Playwriting MFAs

[teethwax]

I haven't heard from NYU either, but I didn't feel that great about my app when I turned it in, so I'm not super torn up about it.  Congratulations to everybody with good news!

 

And thanks for your empathy, hotspur -- that helps.  Were you able to see Kelly and Chuck during the interview? I was just looking at a still photo of Kelly, which made things feel more awkward.  I don't know if it was a Skype problem or if that's just how they do it, but my cat was on my lap and I kept thinking that the video would start working mid-interview and all they were going to see of me was cat butt.  Just cat butt.

[failsafe]

yeah, NYU's deadline was so early I didn't have the "final" draft ready yet but I still felt it was pretty strong...(PS what is with a super-early deadline and then super-late notification?) you just had your yale interview, right, teethwax?  how was that?

[teethwax]

I got back yesterday super late -- they flew me out on the 10th, and I interviewed with Jeanie O'Hare on the 11th and Sarah Ruhl on the 12th.  It was pretty incredible -- I was really nervous, but they were lovely and easy to talk to, and so were the nine current students who showed us around.  We weren't booked with things around the clock; we had interviews, and a tour of some of the buildings, and then drinks/dinner with the playwrights both evenings.  Otherwise, we were mostly left to our own devices.

 

Some demographic things:

- there were nine finalists, but I didn't meet everyone -- New York finalists had their interviews in the city instead of on campus.

- I was one of the older finalists, if not the oldest, and I'm 26; there were two undergrads, I think.  The current playwrights were in their twenties and thirties.

- I met one Canadian finalist, but I think everyone else was American.  One of the current playwrights spoke English as a second language (very well).

- one other candidate and I came from Chicago, someone came from Montana, someone came from Atlanta, someone came from western Massachusetts, etc.

- we were pretty evenly divided between women and men, I think.  

 

Some things I was nervous about:

- nobody was snobby or standoffish.  

- I wore a sweater/button-down/nice pants combo for my interviews, but I know at least one of the other playwrights wore jeans.

- nobody quizzed me on my knowledge of plays or how many I had read (they really just care about what you wrote).

- people had very different levels of experience (nearly all my friends are working theatre artists and I often feel inexperienced in comparison, but Yale doesn't seem to have any expectations about that).

- people had different numbers of productions -- some people hadn't had any, I think.

 

It sounds like Jeanie O'Hare is interested in giving the playwrights some more structure and finished products, while Paula Vogel's approach was often about generating pages and ideas, and then having a lot of starter material to draw from when you graduate.  I prefer more structure, so I was glad to hear about some of the changes; I also saw Jeanie being very responsive to feedback from the current playwrights about their workload and goals.  She seems awesome and I had a great time speaking with her.  Sarah Ruhl told me that she would like the program to feel a lot like a residency, where there's a lot of time to write and reflect and figure things out.  There is ample opportunity for the playwrights to go to New York, and Lynn Nottage's class is held in the city.

 

Overall, I felt like the program was a great fit for me, and I told them it was my first choice.  I don't really know how I stack up against the other playwrights, so I don't know what my chances are, but here's hoping!

[failsafe]

wow, that sounds amazing!  thanks for all the detail.  i can at least feel slightly better (is that really the right word?) that i wouldn't have gotten the fairyland-sounding campus experience anyway, even if i'd been a finalist...

 

for those of you who like me are waiting on brooklyn college, i e-mailed the program administrator who responded, "Our admissions process is currently ongoing. Some but not all of our admitted/waitlisted students have been notified."  ... (i feel like this means they do not interview)

Edited March 13, 2013 by failsafe

[EccentricDreamer]

I haven't, Lucy.  Or from Brooklyn College...seriously has anyone else heard from either place?  I can at least share that my friend who got her MFA at Tisch told me that they often accept without interviewing.

failsafe, when you interviewed at Juilliard, about when did they contact you? In April? Or was it earlier?

[failsafe]

failsafe, when you interviewed at Juilliard, about when did they contact you? In April? Or was it earlier?

 

i got called on march 17--i only remember the specific date because it happened on the same day as my first date with my fiance. (it was a pretty good day!)  but they do it on a rolling basis, and i believe over the phone for out-of-city semifinalists.  i think i was in the third or fourth "batch" of interviews (based on where your play is in their reading queue) and there was going to be one more batch after me. (with I think 3-4 plays chosen from each batch of 50 or something like that).  four friends of mine applied this year and i don't think any of them have heard anything yet, either.

