Rutgers MFA Acting Program
April 13, 2008 by dennisbaker
Students who have been applying and interviewing at Rutgers have found this blog and been emailing me to ask my experience with the M.F.A. acting program. I thought about what to say as my goal was to share the facts more than give my opinion. Below is the email I sent out. My opinion is clear but I based it on the facts of what happened in the last three semesters and the mindset of the program.
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There is a lot to say about the Rutgers MFA acting program. Know that I was recently dismissed from the program, so I am speaking from that perspective. I would recommend NOT applying for 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. Students 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 they were in trouble or on probation. In fact that student asked specifically of their progress and the teacher said that one would know if they were on probation and if one was not on probation then that means things are going well.
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. That way of thinking is based on faulty logic because wasn’t that same student a good enough actor to be selected out of a thousand people that auditioned? In fact some students were good enough actors to be accepted into multiple programs. “Being good enough” is not a measurable quality.
I know when one is auditioning for graduate schools they are excited about any school that is interested in them because they are so hard to get into. Note that Rutgers’ audition process is seeing your monologues in New York, Chicago or California and then having a five minute meeting if they ask you to visit Rutgers. That has changed this year as I hear they had “callback” auditions which means performing your monologues again for a different professor. What more does that tell you about the student? If the faculty are looking to see if a student fits into their specific acting program would not a weekend of classes and workshops be a better way to measure if a student fits the program? (This is done is some programs like Yale, Denver, and Delaware who call it (forced attrition) Each year Rutgers selects fourteen students, and the last two years they have only graduated eight people per class. If they had a more detailed audition process they might select less students and the dismissal rate would decrease. I think most students would rather not be selected into a program then being kicked out half way through.
Therefore the question to ask yourself 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?
Lastly, I will end on on the idea of the reputation of the graduate acting program. The rumor online and one I unfortunately blogged about is that Rutgers is the #3 graduate program in the country. I wonder if this is a leftover idea from when William Esper was teaching and head of the program. His studio is consistently been ranked #1 in Backstage Magazine polls which is voted on by subscribers. One should take poll results lightly, but at the same time the results do say something. Also when Esper left most of the faculty left with him, the core of what makes a program great. In my opinion what was good about Rutgers happened when he was here and the current program is not the program that Esper created. Yes, Meisner is still the foundational acting philosophy, but I am talking more about the mindset of the faculty and how the school is run as a whole. I could be wrong as I was not at Rutgers during Esper’s reign, but something to think about.
The links below have to do with MFA theater education and something I wish I read before applying:
More Theater Education ideas found at: http://tribaltheatre.pbwiki.com/Education
Technorati Tags: mfa, rutgers, graduate schools, acting, dismissal policy, william esper, actors, theater, theatre, new jersey, auditions, auditioning, callbacks, Yale, Denver, Delaware, rankings
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11 Responses to “Rutgers MFA Acting Program”
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dennis
I came to this blog from collegeconfidential. I am a pro actor since WAY before you were born and find myself now coaching and mentoring young actors around here [LA] so began to educate myself more about theatre programs, which brought me to that site.
You are so right-a weekend of workshops is the only way to make a decision on MFA candidates for such an exclusive program. Even the Guthrie, where a student of mind just went to callback weekend treats it too much like the first audition and wastes the opportunity.
Whatever else you have or have not learned you are an excllent writer by the way. And please know, from one who’s been in this biz for years, nothing can stop you if you are determined to make a living in the theatre or film. What the academics think of your talent is of little importance in the real world
Thanks jb. Where do you teach in LA? I went to undergrad out there and spent four years living in Pasadena and working as an actor.
Dennis
I don’t teach, as an actor with kids-now graduated-involved in our local high school’s theatre program I’ve been called on over the years to assist, and wound up coaching and mentoring the serious ones who audition for theatre programs[our high school's dept. is subpar]. I love doing it, would like to do more, have been approached about teaching acting for an ROP class at the school next year. I prefer just to coach as I can’t turn down work in order to teach a class. Much of the time I just direct a student to a particular coach if I don’t have the time, but what I find lacking is anyone who has the right knowledge to guide them into the best programs-regular high school counselors can’t help them, so I”m more and more interestd in getting the scoop on these places. Most kids have non pro parents who cant be expected to know how to evaluate the choices. Though I have been impressed with the level of sophistication of the parents posting on college confidential.
One thing I noticed when my daughter was auditioning for schools[she wound up at Tisch] was an arrogance that they “knew” in 3 minutes if a kid was good or not. In general I found that many academics had more confidence in their judgement than the pros who make their living at it year in and year out. So many callbacks for role in a TV pilot, for instance, even with very well known actors. In a small selective program such as Rutgers I would personally want to spend a day in an acting workshop with the candidates, and see their depth once the nerves are not a factor. Such cuts as you describe point more to a failure on their part than on yours.
