5 red flags to look out for with college theatre programs

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

Typically, right about now, many prospective theatre students begin taking a closer look at college programs as their next destination. Whether seniors who have already applied and are making final decisions or juniors who are just beginning their searches, many of these schools are considered.

From an initial glance, it may be hard to truly distinguish one college program from another, especially considering many of their curriculums are similar. So that’s why it’s incredibly important to look for warning signs that one program might not be the best place for you.

With that in mind, here are some “red flags” to be conscious of when looking at college theatre programs.

They haven’t updated their facilities in 30 or more years.

Theatre institutions shouldn’t be required to have palaces for facilities. However, they should make it their intention to house these programs in the best and up-to-date spaces possible. It’s important for students to learn in environments that are not only safe but also provide industry-standard settings to train them properly.

We don’t expect that these programs can renovate their facilities or build new ones every year, which is why we put the 30-year expectation here. It should be expected that these programs should update their facilities at the very LEAST every 20 or so years.

If a college doesn’t, it sends a terrible message about how the theatre program is valued by that institution. If they don’t value that program enough to make sure their facilities and equipment are regularly updated, that’s not the school we would want to attend.

Questions to ask: “When was the last time your facilities were updated” or “Are there any updates on the facilities and equipment we should know?”

Their show selection.

You might not notice this immediately but you can tell a lot about a college theatre program based on the material they perform. We love seeing programs that perform not only well-known chestnuts but also material that will help stretch a performer’s versatility. Students aren’t going to receive a well-rounded theatre education by only performing Rodgers & Hammerstein or Arthur Miller.

Programs that are preparing their students well are dipping deep into musical and dramatic materials. They are performing new works and making sure their show selection values the diversity among its students. We published a piece about this very subject late last year.

Questions to ask: “Exactly what plays/musicals have you produced in the past couple of years?” or “What are you planning to perform this coming year?”

Lack of performance opportunities.

If you’re touring a college theatre program and they state that their entire theatre season only consists of one or two shows per year, that’s not a great sign.

Some may disagree but we feel that college students should be presented with a slew of performance opportunities IN ADDITION TO receiving thorough training. Depending on the type of program, a strong mainstage season should consist of, at least, three productions. Additionally, there should be ample opportunities outside of that season for students to perform. Whether it’s a one-act festival, film work, theatre clubs & organizations, or even the chance to auditions for theatres outside of school, a theatre program should have these opportunities available if they want to be considered a good one.

Questions to ask: “How many shows does your school produce per year?” or “What performance opportunities are there outside of the mainstage season?”

They don’t answer your questions.

This could apply across all majors but it’s worth mentioning here. Students are going to spend a lot of time and likely a lot of money at these schools. It is vital that all of their questions are answered correctly and fully, to make sure they have the confidence that they made the right decision to attend that institution.

There is no reason why a college representative or faculty member shouldn’t be able to answer all of your questions clearly. These folks know the admissions process and curriculums like the back of their hands. It is a major warning sign if they do not answer your questions completely. We’re not suggesting that they might be hiding something, but an unwillingness or inability to answer prospective student questions is a warning sign.

They don’t know what their alums are doing.

Alumni success is a huge part of college marketing. If alums are doing well, their alma maters will mention them in every brochure or presentation they can. If a school hardly mentions their alumni or their representatives/faculty don’t know what they’re up to, that’s a red flag, especially in the performing arts.

While we don’t believe that attending a particular college automatically leads to booking gigs, strong college programs have robust alumni networks and post-graduate support established to help recent graduates navigate through the industry.

By knowing what alums are doing, shows that the school is keeping track of their success. Also, well-known programs understand that alumni success plays a huge role in their reputations, so they will always use that to hold themselves accountable.

Questions to ask: “Who are some of your well-known alumni?” or “Can you tell me what some of the recent alumni are up to?”

The college search process can be complex and scary and sometimes it’s hard to distinguish one program from another. Our hope is that this list will help serve as a beginning tool to help decide which programs are right for you.