Back to School for 2016!!!
College auditions are just around the corner and all is a bit shaky with the seniors. Today’s topic was the concept of “cut programs” vs. “ensemble programs”. When I was the age of these students and setting off for a BFA program – all of the leading schools were known as “cut schools.” In essence they would take on roughly 50 students as freshman and then cut the class to 30 as sophomores and then cut to 15 as juniors and ideally graduate around 10 students. Some of the advantages to the cut system are:
- It is hard to use that five minute audition solely as the judge as to who is best for the program. You might actually not invite a very capable actor who simply didn’t show well that day. AND, just as likely, you might choose to invite a student to join your program who shows well in those five minutes but simply lacks the passion and willingness to study. Either way, big mistakes for both the student and the department may occur.
- A “cut program” does remove the onus on the one or two adjudicators attending the auditions. They certainly do not want to make choices that the entire department would have to “live with for the next four years.” An audition for a “cut school” is much easier for the adjudicators. They can choose a large group and whittle down the talent laters in the student’s matriculation.
- Many freshman are really rather unaware of their talent/interest in studying acting so they all may need that first year to test the waters. But, after that first year, the future should seem much more clear. Either the struggling student will volunteerly leave the program or, upon consulting the entire department that works with the student, they may decide not to offer a placement in the next year’s class.
- This may sound very arbitrary and cruel, but the business of theatre is so ULTRA demanding and ULTRA competitive that only the students able to win the confidence of all of their teachers should risk the very expensive pursuit of more schooling in their BFA program.
One very specific drawback of “cut schools” is that it creates a sever competitive element through all three years of the training. Actors are afraid to take any risks and make any “mistakes” as that might mean an early bus ride home – – not the best kind of environment for an artist. What is the modern solution taken on by most BFA programs today? – – the “ensemble class” for “family.”
More on that tomorrow.