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[0:00] Charlie Murphy: Hello, hello, and welcome to Mapping The College Audition. I'm your host, Charlie Murphy, director of MTCA. That's Musical Theatre College Auditions. Check us out at mtca.com. And today we've got Harry Castle from Boston University on the pod. For our newer listeners, it's another one of our college deep dive episodes where we explore the landscape of the college theater world and try to demystify this daunting audition process. And yes, this is another one of our ACT II episodes. Though, as you'll see upcoming in some of our ACT II and ACT III episodes, where we focus in on the acting departments when we've had the musical theater departments on before, we have a bit of a reverse in that, in that we've particularly focused in on the MT concentration that BU has officially launched now, having previously had Michaela Donovan on, who talked about the acting program as a whole.

And Harry certainly offers a broad, fresh take on the acting program as a whole and all of the concentration. So I encourage all of our acting focused listeners to listen on, even if you have no interest in MT whatsoever. Though, our MT curious actors will probably find this episode right in their sweet spot, as will our MT focused auditioners who are mostly looking at BFAMTs, but who are a bit acting curious. This is a very curious forward episode that we're about to have. And it is another long one. So I'll try to be quick at the top and let us get right into it. For our seniors out there, we have just completed our first virtual mock of the year and are ready to dive into our season of mocks.

My God, so many mocks in the next couple months. Make sure you've planned ahead and have a spot in a mock before it's too late. And stay tuned to your inbox, seniors, for information coming this week about our private auditions, signups for which we'll release very soon. For our juniors, I know many of you are already signed up for our junior kickoff, which is happening this Saturday, September 5th, in New York City and online September 12th and 13th. Seniors, I know your process is just getting into the craziness of it all, but for our junior and younger listeners, the encouragement to get kicked off early is some of the biggest advice we hear time and time again from parents who've been through this process.

We just had Lisa and Stephen Frohlich talking about that last episode, and we're definitely going to hear it again from some of our upcoming BTDT alumni family episodes. All right, that's it. Happy almost back to school for you East Coasters. I know across the country, many of you have been back for a while, but I'm excited for Labor Day over here and my own daughter to start kindergarten, whoo, ready for the summer to be over. It's a funny thing that happens to parenthood, is that you start not liking the summer because it means your child has less free child care than you get during the school year. But I hope you all enjoy this interview with Harry Castle from Boston University.

[3:04] Charlie Murphy: Well, we are so excited to be joined by Harry Castle. Harry has a BA in music from Clare College University of Cambridge, an MA in composition theory and musical theater writing from Yale University, and a DMA in composition from the University of Michigan. He's a composer, lyricist, music director, all kinds of cool stuff, including some specific research on drag and musical theater, which we may chat about a little bit at the end here. He's also been previously a visiting professor at Syracuse University and has worked at the University of Michigan's musical theater department as well, before becoming assistant professor of musical theater at Boston University. So excited to hear about all of those expertises.

BU, or Boston University, is still located in Boston, Massachusetts. They look for a class size of about 30 students and offer degrees in BFA acting, BFA theater arts, and we'll talk about the specifics of your theater degree and how it all comes to be, including the musical theater elements as we get into it. Harry, welcome on the show. How are you feeling today?

[4:02] Harry Castle: Hi, Charlie. Thanks for having me on. I'm feeling great today. It's a beautiful sunny day in Boston. I'm in my office at work and glad to be here.

[4:07] Charlie Murphy: It's a beautiful sunny day in New York City. I cannot complain as well. Okay, so let's dive in. So this is, you know, another one of our 2.0 episodes, and we've had Michaela Donovan on the podcast previously, but that was a four-ish, almost four and a half years ago now. That was the middle of COVID. It's a new school. There's new times. There's new everything. So we'll let this be a pretty fresh take. I'll sort of offer this to you to talk about the program as a whole, though, of course, you know, really from your specific perspective. Is there anything before we dive into the program that you'd want to add about sort of who you are or your history? I mean, I read that brief bio from Pullen on the website, but anything that you want to tell us about you before we dive into the school?

[4:39] Harry Castle: Yeah, absolutely. I think you covered a lot of the main points there. I'm a British composer, music director, lyricist, and I joined BU as full-time musical theater faculty, the first person to be full-time here about a couple of years ago. So I'm going into my third year of teaching in this program. And a lot of the work of the last couple of years has been kind of updating our musical theater offerings. And we're launching this year a new concentration in musical theater. So you're catching me at a good time, Charlie.

