
PrincessIsInAnotherCastle
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Everything posted by PrincessIsInAnotherCastle
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SINGSALOT -- That blows! (Although I know that Brooklyn often loses things. You are about the 7th person who has said this about them... Truly.) I realize it is useless information, as facts and timelines vary greatly year-to-year, but I wonder if someone went through all of the posts on here and compiled a list of when each school has, historically given notification of interviews, acceptance, and rejection -- where we would now find ourselves in comparison on this, February 3, 2015... Probably only a FEW notifications arrived in previous years before this time. I realize that. And I am not about to comb through the whole chain and try and figure it out. That would just be feeding the monster. But I am dying on so many levels... #waitingsucks
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Or had you just not sent the ones with the signed back of the envelope?
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Singsalot -- That can be a good sign: the request for an official transcript. What were the schools?
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iamnonightbird -- well, there went my theory on fee waivers, presumably!
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First, lavendercloud, et al, I THINK the change in due date on my ucsd app was because of the fee waiver...? It was just approved (by the university), and I think that the late date means the application would have come up as being "late" in the system, so they changed the due date for computer processing purposes...? But I am tooooootally speculating. It would be awesome to get The Royal Court IPG situation, riiiiiight? The play I pitched is not far along, but... c'est la vie...lol... Barista: I appeared as an actor in a fringe NYC show back in the day, and a number of friends (and enemies) regularly have shows in the festival. It is a mixed bag. They don't give you much. You have to raise the funds yourself. But you gotta be in it to win it. There's nothing gained if there's nothing tried... and... [insert your own cliche/song lyric here.] Still, all of that IS true. AND -- you don't know what new alliances you will make by doing the production. It's a business of relationships, really... In other news, I have been approached to ghost write a memoir (for a fee). I am debating about taking the gig... It would mean maybe leaving my day job situation, but... with ghost writing... no credit. And writing 250 pages of prose in a voice not your own is sorta all consuming.... I would get right of first refusal for the screenplay, but all that REALLY means is that if somebody buys the rights to the memoir, they will buy me out...) Not sure what I am going to do... How is everyone spending their fraught weekend of waiting....?
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I just hit send on The Royal Court's International Playwrighting Group's application, and while my proofreading abilities are not great at this late hour (after a full day of toil -- hope I caught any errors!), I have to say that I am actually PROUD of the presentation I put together for them. Who knows if they will even look twice at me, but... yeah. I felt good about the pitch I gave them for the new play (changing my mind this morning and going with a different idea I've had kicking around, as it is more in-line with their aesthetic). The essay. All of it... I am sharing this simply because so much about this biz and all this applying and waiting sucks, and I feel good tonight for a short moment about something I put together. It's not much. But it is something. And now, I am off to benadryl myself to sleep!
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Also, Barista -- you aren't, by chance, the friend I was texting about with earlier about this, are you? (I see we are both in NYC. So... who knows, right...? lol)
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Barista -- I am attempting to complete the app for The Royal Court, too. I am not a planner, either, when it comes to writing. I have a general idea of the form, the REASON I want/need to write the piece... and then dive in like I am playing jazz. So... here's what I typically think about outlining a proposal for these things: I tell them the play that I would write, if I was writing it right now, in this moment. It will change considerably whenever you sit down to write it, but that just is the nature of the beast, I think. For my part, I am having a hell of a time writing the effing statement. "Why would the international playwrights group be of particular benefit to your development as a writer?" Can I just write, "Because you are the Royal Court." and be done with it? (I know, I know. No, I cannot.) The thing is... I always find it nearly impossible to explain to an institution, in essay form, why their program would help me. I only know of the program what I see on the website. I kind of appreciate Juilliard's essay prompt the most, "A brief statements describing your artistic vision and your background." (Or whatever it was). That I can do. I know myself, my artistic vision, my background, etc. (And I am going to incorporate all of that into this essay, to be sure.) But why it is that a program, which seems awesome from the website, is going to help me? I inevitably start regurgitating rewritten lines from the website and telling them things they already know... But, then, that's why there are rewrites, I guess...
