HopingForMFA
-
Posts
38 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Posts posted by HopingForMFA
-
-
Just now, Happytobehere said:
Nice! Oh yes, I keep checking on UCSD's page. I hope they figure out what they're doing for auditions soon! I'm excited to get all these dates on my calendar haha. Have you done URTAs before?
My biggest fear is that they're not doing a cycle this year. However, I feel like they would have told us already. No, I have never done URTA before - this is my first time. I am glad it's virtual though because I have a feeling that'll off-set a lot of the anxiety of the holding room and the cattle call aspect of it, you know?
I auditioned for NYU my first year auditioning for schools (Jan 2019) and I got through all three rounds of callbacks and got to audition for Mark. But I wasn't brought to call-back weekend. It was an experience for sure.
-
5 minutes ago, Happytobehere said:
Juilliard, NYU, USD/Old Globe, and the URTA and Satellite schools. Basically just trying to keep my options wide open! What about everyone else?
DePaul, URTA, and USD (the flagship, not the Old Globe), if they figure out how they're doing auditions!
-
Where's everyone auditioning?
-
Hey! I am auditioning again!
-
1 hour ago, thegodwithinher said:
NYU callback weekenders have been getting calls since last Wednesday. I know people who got a call Wednesday, Thursday and friday.
Does anyone know what it means if you haven't gotten a call yet
I don't. Maybe you can expect not to get one? But then again, maybe they still need to finish picking their 50... who knows.
-
14 hours ago, thegodwithinher said:
What other schools are you waiting for?
just NYU with an offer or not....
-
1 hour ago, thegodwithinher said:
NYU started reaching out y'all if your waiting on NYU can quote this post?
How did your audition go? is it your top choice? Have you applied before?
So I auditioned for Brown in Providence and they said if you don't get a phone call for either the wait list or an offer to join the class, you're going to get an email from Brown Graduate School saying "thanks but no.". Maybe it's just slow? I dunno..
What do you mean by NYU started? As in, they're not done making callback weekend offers?
I auditioned for NYU on the 28th, were you there?!
-
Brown rejections went out.
-
Hi all.
I am waiting on potential callback weekend news from NYU (waiting is hard -- has anyone heard ANYTHING?). I also got an end-of-hour callback at Yale, but was not invited to end-of-day interviewing. Still a win to make it down to the final four of the day (only one person moved on to that interview).
-
2 hours ago, mfaboi said:
has anyone heard from The Old Globe or Brown at all?
I auditioned for Brown at their Providence audition this past Friday and they said a week, week and a half...
-
@LittleSarah here is the current thread. My CWRU audition was awful last cycle they opened apps, haha.
-
30 minutes ago, RoryGilmore said:
I just finished Paula Vogel's "How I Learned to Drive"
One of the best pieces of drama ever written. Period.
-
20 hours ago, LordQuas said:
Which plays are you guys reading right now?
I'm not a Playwrighting student (Acting) but reading The Wolves by Sarah Delappe.
-
On 1/2/2019 at 3:29 PM, TheClaraBell said:
So exciting!
Auditions for me start in just a little over 2 weeks! Getting super excited!! I decided to expand my applications and have 7 auditions set up for Juilliard, Yale, NYU, Columbia, Brown, UCSD and CWRU.
How's everyone doing?
I feel good to okay. I went to NYC to get some coaching from a Yale grad and she said I have a lot to offer as an actor and to these programs and it made me feel really good. Now it's just up to the powers that be. I'm excited to show them me.
-
Y'all, I finally found my Shakespearean comedic. Which is, ironically, from a tragedy.
-
On 12/15/2018 at 2:15 PM, Indecisive Poet said:
To be very honest, I'm less interested in the training that comes with a degree in acting and more interested in the exposure and connections. I missed the boat on doing any kind of youth acting at all and on building up an acting CV, and I've always felt that by missing that boat I also missed out on the possibility of being "discovered" and by extension of being successful. The only reason I would do an MFA is because I don't think there's any other way to break into screen acting at age 24 with nothing but university theater experience – it's always seemed to me like the people who are able to find success in acting do so because they began acting at a very young age and had agents who were getting them high-profile auditions by age 16 (of course there are exceptions to this but it seems most of the exceptions just got exceptionally lucky by knowing someone or being stumbled upon).
Acting is loads of fun and I'd love to continue doing it just for the thrill of it whether or not I found ~success~ (by which I guess I mean not needing a day job), but I wouldn't switch gears from English to acting and go get the MFA if I knew it would just lead to acting in local theater on the weekends or teaching drama. So I'm not sure if there's a path that's right for me here. I say this to a forum full of people who know much more about this than I do so – any thoughts? : )
So there's a lot to unpack here. Here are my thoughts:
As much as I understand the exposure and connections aspect of wanting to be in an MFA program, IMHO, the desire to further train and develop your skill and craft has to be paramount. From my friends that have already gone through MFAs, you're working to your bones day in and day out, five to six days a week depending on the project and program. Are you given exposure and connections your final year through an industry showcase? Yes, absolutely. But that industry showcase isn't guaranteed to get you anywhere in the industry. You may have some people interested in you and you may get representation but that representation isn't guaranteed to get you any roles, etc. There's no rhyme or reason to this part of the universe, it just is and you have to give yourself over to the very real possibility of absolutely crashing and burning.