[5:17] Charlie Murphy: And, you know, it seems like I want to hear about this concentration specifically. It seems like it maybe is a codification or an increase of something that already existed in BU. There was a musical theater. People talked about it like it was a minor, like it was a, you know, that you could concentrate in it. So I'm excited maybe to dive into that specifically. Before we do that, though, could you give me, you know, now from the sense of across the pond, and I can't believe, by the way, that I said you have such a gentle accent, that now I'm hearing nothing but your British accent. All the listeners are going to be like, you can tell. But from your perspective, both internationally and then having taught at some other really big musical, or, you know, gone to and taught at these big musical theater and theater schools in the U.S., you know, if you were to give me your sort of overview of what Boston University is, how it fits into the theater school, musical theater school landscape, sort of what is your, what is the ethos of a Boston University student? What is the ethos of Boston University? What would you give us just in terms of an overview of your school before we dive into the specifics?

[6:15] Harry Castle: Yeah, absolutely. Great question. I feel like, you know, when you're looking at going to school for musical theater in particular, you have a lot of like big BFA programs that have a huge long history of training people to be triple threat kind of people. You know, you're coming in with some kind of main strength usually, and then looking to hone everything else alongside with the idea that, you know, you'll be a fantastic dancer, fantastic actor, and a fantastic singer all at once by the time you're finished. I think at BU, our acting BFA program has been like kind of the bread and butter staple of the department for a really long time, as have our MFA direction programs and things like that too.

So at BU, we are really training actors first, and even within musical theater, we tend to find that the majority of people we attract are really coming in with like, I want to be an actor, and I also want to be able to do musical theater in my career. But we are often looking at folks who are coming in mostly from that acting viewpoint. They're wanting a program that is going to train them in lots of different styles of stage acting and screen acting, and then also, you know, have a good quantity of instruction that will help them feel ready to go into a lot of different kinds of musical theater audition rooms too. What we don't tend to emphasize as much within that training program is the dance aspect of it, but we do have a minor in dance too, so there's kind of plenty of opportunities for students to kind of mix their specific wants and desires from a BFA program and figure out kind of exactly how that fits in with what we're offering.

[8:00] Charlie Murphy: I love that answer. Yeah, I mean, what I'm hearing from that, and tell me if this sounds like kind of what you're saying, is that just for more of your people who are coming in as musical theater interested people, the acting component is going to be a bigger interest, a bigger draw. That may be 50% instead of 33%, or it's 60%. It's really they go, I want to be an actor, even if I also want to be on Broadway. And, you know, one of our coaches is a BU grad who does nothing but musicals on Broadway, but as an actor first, that really is the interest as an actor who sings, and a singing actor, but acting is a big component. Does that seem like a fair characterization of sort of what BU has been?

[8:32] Harry Castle: Yeah, I think so, and I think we find a lot that folks who feel like they've had a really strong pre-college education in singing or in dance, and they're looking for a program that will get their acting skills really, really put together. We find a lot of the folks that end up doing musical theater through the program, but also beyond, as you say, into the field. Oftentimes they're coming in with the area that they want to work on the most is the acting, whether that's the one they're best at or the one that we can start, weirdly enough.

[9:04] Charlie Murphy: Yeah, I love that. Okay, so, and I want to get into the specifics of the curriculum from the acting and theater and the musical theater of it all, but just also worth placing it, you know, we try to help our students with kind of placing where on the spectrum of kind of conservatory style to liberal arts are the BFAs in terms of do you have a sense, like percentage-wise, how much time a BU student, a BU acting student, let's say, or someone who's going to do a musical theater concentration, what that's going to look like in terms of how much time am I spending doing theater-related things versus doing a philosophy class or doing gen ed requirements or, you know, sometimes people talk about how many people get majors and double majors, but basically how much academics is going to be part of the program as a given and then how that can change optionality-wise.

