Liberal Arts College

LXPlot

Active Member
Okay, I understand that there are probably ten thousand of this kind of thread on control booth, but I couldn't find anything that was similar enough to my current question, so, if you guys could answer or at least link me to a thread that could help, that would rock...

I want to go to college for theatre tech and design. I'd prefer to go to a conservatory school, but I'm not to the point where I've convinced my parents that I'm a good enough designer that I'd make it without a back up plan. Basically, at the moment, they want me to go to a liberal arts school, preferably something small, although a university would work just as well if it has a liberal arts theatre program. I'm trying to change their mind, but...well if I can't I at least want to know what kinds of school are out there...

Some more info: I want to major in tech and design, lighting ideally, but if not, I could take a generic theatre major. The training and experience is more important than the major. I'd prefer to go to a college in a city, so I could find a job/internship simultaneously and learn on that level as well. Ideally this college would not be in a city with large amounts of renowned conservatories, because I'd rather not have to compete against those kids, but I know that I can probably out-work a lot of them and I will compete with them if need. If the program is set up in such a way that I might be able to be on a large job in a large portion of shows, that'd be good as well.

Anyway, what schools fit the bill here? Thank you!

Edit:
Footer: I have a very good understanding of what liberal arts schools are, as my dad works at one, which is why he wants me to go to one so badly. I also am unable to invision myself content doing anything other then theatre, which is why I'm going into it. Thank you for the links, and if I don't pursue a BFA I'm definitely going to try and get a(n) MFA

Rochem: I have considered Ithaca, and at the moment it is on top of my list. I'll definitely send you a PM if we go to visit it, thanks! As for CCM, it is one of the other top ones for me as I have a very good friend attending who loves it. And no, I'm not a senior. I'd say that I'm starting to look at colleges to early rather than to late, although my motive for that is to talk my folks out of the Grinnell-Swarthmore bandwagon.

Derek: I have friends who go to Wright State right now, definitely looking into it more.
 
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I work with several people every day that both attend and teach at a very well known liberal arts school (Skidmore). They do produce good theatre people, however most can't really make it without going out and getting their MFA. They know this going into the program. Most are there because their parents wanted them to get a liberal arts education. The ones that really wanted to do theatre and only theatre usually left the program for a school that offered more. They offer a theatre generalists degree and produce some decent talent. The have some people that went there for acting and came out good designers and vice versa. However, they are not even close to the same level as the people who are coming out of BFA programs.

Also, you really need to look at what a liberal arts college is. Many colleges (including the one I atteneded) called themselves liberal arts but are not. Skidmore, Bates, Middlebury, Bard, etc are all real liberal arts schools. There you will attend a ton of classes that have nothing to do with theatre. They truly produce the well rounded student. However, it is hard for those students to compete in many career fields without a masters degree.

If your parents are dead set on a true liberal arts education, you are going to have a tough time being a theatre person without a masters. If they are OK with one of the more fake liberal arts schools, that might be a better fit. I got a BFA from a school that said it was a liberal arts school. I spent about 30% of my time in classes outside my major. It was close to a conservatory program but did not totally make me out to be one thing. If you have any specific college questions, feel free to PM people on this list.

I'm also not a huge fan of investing a ton of time in a back up plan. Unless you are going to go all the way, your not going to make it anyway so don't even bother. If you can not convince yourself that you can support yourself doing theatre, there is no way you can convince someone else. That being said, you need to be as diversified as possible. Hardly anyone in this profession can support themselves just doing design work. Most get some design work, some shop work, some assistant work, and some waiting tables work. If you waste time getting a second degree or a minor in something that is not business, you probably won't be as prepared as you should be.

So, a few things you should read:
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...ant-your-college-degree-your-career-path.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/education-career-development/22793-landing-summerstock-job.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...q-recomendations-about-college-education.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/wiki/Collaborative+Articles:Getting+a+Job+in+the+Industry
 
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I agree with a lot of Footer's points. While backup plans are a good thing to have, that's not the right attitude that you need to even have a chance at succeeding in theatre. A common phrase that's thrown around a lot is "If you can see yourself doing anything else but theatre, do that." I'm in college now pursuing a BFA in Theatrical Production Arts, and every single person in our department, actors and singers and designers and technicians alike, is here because they cannot possibly imagine themselves doing anything else with their lives. We spent ungodly amounts of hours working on projects and assignments, and it's not uncommon to see an entire class working from 9am to 1am even on weekends. But no one complains about it, because we're doing what we love to do, and if you're actively pursuing a backup plan, I honestly don't know if you'd make it through the program. I'm going to school at Ithaca College, which is considered by many to be one of the top 5 (or at least top 10, depending on who you ask) theatre schools in the nation, both for performers and for tech/design students. Ithaca is not a conservatory and it is a Liberal Arts school, but in the BFA programs, there's very little chance of double majoring or minoring in a "backup" field.

However, what I love about IC is that they give you a very well-rounded education within the theatre. I'm a lighting designer/technician at heart - I really have very little desire to do carpentry, sound, props, or anything else. However, at IC, you are required to have a primary focus and a secondary, so that you get out in the world, you're not just "Noah the Lighting Designer," you're "Noah the Lighting Designer, who can also hold his own in any scene shop or at any electrics call." You're also going to have at least tried a few other things, so you at least won't embarrass yourself on a paint call or whatever else. In the end, it will make you a better all-around technician and designer, as you'll be able to collaborate much more closely with the other members of whatever team you're on.

Obviously I'm pretty biased, so take this with a grain of salt. Choosing a school is a huge decision and will boil down to how you feel when you first show up on campus. I'm sure others will chime in with their recommendations - common top choices are Emerson, Purchase, DePaul, and maybe CCM, and I would recommend checking all of these out. But if you're ever in the Ithaca area and want a tour or something, hit me up with a PM.

EDIT: Wait... you're not a senior right now, are you? Cause if so, it's prolly a little late to be starting this. :p
 
Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah may be worth checking out. It is a liberal arts college that has small class sizes in most of the classes, as in they cap most the class sizes at about 25 students. Another nice thing is it's a very small campus. This year they recently added the theatre major and it is a very well structured program. If you qualify for work study through FAFSA you can work in the scene shop for work study, which is what I'm doing and it's loads of fun and I've learned lots of things including basic welding.

Westminster is also pretty generous about scholarships if you have a good GPA and ACT/SAT score (about half of my tuition is knocked out by that money.) The TD here does a lot of the light design for the salt lake area so he's got lots of connections for places to work. There are also many community theatre programs here that will let you come work with them but I'm not sure how many of them pay for work. If you have any other questions you can PM me or you can check out the website Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. A Private Comprehensive Liberal Arts College

You can also come visit the campus and sit in on a class to see what it is like, the current theatre classes I know of right now would be stagecraft and costumes and makeup.
 
LXPlot, since you're from Ohio, consider Wright State Univ. in beautiful Fairborn. While I wouldn't rank it in the same league as Webster, CCM, CMU, or NCSA, I knew people who went there thirty years ago who liked it and are doing pretty good.
 
Hey Man, I was in the same position you were in a couple months ago. Right now i'm getting my BFA in scenic and lighting design at Shenandoah university. This is a great program that I think you would really like. It is a conservatory program and the school only has about 5,000 people enrolled in it.

The great thing about this program is that they except all skill levels into the it. Before applying to the school i only really had 2 years of solid theater experience and little to none designing experience. The teachers here are phenomenal and will help you through any problem that you are facing. This program is really shaping me into an exceptional technician.

I really think you should check this school out
 

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