.

I'm also trying to figure out the kind of environment I want to be in and what would be best for achieving my dream, but like I said, there's a lot of tough competition and it doesn't hurt to have another major so you're not stuck waiting tables for the rest of your life while trying to pay off tons of debt.

Best of luck and hope this helped!

Updated On: 9/25/12 at 08:11 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 8:19pm

Paragraph breaks, OP.

Please.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 8:30pm

Thanks StageStar! As far as NYC goes I think my first choice would be Pace. I have also thougt about double majoring, and I'm also considering studying directing which I really, really love. Sorry, Lizzie I write with too much passion, I'll try to write more properly next time.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 8:38pm

Good luck getting into community college with those "writing" skills.

Take some academic classes. Smart actors are better than "enthusiastic" actors. And they have less rainy days, because they have marketable skills.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 9:25pm

Well Kelly I don't think you can judge a person's writing skills based on how well they write on a forum. Apart from acting and directing I also write poetry, plays and songs. I received a full scholarship from the Film Corporation of Puerto Rico to study screen writing in a program endorsed by the 20th century fox. English and Spanish (both AP)are two of my best subjects, and both teachers praise my writing. Personally, I don't feel like I should be using the writing process or obsessing over grammar in here. Thanks for the hate.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 9/25/12 at 9:54pm

"Using the writing process"? You mean like...using paragraph breaks, commas, punctuation, etc.? I'm pretty sure you're supposed to use grammar as a default. But okay, obviously you are good at EVERYTHING and will totally get into top schools and then go straight from school into the lead in WICKED and then get a pilot and move to Los Angeles. Live the dream!