Edited March 13, 2013 by failsafe

[EccentricDreamer]

@failsafe -- Thanks for all the information! This puts everything into perspective about Juilliard. Counting the days now!

 

@teethwax ~ Thank you, too!! How wonderful for you! You're in, just know that and visualize it. Get your bags packed!!

 

And a note for everyone ~ you guys so rock. Thank you for all your stories and the awesome sharing!

[tjack]

Ah, teethwax, sounds amazing! Good luck (sounds like you nailed it), and congrats to everyone who's heard good news this week!

 

And agreed, EccentricDreamer -- this forum keeps my head on straight.

 

Anyone heard anything from Indiana? Also someone please tell me I'm crazy to be desperate to hear from Iowa this early. These "I" schools are driving me mad with their silence.

[teethwax]

Thanks, EccentricDreamer and tjack! I have a very New Englandy hangup where my brain insists that thinking positively about things means they won't ever happen, so I'm trying not to believe I'm in, but I really want to go, and I think I did as well as I could.  And that's comforting.  

 

tjack, I think you're probably crazy to be worried about Iowa, if that helps.  I checked the results page from previous years (I applied there too) and it does look like they take ages to get back to people.  Don't have any info on Indiana, though -- have you gotten in touch with anybody? I could give them a call and ask, haha -- I could use some good karma.

Edited March 14, 2013 by teethwax

[failsafe]

i concur, this forum is such a huge help managing insanity levels!  and teethwax, i guess i forgot to add before i also really hope you get it!!  it does sound like a great fit for you.

 

eccentricdreamer--one more thing i just thought of re: juilliard is that tanya barfield has her new play opening at playwrights horizons like, right now, so i could definitely understand if that stalled things a little bit this year as it's only her and one other person reading all the plays at this stage.  (i think that the one other person is perhaps a few other people splitting the plays but she reads them ALL.)

[puttputt]

tjack, i don't know if i posted this before, but i emailed their office and was told applicants would be notified by april 15th although they can take longer. i think i've heard they've gone late April before notifying. i don't imagine they'll reach out until at least late march, early april if then.

[k-hotspur]

teethwax-- totally jealous of your yale experience. sounds amazing. i met with both kelly and chuck in person. it felt as awkward as the possibility of a cat butt on a skype screen...

 

failsafe-- i also had that thought about tanya's play/juilliard. when i interviewed last year, i got the call on 2/14 interviewed soon thereafter and was notified that i was a finalist in mid march (and was told i was in the "first batch of finalists"), but then didn't get the final no until the end of june... i feel like if i can survive that, i can survive anything this business throws my way.

[longwalktonever]

Hey all! I just got back from my in-person Columbia interview-- my experience seems to be the same as the rest of yours (interviewed with Chuck and Kelly, they said they really liked my play, and then opened it up for questions to them). I had several questions prepared, so we had a pretty good dialogue, but it was still pretty surprising that they don't have any questions for the applicants. They were both incredibly nice and interesting, so here's hoping they consider me!

 

They said they'd make final decisions within two weeks-- good luck to all!

[teethwax]

Thanks, failsafe -- I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I hope you get good news this year, too.

 

k-hotspur, if it makes you feel better, I've had an insane chest cold for a couple of weeks now and spent all of my free time at Yale in bed, drinking water and freebasing cough drops.  So it was awesome, but also very boogery.

 

At this point, I kind of feel like cat butts should be a unit of awkwardness.  "Oh god, I sneezed in my date's mouth! It was at LEAST two butts."

[Buckminster]

Hi All, Been a lurker here for a bit, but this is a first post. I got an email a few weeks ago saying I was a Juilliard semi-finalist, but that they were still reading plays. Then got a call last week from Tanya to set up an interview. It's on Monday and I'm deeply anxious/excited. The next day I found out I'm a finalist for the oneill (top 50 out of 1000, according to the letter). So it's been an awesome week but now i just want to fast forward till all can be revealed. Also for those waiting on BAPF - I heard finalist emails will go out next week.

[Reds]

Hey guys, still nothing from Texas or Indiana.

