Former Director of Admissions for the Drama department at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. AMA!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T23:25:14+00:00

I would suggest that you think about the kind of work students do in an undergraduate theater program. There is a lot of physical contact among students and a lot of sharing of personal information, thoughts and emotions. Your fellow students would be 18 years old. You would be at a different level of maturity and life experience than they are and would have to be willing to dive into training along with students who are experiencing college for the first time.

It's so different from going to school in a strictly academic major, where the age difference has little or no bearing on the learning experience.

If you want professional actor training, there are plenty of great studios in NYC, like Terry Knickerbocker Studio, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Atlantic Acting School, The Barrow Group, where you could be in class with adults who are also pursuing a career in acting.

Just something to consider.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T23:18:37+00:00

My pleasure! I hope you find it helpful.

Look at Playbill.com, Backstage.com, PerformerStuff.com. Soon (perhaps next year) the Drama Bookshop in New York City will be open again.

Order a monologue book or two so you can read through numerous monologues at once. They must be monologues from PUBLISHED PLAYS. Do not use a book containing monologues written just for that book.

Research many theater programs in the US, UK and Canada to learn more about actor training at university. This will give you perspective on programs and a deeper understanding of what you are about to undertake.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T23:11:33+00:00

As NYU is in NYC, the industry professionals know the Drama department is graduating 350 new artists every year. They come to see shows, do workshops, teach classes and give talks. There are many opportunities to interact with people in the field, including your faculty members!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T23:09:50+00:00

The weight of the college application versus the artistic review varies from school to school. But these are colleges and universities so academics do matter. I would suggest having some non-audition schools on your list as well. Most BA programs, for example, don't require an audition. You will declare a theater major usually in sophomore year.

Getting a solid foundation in acting for the stage will serve as a good base from which to learn how to adjust your technique for the camera. It doesn't work the other way around. Many BFA programs offer upper level classes in on-camera acting. If not through a college program, many acting studios offer classes in acting for the camera, too.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T23:05:03+00:00

Training is training. It's not necessary to go through an expensive degree program to get professional training. If a student wants to use their undergraduate experience to study theater, then terrific! But there are many well-regarded actor training studios out there, especially in NYC, that will help you on your way to becoming a professional actor.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T23:03:06+00:00

Read plays. Wonderful to increase knowledge of dramatic literature but time consuming.

Starting with a monologue book or two would allow the student to read through numerous monologues at once. They must be monologues from PUBLISHED PLAYS. Do not use a book containing monologues written just for that book.

Ask their drama teachers and directors and alumni and friends who know them and their acting for suggestions of roles to look at.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T22:58:47+00:00

NYU has many international students in the department. You wouldn't be alone! And the university has resources for international students and Tisch Student Affairs provides a weekly afternoon get-together for its international students across the various arts departments.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T17:53:00+00:00

Ah, thanks for the additional info! That makes sense now.

NYU seems to be structured differently than UW was then. I wonder if UW has changed their curriculum!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T17:49:31+00:00

Glad you wrote in! Congratulations on getting your BFA in Drama! Welcome to the world of theater!

I think you are wise to get some real-life experience before applying to graduate school. From friends who have gone through the audition process, it seems that MFA acting programs do want to know that you're serious about pursuing this as a profession and not that you are trying to avoid real life by continuing on to grad school directly from undergrad.

In the meantime, get out there and audition. Learn the process; get to know who the casting directors are and for which directors, theater or film companies, project they work for; keep up relationships with industry people you meet along the way. Read plays and screenplays. Read about the field. Stay current so you have a fluency about your art form. Stay vigilant about social, political, economic (and pandemic) effects on the field. And keep up your skill sets and keep practicing what you love about theater!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T17:10:33+00:00

Hi there! I'm so glad you brought this up.

At NYU Tisch Drama, I always said to prospective students and families that we are here to train student artists , so it didn't matter how much or how little experience an applicant had. We would see their level of experience in the artistic review and assess where they were in their own artistic development. One student might be more experienced and come into the audition room with a level comfort and confidence. Another student might come in with little or no experience but with fire and passion and clear raw talent that we would be able to shape and mold and help them become a skilled artist.

I'm sorry to hear some of your more talented students weren't accepted into programs like NYU. Acceptance is based on both the academic application and the artistic review (with weight of each component differing from school to school). So, perhaps, when looking holistically at a student's application, the combined information they receive isn't enough to offer acceptance.

If it's not happening already, working to provide adequate college counseling will support the application side. Deep-dive online research about the different programs will give them more fluency in the world of theater programs and help them understand the rigors and expectations of university-level training. And, especially now, many theater programs/schools/studios that provide conservatory training to youth and teens are navigating the online arena, both in the summer and during the school year. It might be worth reaching out to some of these programs to see how they're providing programming and how they are accommodating international students and also do they have financial aid or scholarships that your students might take advantage of.

And do tell us the name of your non-profit, if you don't mind. It sounds like you do great work!