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Oh -- and thanks Tate12 for the info regarding admissions numbers!
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LavenderCloud (and everyone!): I just noticed that UCSD's deadline has changed on my application from the original date (which I BELIEVE was 01/09/15) to 1/30/15. Anyone else notice this? SUNG: "How Bizarre. How Bizarre." (Funny that it happened right around the time of your one year event LavenderCloud...) That seems like an awesome residency at The Royal Court. I am going to attempt to swing together an application by the 30th and apply. Wheeee! And I am THEN going to dig up the Young Jean Lee interview in American Theater, Barista... (Which is, undoubtedly, in the pile of unread American Theater mags sitting by my desk). Also, FYI, haven't heard anything from anyone yet. I did, however, finish that project I was writing. It turned out... not too bad...and I THINK I can make it pretty strong with a ton more elbow grease! (Just reminding myself, like TeethWax did awhile back on this board, that the work is the important thing, in the end. Not a training program). That being said, waiting sucks!
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tate12 -- Where did you hear that grad applications across the country are down? Just curious. (But I am just going to take your word and decide it means that we ALL get in... (And when I am rejected, I will be sure to use it to feel just a little bit worse...lol...) Thanks for the cheers, Lavender. Production of pages continues... I will be up through the night finishing the project. How's the work on your play going? I honestly haven't yet looked at the FAFSA deadlines for anyone -- other than Yale, which I believe is the Feb 15th... From the research I have done on UCSD, their financial aid package seems among the best. I am in a position where, if I get accepted anywhere, I will have to ask for a full ride or I cannot go. (I have soooo much student loan debt from undergrad. In fact, I got fee waivers for all of my applications this year...) I don't think I am going to tack on any other applications. I considered Indiana, Bloomington; I like Ruth McKee a lot. But geography matters to me at this point in my life. I need to be in a major city. I will, however, apply to the UCLA screenwriting program next year, if I don't get in anywhere this year. And -- MAYBE -- Juilliard again, if I get another play in top, stellar shape this year. Speaking of which: I am trying to decide which play I am going to write next. I have a bunch of ideas but need to commit to where my spirit gets to dance for the next spell of time... race and gender are on my mind, and I have something that lives in that realm... We shall see...
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Lavender Cloud -- GO GIRL! (Or guy. Honestly, I forget people's genders on here, and the mario brothers-inspired screen name I chose means everyone's calling me princess now, so. What can you do...? Also, I have been accused (accurately?) of being a princess in the past, so... wheee!) Smart move on uploading the resume as an additional doc. More info on you is probably better. Anyway -- WRITE, write write, LavenderCloud! You can do it! (FYI, I have been writing all weekend for this thing I was hired to do. It's amazing how fast 40 pages can pile up when you simply do not care... The play will be harder, I know. As you do, indeed, care... Anyway, I am sending you psychic support, wherever you may reside! Something that just occurred to me is: FAFSA/financial aid applications are due soon. Oy freaking vey...
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Yeah. I am singing the Jeopardy theme song, here. Just waiting... Has anyone seen anything really great lately? On the stage, I mean. (Or movies and TV. I mean, there is GREAT writing happening on TV right now, you know?) I am looking forward to catching AN OCTAROON on stage this time around, here in NYC. (It was at SOHO Rep last year). I am seeing The Fiasco/Roundabout production of INTO THE WOODS next week. I saw ON THE TOWN, which, from a writing standpoint, is like a string of jewels that will never quite make a necklace. Fabulous production, though. Stellar performances. Has anyone read or seen DISGRACED, which won the Pulitzer last year, I believe it was...? I need to decompress about that one... Anyway -- I am looking forward to hearing what people have seen that they loved... Chatting about good things is a great way to pass the time while we wait... Sure does beat that aforementioned Jeopardy theme... Which is still playing in the back of my mind, of course...
