Author Topic: Millikin?  (Read 9169 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

nrs2014

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 14
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: ANNIE
  • Experience: High School
Millikin?
« on: Mar 16, 2013, 10:24 pm »
Hi everyone!

I'm trying to make the decision of which college I want to go to and I am interested in Millikin University in Illinois. Does anyone know anything about their program?
« Last Edit: Sep 23, 2015, 02:58 pm by nrs2014 »

PSMKay

  • Site Founder
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1357
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • http://www.smnetwork.org
  • Affiliations: None.
  • Current Gig: SMNetwork *is* my production.
  • Experience: Former SM
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #1 on: Mar 16, 2013, 11:26 pm »
I worked with several interns from Millikin about a decade ago. At the time I was not impressed. One was a total slacker without social skills. Another I had to remove from her deck track after she showed up to work completely baked multiple times. The third showed some potential but was in a car wreck that left her comatose after the first 3 weeks of rehearsal. In fact, it was my boss's tendency to toss me inept Millikin interns as ASMs that led me to stop using assistants altogether.

Given the level of theatre I was working in (higher level community theatre), it seems to me like Millikin was struggling at the time to place their interns at theatre companies with effective prestige and name recognition. Given that I still remember them all after 10 years, I'm pretty sure that the problem was systemic at the time.

They may have improved the caliber of their quality assurance in the past 10 years. It's very possible. I would ask for a list of companies where they've placed interns lately and follow up with those companies for a 2nd opinion.

nrs2014

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 14
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: ANNIE
  • Experience: High School
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #2 on: Mar 17, 2013, 12:37 am »
Thanks for the reply Kay! It's great to know these things.

Post Merge: Mar 17, 2013, 02:46 pm
Does anyone know anything about Iowa's program? I would start with a BA in theatre arts with a focus in stage management and then possibly get an MFA in stage management.
« Last Edit: Mar 17, 2013, 02:46 pm by nrs2014 »

BARussell

  • SM Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 193
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: Assistant to the Producers at Goodspeed Musicals
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #3 on: Mar 18, 2013, 10:10 am »
Does anyone know anything about Iowa's program? I would start with a BA in theatre arts with a focus in stage management and then possibly get an MFA in stage management.

Can I ask why you feel that you need both? I have not seen many people benefit from both an undergrad and grad degree in Stage Management (mainly because it is the same curriculum), anyone else has a different opinion? All I see is more debt, and you working for free as a stage manager and paying to learn things you could learn on the job, and being behind all your peers who were gaining professional credits, and contacts, and establishing themselves in the field.
"We don't negotiate with weirdos!"

SMAshlee

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 88
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Current Gig: Porchlight Music Theatre
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #4 on: Mar 18, 2013, 11:14 am »
I personally have an MFA in stage management.  While it's not necessary, if you want to teach at the university level later on, it's a must.  My undergrad had one sm class in my 4 years there so my graduate curriculum was more in depth, focusing on union contracts and communication courses (conflict management was an eye-opener). I will say that the contacts I made were great and my internship was priceless. 

It all really depends on what you want to do later.

PSMKay

  • Site Founder
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1357
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • http://www.smnetwork.org
  • Affiliations: None.
  • Current Gig: SMNetwork *is* my production.
  • Experience: Former SM
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #5 on: Mar 18, 2013, 01:57 pm »
Let's stay focused on the questions at hand. If the OP wants to think about grad schools while still in high school one cannot fault hir for lack of prior planning. If anyone know about Iowa's grad program do help us out here. We can revisit in 4 years when the info is actually pertinent for the OP.

We have discussed the necessity/waste of masters degrees quite a bit in other threads, and can continue discussing over there if need be.

BARussell

  • SM Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 193
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: Assistant to the Producers at Goodspeed Musicals
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #6 on: Mar 18, 2013, 09:02 pm »
I know nothing about Iowa's program. But I think  (albeit in a bad way) I was trying to help the OP consider some options that they have for going to school. It's impossible to know exactly how you will feel later on but I think how you feel about grad school now does influence your undergrad. (i.e. you wouldn't major in sculpture if you wanted to go to medical school later on. You could but why would you.) So since they did ask for input, I thought I would help. I totally understand why people do get an MFA (that's not the argument I am trying to have) , and even considered one for a while myself. I guess a better way of putting it is "what makes you prefer the Iowa BA/MFA program when you could go to Millikin and just get the BFA?" If the answer is like SMAshlee said to teach I totally get it, if it's something else I think that is something we all can discuss and consider. no?
"We don't negotiate with weirdos!"

jcarey

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 48
  • Gender: Male
  • Stage Manager and Lifetime Student
    • View Profile
    • James D Carey on LinkedIn
  • Affiliations: UNCSA, USITT
  • Current Gig: BFA Stage Management, UNCSA
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #7 on: Mar 19, 2013, 11:42 am »
I always give a strong recommendation for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where I am currently in the BFA Stage Management program. However, I have heard good things about Iowa, my high school theatre teacher went there. Never heard of Millikin, though.

I think the most important thing about a college education in our industry is what connections it can get you at the end. Yes, the content of the curriculum and what hard skills you learn is the most present, but I think for getting into the industry the connections are very important.
"A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

- Douglas Adams

MatthewShiner

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 2478
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Freelance Stage Manager; Faculty for UMKC
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #8 on: Mar 19, 2013, 02:04 pm »
I agree with connections being a choice to consider for you education, but you are looking at choosing an undergrad education, and at your age, I think there are other consideration to think about.  But, take my advice with a grain of salt – talk to as many people as you can handle getting advice from. 

