As graduation season is upon us, I would like to take the time to say congratulations! Congrats to everyone who graduates or have already graduated this year! Especially those who pursued a career in the arts. That is no easy task! Coincidentally I too have graduated this year as well (Congrats to the 134th class of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts!), and above all, I would like to say one thing.

Please stop telling the conservatory students they didn’t go to college. I’m getting really sick and tired of being told I didn’t go to a real college, and I bet some people who are reading this are too. 

As a musical theatre student in a competitive performing arts program, I have witnessed the dynamics between the different majors. Particularly, I have seen how the theatre and musical theatre students navigate the program, and how it can often be different from each other. These students will often stick together by major, even to the point of joining different student theatre clubs where students could usually mingle and exchange experiences. Therefore, this makes the circles rather closed off to each other.

Money may not be the solution to everything, but when it comes to the funding of the arts, it sure helps. As a student at Braintree High School, a public high school just south of Boston, where the arts are the least of the school's priorities. Of course, funding put towards academic classes and research materials should take first rank in the funding hierarchy, but when it comes to extracurriculars, the school quickly favors anything but the arts. It seems no matter how the sports programs may not excel, countless amounts of money are pumped into new facilities and trainers to try to bolster the appeal of a hometown hero who scores the touchdown in a 35-7 loss.

Every year, OnStage Blog deep dives into college theatre programs to find what we feel are some of the best in the nation. While the perfect programs is the one that fits best with the student, schools can become that fit with fantastic facilities, strong faculty, multiple performance opportunities, among other things. In truth, there are some schools that do that better than others and should be recognized for it.

At the end of the summer, we will be publishing our top 25 theatre program rankings. But as we start to close the books on this academic year, we felt it’s time to name some programs that did exceptional work this year. So here is our 2019 list of the best theatre programs in each state.

There is news today coming out of Hyattsville, MD where the local middle school decided to cancel its upcoming production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee just weeks before it was set to open.

According to a letter sent from the school to parents, it provided no details into why the production was cancelled. It stated,

“Unfortunately we have decided to cancel the Spring Musical dates of May 2nd, 3rd and 4th,” the letter said, adding that a parent meeting would be held Tuesday to answer “any of your questions, comments or concerns.”

Without any details, rumors and speculation started to swirl among the students and parents. One rumor, which is making waves now, is that the show was cut because one character has gay parents.

The dress rehearsals of shows at Waynesboro Senior High School looks like they’ll have quite the critic going forward, the schools’ superintendent. A recent school board decision made it possible for the Superintendent to approve or deny performances going forward based on whether he determines it appropriate.

There are many reasons why theatre has been around for thousands of years, and is still growing. Many people describe the theatre as something magical, and a truly extraordinary experience. Unfortunately nowadays, many drama courses don’t involve theatre trips, with students watching performances online instead. Many feel that this takes away the experience - there’s nothing quite like enjoying a heart-warming musical, or seeing a timeless classic at the theatre.

While many were shocked by this college admissions scandal, as someone who’s worked in college admissions for the past decade, I wasn’t shocked at all. Truth be told, this has been happening for years in the industry and if you think BFA theatre/music/dance programs are in the clear, you’d be wrong.

Hopefully by the end of April, the right school will be revealed to you and your student.  It may or may not be one of their top choices. That’s okay, because (as we all know), your student will get out of this experience what they put into it.