[9:46] Harry Castle: Yeah, so I would say that BU, as far as like a BFA program goes, is fairly academically rigorous. We, usually our incoming like GPA from high school is a 3.8, so it's, you know, you have to be kind of switched on in the academic department as well as the creative and artistic one, and the application kind of process for that is split in two as well, so you'll submit your common app thing, which will be viewed by the entire BU admissions team, and then your like creative supplement, which will be viewed by the school of theater admissions team, and both of those things have to be strong in order for you to receive an offer in the end of the day. When you get into the program, I'll go with the acting BFA because that's kind of like the most rigorous conservatory style program that we offer.

Most semesters you will be taking one class that is outside of theater entirely, that is like fulfilling our BU hub is the name of the thing, the BU hub requirements, so it's usually four credits a semester that you're required to kind of complete. Now the thing is you can do that really at your own speed. You could decide that you want to really front load stuff, or you could wait until you're in your senior spring and you need to do it before you graduate last minute. We see people doing both kinds of things there, and so the majority of your time, yes, is spent in studio class, is spent in coaching, is spent in production from our middle to second sophomore year onwards, and you have like some gen ed requirements around that, but, you know, we do a fairly good job of making sure that, you know, when you're taking theater history, for example, that's going to contribute towards your writing credit to take for the hub. We do as good a job as we can of making sure there's overlap so that you're not not enough gen ed requirements even within the theater experience.

[11:39] Charlie Murphy: But how many of your students tend to get an outside minor, you know, you mentioned like a minor in dance, which certainly makes sense, but how many of your students tend to get a minor in political science or philosophy, or do any get double majors? How does that work in terms of the ability to take academic classes outside of the theater program?

[11:58] Harry Castle: Yeah, great question, Charlie. There are definitely, I would say, about five or six people every year that will very actively pursue a minor that is outside of theater, so our dance minor is kind of within theater slightly, you know, we're in collaboration with another department for that too, the Department of Physical Education and Recreation, but the, I would say, like, the number of people that are going for, like, a business minor, for a philosophy minor, for, you know, something else, we have someone doing a psychology minor right now, is about five or six. There are a couple of people who do film minors too, and through our communications school, and what they find is that usually there's, like, enough pathways within even, like, the acting major, which is quite rigorous and conservatory forward to complete one other, like, set of requirements.

The, in terms of double majors, we occasionally have someone that does that, but just with the number of credits that are required to take the acting major, plus then the number of credits that don't overlap for other majors, oftentimes those students are looking at taking a five-year degree program if they want to complete that, so yeah.

[13:04] Charlie Murphy: I love that. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to kind of double click on that, because I do think for a lot of our students, it's confusing when you say, like, how academic is a school? Because I think BU, we describe as a very academic school on the admissions side of things, that you do have to be a stronger academic student, even compared to some other schools that have high, like, Carnegie Mellon has a really high academic reputation, but doesn't have the same admission procedures of it, but you're also, it doesn't mean that you're taking as many classes as an NYU or whatever, which is very academic, and you're going to take two days of nothing but class that are nothing to a theater, so there's so many different questions when you say, like, how academic is the school? Obviously, Boston University is a fantastic academic university, but what that actually means as an actor can really vary depending on the school, so thank you.

[13:46] Harry Castle: Absolutely.

[13:47] Harry Castle: The BFA Theatre Arts and BFA Musical Theatre Concentration at Boston University are designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in the performing arts.

[14:17] Harry Castle: Both programs focus on developing the craft of acting, but they do have distinct differences that cater to the specific interests and career goals of the students.

[14:47] Harry Castle: The BFA Theatre Arts program offers a broader approach, allowing students to explore various aspects of theater, including directing, playwriting, and design, alongside their acting training.

[15:12] Harry Castle: In contrast, the BFA Musical Theatre Concentration is more specialized, emphasizing singing, dancing, and acting in musical theater contexts.

[15:42] Harry Castle: This specialization means that students in the Musical Theatre program will engage in more intensive training in vocal performance and choreography.

[16:02] Harry Castle: However, both programs share a core curriculum that prioritizes the development of acting skills, ensuring that all students receive a strong foundation in the craft.

[16:27] Harry Castle: At Boston University, we implement an acting focus throughout the curriculum, encouraging students to hone their craft and develop their unique artistic voices.

[16:57] Harry Castle: Additionally, students have the opportunity to explore minors outside of acting, which can enrich their education and broaden their skill sets.