The idea that you can't break into screen acting past 24 isn't true, IMHO. Speaking purely from knowledge, Lupita N'yongo had a single professional credit, a short for MTV, when she was accepted to Yale Drama and then went on to win an Oscar for her first film. Plenty of actors don't start until their 30s, like Alan Rickman. You are correct, though, in saying that those stars got lucky in knowing someone or starting early (Emma Stone, JLaw, etc).
Can you clarify for me what you mean by "just lead to acting in local theater on the weekends?" Are you mentioning community theatre? Because, if so, IMO, if you have an MFA and are actively pursuing your career, you shouldn't be working at the community theatre level because that's all "for the love of it," for better terms and it's what people do as a hobby rather than a vocation. There are, however, plenty of smaller theatres that are professional in nature (ie. Equity, paying their talent, etc) that only run shows on weekends though in order to fray operational costs. But I also know MFA grads that have found other career paths and do only do community theatre now because they aren't actively pursuing acting or a similar career path and want to do it for fun. If I can ask, what is wrong about teaching drama? For me, the theatre is full of people who are exceptional at what they do and choose to teach full-time or part-time because they understand the need to "send the elevator back down for someone else." If that isn't your primary focus in obtaining an MFA, cool, but to avoid the path all together because you may "have to" teach to make ends meet seems.... I don't know, it just left an impression on me.
TL;DR: I can't tell you if an MFA is the right path for you. Nor can anyone else. That has to come to you through you. I can only offer you my perspective: I have decided that being happy in my work life is a non-negotiable for me. This is the only thing I can imagine myself doing and being genuinely happy in my work life. Amidst all the crap it throws at me, all the curveballs, all the disappointments and heartbreaks, this line of work makes me happy and even when I hate it, I still love it. That's why I decided to commit to an MFA.
So that's me and my two cents, which you can take with a grain of salt as I'm some random internet 20something. Good luck to you!
-
2 hours ago, Indecisive Poet said:
This was so helpful – thanks so much for sharing the info. I think you're completely right about needing to know 100% that it's what I'm interested in pursuing before I apply. At the moment I'm weighing a few different options and I think this next year (while I finish my MA in English) and the gap year after that will be super helpful in mulling things over and getting some more acting experience.
Best of luck with your applications! Let us know if the audition coaching is worth it. Sounds...expensive ?
IMO, an audition coach is always worth it and often expensive.
-
19 hours ago, TheClaraBell said:
You should bring a different aspect of you in all of your pieces and you have to looooove and be excited about your monologues (definitely the most important in my book). If you can, you should try to find a comedic Shakespeare that you love... there are soooo many great options!! According to my coach (who is legit the best, if you are in NYC I would be happy to give you his info) you should give the auditors options (he told me to prepare at least 6 monologues, I have 4 so far) and they should all contrast. I have the opposite problem of you, I could find soooo many comedic monologues I jived with and had trouble finding a dramatic Shakespeare. I finally found one just last week after reading pretty much every Shakespeare monologue. Keep searching, we still have time =D And if you don't find something, stick with the 4 you love already...
Where are you applying this year? And why do you feel CPH/CWRU wasn't for you? (It wasn't on my original list but one of the 2018 grads was at a MFA panel I went to last week and I'm considering applying)
Hi! I should clarify: it's not that I don't have Shakespearean comedic monologues I love, it's that I can't find any in verse that I love, all the pieces I super gravitate toward are in prose. While I think it's totally okay to present a prose monologue as a backup, I don't see the point, you know? The main point of doing Shakespeare is to show them you have the ability to do verse IMO. I played Nick Bottom this year (mammoth of a role, especially when the director didn't cut anything from Bottom), so I have stuff I could present in verse (like Pyramus in the play within a play), but eh.
Applying to Brown, Yale, Rutgers, and maybe another school. CPH is like a really small program and I am not necessarily convinced they're progressive enough for me. I only say this because I am physically disabled. So I would definitely appreciate a more forward-thinking, we want to assist in creating a more equitable American theatre/entertainment industry, sort of program. I know Brown has already graduated a disabled student and has graduated gender non-conforming students and Yale/Yale Rep has an inclusion and equity taskforce and mission now; and while it absolutely shouldn't matter, because talent is talent and talent should speak for itself, being in the position I'm in, it does give me an extra layer to consider about "fit," so...
-
12 hours ago, Indecisive Poet said:
This is great information (and reassuring) – and thanks for the info you shared on the other thread as well. As of now, all I'd have would be school credits, so I think I'd need another year at least to get involved with some regional stuff and festivals if I were to seriously consider applying.
Do you know anything about what's expected in the way of acting classes? I've read that while it's fine to not have an undergraduate degree in theater, it is expected that you've taken acting classes somewhere, even extra-university.
That I've never heard, so I can't speak to that. I would be interested in hearing where you read that, though.