Here are my thoughts.


1)   Pick a school where you can get a well-rounded undergrad education, where you feel you are going to be challenged personally as well as academically.   Some of the best lessons you will learn in college have very little to do with what happens in the classroom.  You are going to end up learning a lot about yourself.  You career goals may change, you may change – so don’t pick a school entirely based upon what career choice you think you want at 16, 17 or 18.  That may change drastically.  I think if you are interested in becoming a stage manager, then by all means, pick a school with a theater department – but it should have other programs you may find yourself interested in.

2)   Pick a school where you can get personal attention, and not be just a number.  You are the consumer when choosing a school.  Make a list of what you want, and see how that school can deliver.  It shouldn’t be too small that it doesn’t have the resources you need, but shouldn’t be too big that you are just another number.  Don’t compromise on what maybe the second biggest purchase in your life.  Don’t hurry.  Do you research.

3)   All things being equal, don’t pick an undergrad school with too many grad departments that could take opportunities away from undergrads.  Or, make sure they allow undergrads to have equal opportunities.

4)   All things being equal, pick an undergrad school that is close to where you think you want to work or live.  You will NEVER be able to live as cheap as you will as a student – so why not start making working connections.  If you can go to school in Virginia versus going to school in Chicago . . . one of these are going to offer you more opportunities to make personal connections with working professionals that you can parlay into success.   Yes, professors may be able to introduce you to someone, but what about the chance to actually work and show off your talents in person?  Plus, you may find opportunities in between school assignments to dip you toes into the theater world.  You will see theater in the town, and begin to network form day one in that city.

5)   Pick a school that you can afford without going too far in debt.  The number one piece of advice I can give you for a success in theater is to live a debt free life.  You don’t want have to be a slave to student loan debt.

6)   Pick a school you feel comfortable in.  You will be there for a bit.

7)   Don’t be afraid to change majors, change career choices, change schools.  As you grow older, learn about yourself, you may develop new interests, new goals, new life needs.   I talk a lot about having a u-turn plan in place.  What happens if two years down the line, four years down the line, ten years down the line you figure out this career choice is not for you. In this day and age it’s not uncommon for people to have multiple careers in their lifetime.  Make sure you have the skill set that will allow you to live the life you want.  Stage management is a very hard career, a difficult job and a complicated lifestyle – talk to my husband about some of the challenges, as he sees me packing up for 6+ months away from home.

8)   Be open to the change that comes to you.  That sort of flexibility is important as a stage manager, but more important in life.

9)   Remember, even if you continue in this course as a stage manager, you can succeed in that regardless of your major, your undergrad school choice, or if you go to grad school or not.   (I can make the argument that having an MFA hurt my career for awhile . . . )

10)   Connections are indeed important to get a job, but what is vastly more important is how you are able to handle the job once you get it – being a well-rounded human being is more important sometimes.  A connection gets you an interview, but a career is based upon your proven track record of how you execute the jobs you get.    (And connections you get from school are really only helpful the first three years outside of school, you will have to rely on the connections you get from jobs later on.)

11)   Stay true to who you are, who you are becoming and who you want to be.

When I was picking undergrad schools, I was looking for a pysch program that would prep me from divinity school.  And now, 25 years later, I am a pretty successful stage manager.  I am a completely different person then I was when I was 16 or 17 when I started looking for schools.  Knowing everything I know about myself, would I have chose a different school?  Hard to say, part of the reason I am who I am today is because of the choices I made then.   Two marriages, one kid (who is in college now), a hundred or so productions later, six moves, three career choices later . . . I am the sum of vast experience more then what undergrad school I went to.

Good luck on your choice, if Millikin.  Have fun.  Play safe.

And remember, people are always going to play the School ABC is better then School XYZ.  Remember, that as many people who are saying ABC is best, will also given you ten reasons that School ABC is not a good school.  I disagree that connections are better then the education your receive, but other stage managers will flat out say that without those connections  . . . then it doesn't matter what education you received.  Confused yet?  Welcome to the biz.


Also, there is no need to consider a grad program at this point . . . since you aren't sure where you skillset will be lacking upon graduating undergrad . . . so it would be hard to pick a graduate program until you know what your list of needs will be . . .








Post Merge: Mar 19, 2013, 02:12 pm
Also, make sure you are educated about where a BFA can lead you academically . . . versus a BA.

And will a BFA give your the wide berth of education you want?  Or are you reading for the specialization this early?
« Last Edit: Mar 19, 2013, 02:12 pm by MatthewShiner »
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

nrs2014

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 14
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: ANNIE
  • Experience: High School
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #9 on: Mar 19, 2013, 07:50 pm »
Wow! Awesome responses.. thank you everyone! I have a lot to think about. Hopefully my decision becomes easier as I visit these colleges.

ejsmith3130

  • SM Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 155
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: EMC
  • Current Gig: Coordinating a Move to Napaskiak AK- Harder than any show I've ever done!
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Millikin?
« Reply #10 on: Mar 26, 2013, 10:45 pm »
Wow! Awesome responses.. thank you everyone! I have a lot to think about. Hopefully my decision becomes easier as I visit these colleges.

Visits sure will help. It sounds cliche, but when I visited the campus of the school I attended, I just knew it was where I wanted to be.  I didn't have a huge list of things I needed, but when they pitched the school it was a good fit. I didn't go to the biggest or best school out there and I'm doing just fine. I didn't even know what a stage manager was when I went into college, so that says something considering I'm working quite well now in the industry.

Trust your gut. While college should primarily be about your education the rest of your life is really important too; make sure you are going to be happy and comfortable where you are.

 

riotous