[17:27] Harry Castle: For instance, students might choose to minor in areas such as music, dance, or even business, which can be beneficial in the competitive landscape of the performing arts.

[17:57] Harry Castle: We also offer a junior year semester abroad, allowing students to immerse themselves in different cultures and theatrical practices, which can greatly enhance their artistic perspective.

[18:17] Harry Castle: This experience not only broadens their horizons but also helps them build a network of international contacts in the theater industry.

[18:32] Harry Castle: Navigating the site-specific monologue prescreen requirement can be challenging for students, but we provide guidance to help them select appropriate pieces that showcase their talents.

[19:02] Harry Castle: It's important for students to choose monologues that resonate with them personally and reflect their unique strengths as performers.

[19:32] Harry Castle: We encourage students to think creatively about their selections and to consider how their choices align with the specific requirements of the schools they are applying to.

[19:57] Harry Castle: Overall, our goal at Boston University is to foster a supportive and challenging environment where students can thrive as artists and prepare for successful careers in the performing arts.

[20:27] Harry Castle: We believe that by providing a well-rounded education and ample opportunities for growth, we can help students find their best fit in the world of theater.

[20:57] Harry Castle: Whether they choose to pursue acting, musical theater, or other related fields, our programs are designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

[21:27] Harry Castle: The faculty at Boston University is dedicated to mentoring students and helping them navigate their individual journeys through the college audition process and beyond.

[21:52] Harry Castle: We understand that each student is unique, and we strive to provide personalized support that aligns with their aspirations and goals.

[22:12] Harry Castle: This individualized approach is a hallmark of our programs, ensuring that students receive the attention and resources they need to flourish.

[22:42] Harry Castle: Ultimately, our aim is to empower students to embrace their authentic selves as artists and to pursue their passions with confidence.

[23:07] Harry Castle: We are committed to creating a nurturing and inspiring environment that encourages creativity and exploration.

[23:37] Harry Castle: As students progress through their training, they will have numerous opportunities to perform, collaborate, and engage with the vibrant theater community at Boston University.

[24:07] Harry Castle: These experiences are invaluable in helping students build their resumes and gain practical skills that will serve them well in their future careers.

[24:22] Harry Castle: We also emphasize the importance of networking and building relationships within the industry, as these connections can open doors for students after graduation.

[24:52] Harry Castle: In summary, the BFA Theatre Arts and BFA Musical Theatre Concentration programs at Boston University are designed to provide students with a comprehensive and supportive education in the performing arts.

[25:22] Harry Castle: We are proud of the unique opportunities we offer and the talented students who choose to pursue their artistic journeys with us.

[25:45] Harry Castle: We look forward to continuing to support and guide our students as they navigate the college audition process and embark on their careers in theater.

[26:15] Harry Castle: Thank you for the opportunity to share more about our programs and the exciting possibilities that await students at Boston University.

[26:45] Harry Castle: If anyone has further questions or would like to learn more, please feel free to reach out.

[27:15] Harry Castle: We're here to help!

[27:34] Charlie Murphy: Welcome back to Mapping The College Audition. Today, we’re diving into Boston University’s Acting program with Harry Castle. Harry, thanks for being here.

[28:04] Harry Castle: Thanks for having me, Charlie. I’m excited to chat about the program.

[28:34] Charlie Murphy: Let’s start with the differences between the BFA in Acting and the BFA in Theater Arts at BU. Can you break that down for us?

[29:04] Harry Castle: Absolutely. The BFA in Acting is very focused on developing the craft of acting itself. It’s a more specialized program that dives deep into performance techniques, scene study, and character development. In contrast, the BFA in Theater Arts offers a broader approach, encompassing various aspects of theater, including production, design, and direction. So, while both programs are rigorous, the Acting BFA is more concentrated on honing the skills of the actor.

[29:34] Charlie Murphy: That makes sense. How does BU implement an acting focus into the curriculum?

[30:04] Harry Castle: The curriculum is designed to prioritize acting from the very beginning. Students engage in intensive training that includes voice, movement, and acting classes. We also incorporate a lot of practical experience through performances and workshops, allowing students to apply what they learn in real-time. The goal is to develop a strong foundation in acting that they can build upon throughout their careers.

[30:34] Charlie Murphy: I love that. Now, I know many students are interested in exploring minors outside of acting. Can you speak to that?