 

Feel better teethwax! 

 

longwalktonever: sounds like an awesome trip! Congrats on the interview, usually that's a good sign!

 

Buckminster: Welcome and congrats on Juilliard! What's the oneill? A scholarship? Sounds awesome! Congrats on that too!

[Buckminster]

Also - meant to ask: I think someone on hear said they'd had a juilliard interview last year.

What was that like? What kind of questions did she ask?

Thanks much!

[teethwax]

Well, I got rejected from Yale late last night, after a long shitty day at work. Hope you guys are having better luck than me.

[failsafe]

aww, teethwax!  that totally sucks!  i'm sorry.

 

i just found out via buckminster that i am not a finalist for the o'neill, so there's that. (same play that was a semi-finalist for juilliard...does that mean there is something innately semi-finalisty about it?)

 

buckminster--the juilliard interview (i had one two years ago) is a lot like it sounds like the columbia interview is, only much less awkward.  tanya told me right off the bat that it was mostly informational, for the playwrights to find out more about the program and to ask questions.  so i would recommend having some thoughtful questions prepared (and then perhaps act like you didn't have any prepared but you DO actually have several, come to think of it?)  good luck!!

[Buckminster]

Thanks Failsafe - that's good to hear. I'd prepared lots to say about myself and my work, but hand't planned a lot of questions.

[k-hotspur]

Sorry to hear that teethwax! 

 

Buckminster-- Tanya's very very nice, which is a huge plus.  I would definitely recommend having questions, but it really is just an informal chat. 

 

I heard on Thursday that I've been accepted at UCLA. Still waiting on Columbia, Brooklyn and Juilliard. 

 

It's so hard not to take all of this personally, isn't it? The good and the bad. Hope everyone's making sure to do things that make them happy while they ride it out. 

[remains]

Congrats to everyone for their acceptances so far. And sorry to hear about any rejections.

 

I'm in that awkward spot of being accepted to Carnegie Mellon (love the program) and waiting to hear back from NYU. Part of me just wants to move forward with CMU and get on with the planning of things. They offered me a great scholarship and I love Pittsburgh. But I do want to know about NYU's decision…. Does anyone know about NYU's funding? 

 

Also, does anyone have suggestions for general scholarship/funding opportunities that MFA students can apply for?  

 

I hope everything goes beautifully for you ALL!!

Edited March 17, 2013 by remains

[Buckminster]

Congrats on Carnegie Mellon, remains. Rob is great - I'm sure you'll have a wonderful experience there.

[CB812]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking a little while now. I have a question that might not be entirely on-topic for this forum. (If there's a better forum to post this in, I'd appreciate knowing about it!)

 

Anyway, what I'm wondering is if there are any current Playwriting MFA students on this board who can talk about the life of a Playwriting MFA student. I am in the very early stages of deciding whether or not I'd want to pursue an MFA, and would appreciate any insights as to what grad school is like -- like, the day to day lifestyle -- to help me figure out if it's for me.

 

My situation might be a little different from most: I'm in my late thirties, and married with two children. We live in Los Angeles now, but will be relocating to the NYC area next year. I've been writing for television for about 15 years now, but theater has always been my first love. As I contemplate this fairly sharp left turn in my professional life, I'm curious if an educational environment would provide some much needed structure. Plus, I'm at a point in my life where I miss learning, and taking classes. Maybe it's a mid-life crisis, but I figure, as mid-life crises go, it's safer than a motorcycle.

 

SInce I'll be in New York, the schools I'd apply to would probably include Columbia, NYU, Julliard, New School, and Yale.

 

Here's my primary concern: will three years spent getting an MFA mean three years away from a writing career with some momentum, or is it a viable way to develop real material that can have a life down the road, beyond the campus walls?

 

Also, I'm curious how much time is spent in class and how much free time there is in the average week. Do you get summers off? (I realize these might be silly questions. Like I said, I truly am coming at this blind!)

 

I'm sure I have a million other questions, but this seems like a good place to stop. I really appreciate any thoughts you guys might have. Thanks a lot!

[plumsandpears]

k-hotspur-- I got accepted at UCLA, too. What were your thoughts? I was really intrigued by the new collaborative first year framework, but the funding doesn't seem awesome...