-
On 11/20/2018 at 7:02 AM, Indecisive Poet said:
Hi all, I'm dropping in from the English forum hoping someone here can humor me. I'm wondering if anyone might be able to shed light on what kind of experience is expected of applicants to MFA programs in Acting (i.e. when program websites say things like "we expect to see a demonstrated commitment to being an actor" on your resume). Do applicants normally have BFA Acting degrees? How many years of acting experience is expected and in what settings? Should applicants have taken many acting classes before, and are some kinds better than others?
Another question I have: acting (especially for film) can be unlike other fields in that your age and the way you look matter very much in the hiring process (even if at degree level they do not). Is there a "normal" age to apply to MFA programs in acting? Is there ever anyone in MFA Acting programs not in their early 20s?
These are just curiosities from someone who has done minimal serious acting but has been too afraid for many years to pursue it seriously because I sort of missed the boat. Didn't realize it was something I was very interested in until the end of undergrad, whereas if I had gotten into it as a teenager I would have been equipped to pursue it whole-heartedly. Do feel free to rip me apart if it's insane for someone who hasn't worked extensively in the industry and doesn't have ~connections~ to even consider this – but right now, I'm just interested in hearing about how all of this works.
Hi, I responded to you in another thread but I will respond here too.
In my experience, and in the experience of the MFA grads I know, it varies. I know someone who went to Brooklyn for an MFA in Acting in his 40s and I know when I auditioned for CPH/CWRU, all of the grads they accepted were late twenties. But I also know/have friends that got into MFAs right after undergrad at 21/22. In general, I'd say anywhere in your 20s is a good time to go based on the people I've spoken to/met.
-
Hi all. I am reapplying this year. I took the 2018 cycle off. I only auditioned for one school in 2017 to get my feet wet. I am ready to really jump in this year and bring more "me" to the process like you've all mentioned. I'm glad I only auditioned for one school the first year to just see what it was like. That school was CPH/CWRU... a great school but absolutely not the right fit for me.
I finally chose my pieces. I have a question for you: how important do you feel it is to contrast in genre? Like, I have a dramatic Shakespearean, and a comedic contemp. But my backup Shakespearean is also a dramatic piece. My backup contemp is dramatic. I was super concerned with the ability to have them contrast but everyone I've spoken to (MFA grads from Yale and Rutgers) about that says if you can't find one you jive with, it's not worth learning one you won't do well and no school SPECIFICALLY asks for genre contrasting. They just ask for contrasting in general, contemp/Shakespearean verse).
-
On 11/20/2018 at 7:06 AM, Indecisive Poet said:
Bumping this topic as I'm in a similar position. Anyone have thoughts on this?
@directeur's post says experience isn't as important as "dedication, a strong theatre background, and a clear desire to pursue a professional acting career" – but what are those things if not experience? My assumption is that by "dedication to acting as a career," programs aren't asking for an essay that says "I know I want to act" but are rather looking for an extensive and impressive resume.
Hi! So I hope to be of assistance to you in this matter. I will say that in the interim between auditioning for programs I actually started producing my own work regularly/started my own fringe company (we are currently in season three). We produce about three to four shows a year, one of which is my city's Shakespeare in the Park event. I have also been involved in smaller, but well-known regional festivals and larger, internationally recognized festivals as well as limited runs with smaller companies. But I was worried these credentials don't necessarily come off as "professional" enough, ie. how do I stack against the kids who have been able to work in Equity houses already?
I spoke to someone that graduated from Yale Drama and she said that the notion of professionalism they inspire is so that the applicant understands the, for lack of a better word, seriousness of what they're getting ijnto. You don't need to show them Equity credits, but you do need to show them that you're working and you want to learn more. A mentor of mine who has an MFA from Rutgers (directing) says when he was in grad school, actors got in having only ever acted in school credits; which, admittedly, made me feel better. So I really do think it varies and your commitment/what you bring to your statement and your audition are tops.
-
1 hour ago, winkydobby129 said:
Also, anyone been accepted to Cleveland/CWRU? I reached out to them last week because I had an offer and they said they'd be making decisions soon and to hang tight but I haven't heard anything at all since then.
I know rejections went out last week because I got one!
So if you haven't heard anything, unless they're sending rejections in waves, then I'd speculate that's a good thing!
Congrats on your offer! Where were you accepted, if I can ask?
-
Got my Case rejection today. Hope you all have better luck this year than me.
2022 Applicants
in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Posted
I lurk this sub-forum fairly regularly because I, too, wanted a PhD in English Lit before going into another field. With that being said, I feel like if you have to ask strangers on the internet about what you should do, it seems clear to me as an outsider that this isn't the right choice for you. I share that with the caveat that I don't know you and you can do whatever you'd like with your life and time; and ultimately, none of us can make that decision for you. However, you seem to have a history of posting here and waffling back and forth about getting a PhD or which sort of program you should be attending, etc.. Perhaps releasing this and moving on in another direction, one you clearly state you'd be happy in, is what's best for you. But again, we're just all strangers on the internet.