[31:04] Harry Castle: Yes, definitely! We encourage students to explore minors or even double majors. It’s a great way to broaden their education and skill set. Many students choose to minor in areas like music, dance, or even business, which can be incredibly beneficial in the performing arts industry. It allows them to diversify their talents and interests, making them more well-rounded artists.

[31:34] Charlie Murphy: That’s a fantastic approach. What about the opportunity for a junior year semester abroad? How does that work?

[32:04] Harry Castle: The semester abroad is an exciting option for students. It allows them to immerse themselves in a different culture while continuing their studies. We have partnerships with various institutions around the world, and students can take classes that complement their training at BU. It’s a unique chance to gain new perspectives and experiences that can enrich their artistic journey.

[32:34] Charlie Murphy: That sounds amazing! Now, let’s talk about the prescreen requirements for the acting program, specifically the site-specific monologue. How should students navigate that?

[33:04] Harry Castle: The site-specific monologue is an important part of the prescreen process. Students should choose a location that enhances their performance and connects to the piece they’re presenting. It’s crucial to consider how the environment influences their character and the story they’re telling. We encourage students to be creative and think outside the box while still being authentic to their work.

[33:34] Charlie Murphy: Great advice! If students have questions about the college audition process or want to learn more about BU, what should they do?

[34:04] Harry Castle: They can reach out directly to the admissions office or visit our website for more information. Additionally, I’m always happy to answer questions via email or during our open houses. It’s important for students to feel supported throughout this process.

[34:34] Charlie Murphy: Thank you, Harry! This has been incredibly insightful. I appreciate you taking the time to share about Boston University’s Acting program.

[35:04] Harry Castle: Thank you, Charlie! It’s been a pleasure to discuss it with you.

[35:34] Charlie Murphy: And to our listeners, if you have any questions about the college audition process, feel free to reach out at mailbag@mappingthecollegeaudition.com. Don’t forget to check out MTCA for personalized help with your college audition journey. Until next time!

[41:52] Harry Castle: The main campus for BU is out in, like, through the Fenway and Alston area. So it's a little bit out of the center of town. It's along the Charles River. The Charles River campus is where the School of Theatre is housed, for example. And it's a very kind of urban feel. You feel like you're in a city. This is not kind of a Penn State situation where you are in a small town surrounded by fields. You're very much in a city. And it's quite a busy campus. There's a lot of sports happening. The main big sport at BU is ice hockey. So that's a big school spirit moment. We do not have a football team, which was a surprise to me when I moved here.

[42:43] Charlie Murphy: You're talking about the other half of our listeners. The musical theaters and football, that's what our listeners are. No, I'm just kidding. That's not true.

[42:48] Harry Castle: Well, you know, I came through Michigan and Syracuse. And I was like, football, I guess, is like, there's an overlap here. But not at BU. And yeah, I mean, if you are someone who likes to sing, there are a lot of a cappella groups on campus. There are multiple kind of choir opportunities as well that are out, would be outside of things. If you are someone who is looking for an experience that includes some Greek life, that is also a thing at BU. It's quite thriving. We have a decent number of students every year that participate in that too. Lots of kind of faith-based organizations as well that we have students that are relatively active in around their production schedules, of course. But the other thing I would say with that is like, you will not be in production until halfway through your second year of the program at BU.

So it's quite conducive in the first year and a half to participating in extracurriculars that will take place in the evenings that, you know, if you're in a show, you may have to take a break from something because things will clash. But when you're not in casting, there's plenty of time and opportunity to get involved with some of those other things that we all love to do.

[44:09] Charlie Murphy: So, yeah.

[44:10] Harry Castle: I love it. Okay. We'll take a short break. I said this interview would be about 45 minutes and already we're at 41 minutes. So we'll take a short break and in the second half, we'll do a little bit of a faster dive through the academic or the admission slash audition process a little more. So we're back in a flash. Great.

[44:29] Charlie Murphy: All right. We are back with Harry Castle and we're talking about the audition and admissions process. You know, you already mentioned a little bit in terms of how the Common App works in terms of the academic, how they're going to look at your academics, they're going to look at your audition. Let's, I guess, double click, especially on the audition process in terms of what you look for. That's what we'll do most of here. But, you know, in terms of the timing of how people apply, how does it work in terms of where they'll hear from academics versus when they'll hear from you? Like, are they having to pass academics before you even look at the prescreens? Are they getting one big answer? How does that work in terms of your artistic side of things compared to the academic side of things?

