The other option increasingly used by BFA programs is to choose classes as “families” or ensembles. In this model, a BFA program would find a group of 15-20 freshman that would represent a variety of ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and gender. They work to get the most DIVERSE, talented class possible. This group of students are chosen VERY CAREFULLY in that they do not plan to whittle this class down. They are quite eager to graduate each and everyone of them in the four years of a BFA program. The upside of this choice is clear – the class does NOT become a bitter, evil competition every single day. Students are free to risk and fail gloriously. How can a very young artist feel free to explore, take risks, or be spontaneous if they feel they are being judged by a cut program with every breath they take? Cut programs do not provide the most creative energy in the classroom.
The downside of this “family/ensemble” creation is that it does put a great deal of onus on the adjudicators. They are making choices that a school is going to (hopefully) support all of the way through the four years. If they choose wrong, it can become a very toxic, dysfunctional group. For the student applicants to this family/ensemble program the downside is clear; these schools are choosing only 15-25 students out of a potential field of 1,000s of applicants. It is very hard to get into these ensemble programs. In some schools the choose is made even more challenging in that they are ideally looking for a set number of males and females and a desire to be as diverse as possible. These schools MAY be cautious about saying yes to a overabundance of girls, for example; they would perhaps want a balance of both genders in their class. It is understandable that they would want the composition of their class to allow them to do the widest variety of scenes. That CAN mean that they are saying “no” to some top shelf actors. Of course, many great BFA programs simply take a group of the best actors that they see REGARDLESS of gender and any other factors.
January is a tough month. The next four years are being debated across tables, behind closed doors all across the country. I tell my seniors as I push them on planes, “Remember don’t worry which school you want to go to. The school is going to choose you. All you need to do is relax, treat the audition as a wonderful yet brief performance – and come home ready to work. The learning you are meant to do in high school is far from over. AND – Relax – damn it!