tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post8497299913652788383..comments2024-02-27T16:59:54.089-05:00Comments on (The New) Theatre Ideas: Ranting on Teaching, Backstage, and the Level of DiscourseUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-7110403746721344612008-04-09T17:54:00.000-04:002008-04-09T17:54:00.000-04:00What can I say? I'm with you, Scott -- and I'm not...What can I say? I'm with you, Scott -- and I'm not talking about the McPsycho bullshit, because that sort of nonsense will never stop.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-24968278370508952152008-04-09T13:47:00.000-04:002008-04-09T13:47:00.000-04:00How about a department of McPsychos?At Rutgers the...How about a department of McPsychos?<BR/><BR/>At Rutgers the head of acting flat out lied to a class about the dismissal policy. She told the class at the beginning of their first year that no student would be ambushed in a meeting in regards to being dismissed. A student would be given clear communication if they were going to be kicked out. Then they tried to kick out a student the end of their first year without any communication that she was in trouble or on probation.<BR/><BR/>Their point of view is to have students come to Rutgers to "see if they are actors". Anytime during the three years they deem that you are not an actor, they have the power and desire to kick you out. But wasn't the student a good enough actor to be selected out of a thousand people to audition?<BR/><BR/>Note that Rutgers' audition process is seeing your monologues in New York, Chicago or California and if they ask you to visit Rutgers, there is a five minute meeting to tell you if you are accepted. (From what I hear this year they had "callback" auditions which meant performing your monologues again for a different professor. What more does that tell you about the student? This creates their dismissal rate to be very high. Each year they select fourteen students, and the last two years they have only graduated eight people per class. If they had a more detailed audition process (like Yale or Denver who invite prospective students for a weekend of classes to observe how students connect to the work) they might select less students and the dismissal rate would decrease. I think most people would rather not be selected into a program then being kicked out half way through.<BR/><BR/>Therefore the question to ask yourself in a program like this is are you willing to pay $12,000 a year with about a 50% chance of not getting your degree and being stuck with the debt.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-50584411542845704592008-04-09T12:28:00.000-04:002008-04-09T12:28:00.000-04:00Bad experiences in school ... I went to West Virgi...Bad experiences in school ... I went to West Virginia University for grad school (a warning to those of you out there) and ended up leaving the program after a year and two weeks ...<BR/><BR/>One of my favorite ridiculous moments was when the head of the acting program decided to take class time to analyze just what made acting good. He would write on the chalkboard and draw diagrams trying to figure out the specific formula ... a few weeks later, he invited all of the undergrad and grad acting students to come watch him manipulate another grad student ... he led her through a series of exercises, primarily memory and recall based, trying to explore his chalkboarded ideas on her while we all sat there and watched.<BR/><BR/>Not a whole bunch of "action". Just "talk". And, essentially, masturbation on his part.<BR/><BR/>Drove me crazy.<BR/><BR/>That's just one of many stories that made me wonder if we were all just circus poodles that the faculty was looking forward to experimenting with. I probably didn't explain it as well as I remember, but ... the whole thing gave me the heebiejeebies.<BR/><BR/>Blech. Acting grad school equals bullshit, in my personal opinion. Go for something else, future students. If you want to act, go act. Don't do it in grad school. Get thee to the real world and just start doing. You learn by doing and experience. And there are classes that can be taken if you must have a teacher's critique.<BR/><BR/>And, if you want to teach ... give it a few years, get some experience ... then go back. You'll be able to pick a better program and you'll have some life experience under your belt.<BR/><BR/>Good post, Scott.<BR/><BR/>RZRebeccaZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15464629645834665372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-89321475851737585462008-04-09T10:54:00.000-04:002008-04-09T10:54:00.000-04:00He’s back! Nice rant, Scott. Keep preaching the ...He’s back! Nice rant, Scott. Keep preaching the truth, brother.<BR/><BR/>And the “Back Stage Editorial Department” suggesting that Bush would pander to the arts is an appalling piece of journalism for the reasons you cite and more. Then again, perhaps the BS blog is just another blog without any real need or expectation for journalistic credibility. <BR/><BR/>This better reflects Bush’s real position toward the arts and the NEA.<BR/><BR/>“President Bush has proposed a $16 million cut to the arts endowment budget for the 2009 fiscal year. His budget includes $128 million — the same as his request last year — down from about $145 million allocated by Congress in 2008.”<BR/><BR/>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080401/ap_en_mo/congress_artsNick https://www.blogger.com/profile/13280949568861084843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-80872269752761870202008-04-08T22:09:00.000-04:002008-04-08T22:09:00.000-04:00cowboy and indians. go.cowboy and indians. go.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-88180241355134705072008-04-08T22:07:00.000-04:002008-04-08T22:07:00.000-04:00Thanks for the reaction, Scott. It really makes m...Thanks for the reaction, Scott. It really makes me and Sally, a good friend of mine and a brilliant stage manager) feel like at least someone out there understands the frustration and ridiculousness of what we went through. I wish I could say that was an isolated incident, but that's just the tip of the iceberg, my friend. McPsycho shouldn't be allowed to teach at all.<BR/><BR/>She directed me in a play, and spent the entire six weeks giving us one note "Think.. a passionate time bomb." This is for a play about a black kid being invited to a white church in the 60s. A passionate time bomb. What exactly is that?<BR/><BR/>She was equally ambiguous when asked to clarify: "You need to.. you need to see what I'm saying here... You need to be passionate.. like a time bomb. And when it explodes, there's... passion! See?"<BR/><BR/>...No, Prof. McPsycho, I don't see.<BR/><BR/>I did the exact same thing in rehearsal the next night, and she thought it was brilliant, a thousand-fold improvement on the night before.<BR/><BR/>I didn't call her McPsycho for kicks, obviously.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-30028930348858355102008-04-08T22:03:00.000-04:002008-04-08T22:03:00.000-04:00i, also, took a class with mcpsycho. not a mcpsyc...i, also, took a class with mcpsycho. not a mcpsycho, but the same professor. now, i'm no actor, and have no desire to act nor do i have any acting talent. i did, however, want to do well in the class, so i tried. mcpsycho assigned me a monologue from seagull. downer. so i memorized, i prepared, i got up, and i presented... the best i knew how. let me mention now that this was our first assignment. when i finish, mcpsycho tears into me with " 'sally' you have a diamond in your hand, and you take a hammer and you beat it and you beat it and you beat it, but it's still a diamond. we're talking about language, do you see?" of course i didnt see! what?!? alas, when i talked to her and it came down to it, she didnt like it because she felt i should have cried. go figure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com