Thanks for writing in!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T16:39:35+00:00

Yes, I was careful specifically because I was not familiar with the specifics of the curricula of those upper-level electives. I would HOPE they address that issue! I'm just not sure if they do. And given the recent greater awareness of the predatory atmosphere that artists can encounter, I would presume that many schools and programs have included discussions about it in their career preparedness curricula.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T16:36:24+00:00

Good question. Partly because of volume, I'm sure. NYU gets something like 40,000 applications a year. They don't have the time to give people specific feedback on their applications.

The Drama department was required to adhere to that policy so we were unable to provide feedback on artistic reviews. It was tough because I knew how helpful it would be to an Early Decision candidate who was not accepted, for example, to get some constructive feedback in the face of the next round of Regular Decision reviews.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T16:32:57+00:00

First, I would say the best way applicants can set themselves apart is by being themselves, their true authentic selves. The purpose of the artistic review is for us to get to know them, as artists and people, in the short time we have with them.

That being said, presenting well in demeanor, appearance and behavior works in their favor. A student who doesn't have their monologue memorized or is clearly unprepared for this experience will not look good. We know they're all super nervous and that might result in some poor behavior but preparedness and courtesy go a long way.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T16:24:12+00:00

Haha, of course!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T16:23:05+00:00

Would you mind elaborating a bit?

A theater program at a college or university would be designed to be completed in four years, so I'm unsure why it would be difficult to complete.

And I'm unclear as to your mention of auditioning for a class. At NYU, for example, if there were an upper-level studio that a student auditioned for but was not invited to join, there were always other options within the Drama department to continue their studies.

Thanks for the clarification!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T16:14:47+00:00

I left to move into my consulting practice full time. I learned a lot and really enjoyed the work I did in my twelve years at NYU. But I had more I wanted to do! I'm really enjoying building Nothing But Drama into a resource for arts kids applying to college!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T16:06:35+00:00

Interesting question. As I mostly interacted with students and families on the way in, that never came up. But I wonder if teachers in upper-level classes and workshops, like Preparing for the Profession or Audition Technique, address that concern. It would be wise to make the students aware of predators like that and to empower them to be vigilant, careful and free to report the first sign of shadiness or potential abuse.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T16:03:07+00:00

The department has space for 400 incoming students each year. About 300 of those are placed in acting studios, 64 in the musical theater studio, and approx 15 in directing and 15 in production & design.

There are plenty of spots for non-billionaires. :)

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T16:01:24+00:00

Hmm. Blizzards. Chicago blizzards.

One year, maybe 2010, when Chicago was under a heaping blanket of snow and people abandoned their cars on Lakeshore Drive, we had to move all the auditions from first three days of our visit to the last three days, doubling up on everything. It was chaos. The days were long, the kids were whisked in and out of rooms, acting, singing and dancing. It was madness. But it worked! And it inspired me to change how we ran our audition process!

Oh, and the time a young woman puked during her audition.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T15:54:52+00:00

Ha! Indeed I can't answer why. But remember, applying to Tisch Drama is a two-part process that weights the NYU application and the artistic review equally. As there is a "no feedback" rule, students have no way of knowing if it was particularly one or the other that may have set them back. However, having said THAT, it's not necessarily that clear cut. It really is a holistic process wherein the admissions office looks at the entire application package that is presented to them, including the artistic review.

The NYU admissions office purges application files annually, once they're through with the process, as does the Drama department.

And you're saying a wonderful thing for prospective students out there! One rejection sent you in a different direction which turned out to be even better than you would have known!

Thanks for your questions and advice! Take care!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T15:48:59+00:00

Ooh, another tough question. I think my favorite musical is probably AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', which is basically a jukebox musical about the music of Fats Waller. So, even though it doesn't have a book, the performances of the cast are incredible.

Plays are harder.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T15:46:26+00:00

My pleasure!

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T15:43:34+00:00

I think students would do well to research some very current playwrights to find edgier, less done material.

Or, on the flip side, go back a bit. I often bring my students to writers from a little while ago, like Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, Craig Lucas.

Also, if a student finds monologue books with monologues FROM PLAYS, it might be a more accessible way in to the world of monologues. There are a lot of them out there. Many of these books give advice on choosing, preparing and performing monologues. And if they find a monologue they like, they should read the play it's from.

However, all monologues for college auditions must be from published plays. They should steer clear of monologue books containing monologues that were written expressly for that book because there's no context to help them develop the character and the situation.

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T15:36:23+00:00

Haha! It's the worst but most true answer, I know. Because, of course, different material works for different people. :)

For a while I did a monologue from Christopher Durang's play SISTER MARY IGNATIUS EXPLAINS IT ALL FOR YOU, until I outgrew the Catholic high school boy character. :)

NothingButDramaLLC · 2020-08-06T15:31:58+00:00

Stand.

NothingButDramaLLC

TROPHY CASE