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I've heard Bklyn College is a strong program but that, structurally, their entire grad theater department is a bit disorganized. (There are tales on this board of applications getting found in drawers, etc...) But I know a few people who went there and said that -- like all programs and most of life's endeavors, really -- you get out what you put in... The folks I knew who have gone there really liked it, over all, and thought they grew a lot from having gone there. And... if you are a New Yorker, the price is right for that program, ya know...?
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Singsalot -- what is the final program you are applying to that has hard materials due on the 15th? Just curious...
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All of the applications are in for me, now! Juilliard; Yale; UCSD; UCLA If I don't get in anywhere, which is obviously more likely than not given the basic rules of statistical probability, I think I will apply next year to the UCLA screenwriting program. LAVENDER CLOUD -- Great that Yale allowed you to take a bit longer. I presume you got it in, since the extended deadline was yesterday...? What did you end up doing regarding the resume/Michener? I AGREE that it is a big part of the application and it sounds like if you addressed all of your experience in your essay, well... You'd be writing a bio rather than an essay...lol... Best of luck to all! I am off to finish writing a script. Well, I am a long way from finished. Only about 1/3 of the way through the first draft. But I churned out 6 pages so far today! Looking forward to see if any of us gets in, when we will be finding out, etc. BREAK LEGS, ALL!!!
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I just applied to UCLA. Literally just now. I was really excited to see that there are, like, 96 elective credits and I can take all the screenwriting classes I want. (The screenwriting MFA deadline was NOVEMBER 1, damn it!) iamnonightbird: I know two women who recently went through Juilliard's program who did not have MFAs. I think there is probably no magic formula to any of this... But the odds, alas, are definitely stacked against all of us, statistically speaking. Still, statistically speaking, SOMEONE has to get in, I guess, right...? In other news, I saw LOST LAKE today... John Hawkes is giving one of the most detailed, lovely, deep performances I have ever seen. Right up there with Mark Rylance in JERUSALEM, for my money. The play itself.... doesn't really rise to the level of "play" and was more of a character study, in my not-so-humble opinion. (And Tracie Thoms's character is NOT as well written and has only a fabric of circumstance supporting her, rather than a lot of character detail, in my opinion, again. Boy, I am just chock full of opinions...lol.) Still -- it is TOTALLY worth seeing if you are in and around NYC. Hell, I would go AGAIN just to hear Mr. Hawkes say the line "It was a day when anything was possible." He is just unbelievably magical...
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lavendercloud -- There is still a place to upload a second play to UCSD on their application website, and that fact THREW me for a bit, but it's great they don't ACTUALLY want a second play. (I contacted the department to confirm; I'm guessing the submission portal for a second play is a remnant of scaffolding from last year's submissions process...?) Anyway, their program looks stellar. I am confident in the play I am submitting to Yale, and the others. Well... as confident as one can be about sending out years of work to a person you've never met so they can pass judgment... HA! What a crazy process this is, really, right...? I am, however, slightly worried about the questions of possible ageism brought up in earlier posts. I wonder if Ms. O'Hare legitimately prefers the younger crowd. Not much I'll be able to do about it, outside of shine a lantern on the issue in my essay and try to use it to my advantage therein. Regarding my letters of rec for Yale: 2 of them are going to be great. But I wonder if the third is even going to get written, and if it does, whether it will MAKE it to the department. In retrospect, I would have asked a different actress friend. (The current choice is realllly busy right now, swept up on a new TV show...) Ah well... BUT -- The Yale application is in! My Juilliard application has also been sent ! So when do the rejections begin...? lol That is GREAT that your friend is so happy at Brown! As I have stated, I don't think I could thrive in that environment. VERY HAPPY she seems to be doing so well there, though! I read that you are "Still working on [your] UCLA personal statement...why are these things so hard??" Yeah. The essay I am working on for UCSD is the University's statement of Purpose. I sound like an idiot in it. Gonna try to address that in the coming weeks...lol... Is anyone in love with UCLA's program? If so, why? I haven't researched it enough to say for myself yet... (But I have begun an application there). Okay, the ambien began to kick in somewhere in the middle of this post, so hopefully it's coherent...lol... Nighty night
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Hey there, CardinalBiggles, I unfortunately don't know anything about low-res programs at all, but I reall yhope you find a place where you fit in and it works great for you! (Please share, if you do!) Good luck!!!