Dennis-
As an MFA graduate, I can say getting out early mat have made you lucky.
http://thecockandthebull.blogspot.com/2008/04/worst-agent-ever_16.html
That is disgusting what happened to you. I hope things are going better for you.
I just wanted to write this for any actor considering the above program. I thought I’d give a second opinion. I agree with Dennis on many points. To go through what he did feels like a betrayal and can knock the wind out of you. I applaud his efforts to continue his journey despite this abrupt and temporary shift in his life.
I didn’t stay at Rutgers for a year and a half, like Dennis. I made it all of three weeks. I found the teaching of the head of acting to be very abusive. However, what I found to be abusive, may be seen as a kind of kick in the ass necessary to get people to grow, to be exceptional artists, to be genuine and authentic- it’s something that many people lack because of the way our society works. The girl who received this devestating blow in my class most certainly was not any of the above. In fact, she was quite mentally ill, as she confessed to us during the first day of class which made me have even less tolerant for the sort of treatment the actors were receiving.
Be certain, this is old school training all the way. The mentality is: this profession, this life in the theatre/entertainment industry is unforgiving. You can’t be okay, you can’t be good, you have to be fucking brilliant. We will be harder on you than anything you’ve ever experienced. Your trip and fall into the profession will be less than that of those who simply don’t know how good you have to be to have a chance at success.
The head of the program is known in NY actor training circles as being out of her mind at times. She’s also known to be a brilliant stage actress and teacher. When it comes to teaching this work there aren’t many people doing it better.
Mr. Esper is not considered to be gentle, either. And if you haven’t guessed it already, Meisner himself was very abusive at times, both physically and mentally to his students- including the head of Rutgers.
Some actors that went through the MFA program thrived on it. They appreciated the challenges, but were able to shrug off the criticism and negativity. Others, like myself, were highly sensitive to it and questioned what the point of it all was.
If you have a sense of yourself, know who you are, are an honest/courageous artist and human being who can say what he/she thinks, then this might not be the sort of work you need.
If however, you have a thick skin, can deal with harsh, and at times, personal criticism, and deal with the fact that you may not even graduate, even though you’ve shelled out thousands to be there, coupled with the fact that there is no chance you’ll even have a career after you graduate, then maybe this is what you want.
But…you won’t find joy, play, or love. You will be part of “the machine”, set to have a great career in New York or LA, to take on anything fearlessly. In the end, will you enjoy what you are doing? Will you be happy? It’s for you to decide.
There are many paths up the mountain and “difficult” does not necessarily mean better or more likely to guarantee anything.
There are no guarantees. There are only directions to go in. Pick the direction that fills you with excitement.
Thanks for the comments Matt. Even though the head of acting “is considered to be a brilliant stage actress” I would contest that does not make one a good teacher. I feel the head of acting is not a good teacher and I believe Meisner does not have to be taught in an abusive manner. A Los Angeles teacher who studied and taught with Meisner disagreed with the way the manner in which Sanford Meisner taught and therefore the LA teacher teaches in a non-abusive manner. A good teacher can take the content and teach it in a manner that does not ridicule you or demean you as a person. There is a skill in teaching. There is no skill in someone who copies the abusive manner that they received when they were a student.
Maybe Esper teaches the same way I do not know. I still wonder if the department was still run better. I wonder if he was more hands on as the head of the department. The current head of the department is very detached. He was falling asleep during the final scenes one year when he was suppose to be there to review the students work. He did not attend all the shows, but yet had say in how the student was evaluated.
I don’t think the program sets you on a career path in New York or LA. The actors that work consistently from Rutgers are mostly from the BFA program. The BFA program has different teachers. The department itself does not hold the MFA students in much regard. They are proud of the BFA students and put up with the MFA students who are over the hill and not young enough to be in the market. The only thing that one gets from Rutgers graduate program is the piece of paper that says you have an MFA so one day you might be able to teach. Hopefully that graduate will be a teacher that can communicate Meisner’s style of acting in a manner that does not be little the student. But they will have to learn that somewhere else because they will not get that at Rutgers.
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[...] (with Rutgers being ranked #3) that is on the web is not from US News and World report. Go to Rutgers MFA Acting program to read first hand accounts about the program and some unethical [...]
Great blog. I am writing an article on the grad school experience for actors and have come across multiple accounts of the head of Rutgers’ verbal abuse. My conclusion thus far from the aftermath reported, is that it is not anything more than abuse. There is no up side or silver lining to it that I can glean from the interviews. It does not make actors have a thicker skin, but creates a chasm in their psyche to be overcome. Good luck to the folks who are sticking it out with lots of support. FYI, I went to a grad school in NYC and the head of Rutgers’ program applied for a teaching job there and did not get the job. My favorite teacher once said, “Your work ethic is your reputation.” And I totally believe him.