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Teethwax! Her name was teethwax....
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LavenderCloud -- Congrats on your previous wait list at UCSD, and I wish you the best of luck in your re-application process THIS year. It is a great program, and I agree that Columbia is an M.F.A. mill. (I base it on first-hand evidence, stuff I've seen there, readings I've attended around the city by some of their playwrights, etc). That might be a controversial statement... and, look, I AM SURE some people in the program are doing great, are very happy, and are going to win Pulitzers. All that is entirely possible, and I hope it for them. But I also hold that it is an MFA mill... (Apologies if I have offended ANYONE, but we are pouring energy into trying to go to (and to then HOPEFULLY going to) very expensive schools for 1-3 years of our lives. It's better to be honest and indiscreet in this forum about it... without being hurtful or mean, of course). QUESTION: What does your friend who got into Yale think might have set him apart, leading to him actually getting accepted? If anything...? Also -- How many students do they accept at old YSOD? Do you know? (I realize that once you get to the end of a process like the one we're all undertaking, it's a pretty random thing, who gets chosen, who doesn't... But just curious.) All -- I spent all of this cold Saturday evening reading through this entire thread, from the beginning, like it was a "children's" tome written by J.K. Rowling or 48 minutes of TV written and produced by Vince Gilligan. (It got a little long in the middle, there, but ultimately -- a real page turner with such compelling characters)! The woman who had the visit at Yale and ended up at Rutgers? Teeth, something was her name...? I feel like she is my friend, now... The gal who plugged USC via a great, lengthy post...? Love her! The dude who had his GRE test screwed up -- man, WHAT A RACKET! About Me: I decided to apply to grad school about three months ago. I have nearly completed applications for Yale and Juilliard and will be starting an application for UCSD and USC soon. (I am sort of bummed that I missed the deadline for the UCLA Screenwriting program, but... c'est la vie.) I am considering applying to the UCLA Playwriting program, but... Not sure. I was ALSO considering Brown, but frankly, the rejection letter that was posted from last year was soooo efing touchy-feely that I don't think I would be a good fit. PLUS, the thought of living in Rhode Island... well, I would rather be pressed to death beneath a mound of rocks, old school-style, like a (presumably) wrongly-accused witch in and around Salem, MA circa sixteen-seventy...whenever). (But if someone on here applies and actually gets in to Brown...? ROCK ON! I will share a cyber drink with you!) But RI for me just wouldn't work. I am in my late-30s, married, and have what from the outside probably seems like a semi-successful screenwriting/playwriting career (with several readings of two plays and a musical at some major NYC Off-Bway not-for-profit theaters (but, alas, never an actual production); a full length screenplay actually produced, with a recognizable cast... and currently languishing in post-production; another screenplay purchased, (and one "ordered" and due in March.)) (A.D.D. Digression: Can you use double parentheses with language, or is that just a math thing? (I hereby claim it for language, too!)) So why the hell am I applying to grad school? Many reasons, best summed up in two short parts. 1. I haven't loved most of what I've seen on the stage for the last 5 years (Although, DISGRACED...? HOLY CRAP! I am still bothered by that penultimate scene... don't know what to make of it...) 2. I want to make as large a contribution to the theater in this city, country, and world as I possibly can before I die. Because I believe plays matter. (And those screenplays I've written...? While they sound amazing at first glance... Meh). And... as much as I poo-pooed the "touchy-feely thing" before, applying just feels right. And so... I am... Anyway, guys and gals, I don't know any of you, obviously. But I think you all are heroic. As (most) all writers are. Keep writing as if it matters, because it does. And know that regardless of what the so-called decision makers decide, in the end, SO MUCH OF THE TIME, you have to make your own work, anyway. It's hard. But it is always the way it is... Just Keep On Keeping On! Onward, ALL!!!! PRINCESSISINANOTHERCASTLE