[45:04] Harry Castle: That's a good question, I guess. So there's a number of different ways you can do application, right? You could, if you wanted to do an early decision application, then you'll know a little sooner because we do that all a little bit earlier. If you're going through kind of regular admissions, you will find out whether you have an offer, I believe, all in one go. And so having mentioned that there are these two separate portions of admissions, I do not believe that you hear from those separately.

[45:37] Charlie Murphy: It's common that there are two options, but sometimes you get one academic and artistic. You're saying you get one yes or no. You won't know if it's because of your grades or because of your artistic side of things.

[45:40] Harry Castle: Yes, exactly. I'm pretty certain that's how it works here. And yeah, so I mean, when you submit your application, the kind of artistic portion of it will have a couple of small essay questions, which we love to read your responses to those. You'll have to self-tape a couple of monologues. And then if there's any supplemental material stuff that you want to show us, there's space to do that, too. So if you are a musical theatre person and you want to send in a song, you may do that. If you want to send in 10 pages of a short film that you wrote, you can do that. If you want to send us a video of people acting in a scene that you directed, you can do that, too. And that may be helpful information for us. We're not going to adjudicate you based on it. It's monologue based, but it will help us position you and understand you as a student.

[46:36] Charlie Murphy: How do you factor that in? You're not getting admitted based on your singing ability, but is it like a wild card? This is like information, like an essay that's interesting? Or if you hear an amazing singer, is some part of you going, well, great, that would be good for the musical theatre concentration. How does that work in terms of how it factors into admission?

[46:54] Harry Castle: Yeah, I think really it's more of the holistic view of who a person is. I'm not looking at all the people, right? I'm not part of the admissions process further than when you get to an in-person audition. I might be someone that is in the room with you there. So really, it's just kind of additional information about a student that we understand. And as I said before, with regards to musical theatre, the actual audition process for that happens once you're already admitted. So, you know, if you send in the most killer vocal reel as a supplemental material, but your monologues aren't up to snuff, that won't give you any kind of additional boost, I would say.

[47:42] Charlie Murphy: So that's to get in as an actor?

[47:47] Harry Castle: Yes, even for people who may be best suited to theatre arts in the end, we are still looking to admit you as an actor to begin with. So yeah, and then, you know, if we really like what we see in the pre-screening round, then we will invite you to come to an audition slot. We do have some virtual ones that tend to start earlier in January. We know that people are traveling around to all kinds of things. We tend to have an in-person process at Unifieds in New York as well. We do not go to Chicago Unifieds at the moment. So if you want to sign up for a New York weekend, then you can do that too.

[48:27] Charlie Murphy: And we also have on campus. So either virtual on campus or New York would be where they'd have a live audition with you.

[48:34] Harry Castle: Exactly. And that tends to be about 20 minutes long. It's one-on-one with a faculty member at the moment. So you'll go in. We advise you to bring at least one monologue. It's great if you have two. I personally, as an audition person, I like to hear both. And then we'll do some work on one of them. It's kind of, it's pretty standard, the kind of treatment that you would expect, I think, from those. And then imagine some conversation, if we're doing a 20-minute audition, maybe it's a lot of work time. But if I did two monologues, I'm done in four minutes. Is there some interview time? What else is the 20 minutes comprised of?

[49:04] Harry Castle: It is, yeah, it's kind of informal interview time. We don't have a set of questions that we have to ask everybody because, you know, by the time you're coming to campus or coming to an in-person or virtual like live audition, then we have a lot of information about you because you submitted hopefully lots of great stuff that we loved about you through your first application. So it's kind of time for us to get a feel of your vibe, like your energy, what you're interested in. There are all kinds of people that audition and some of them it is really useful for us to have that extra time so that you can defrost a little in the room. It's very nerve-wracking. And I think, you know, we've all kind of put up walls in an audition where we wish we had like kept them down a little bit sometimes.

So that just gives a little bit more time to get to know you a little bit more time to really kind of get a feel for who you are, what you're interested in and what's exciting to you. You'll have time to ask any questions that you like. And those audition days, whether you're virtual or in person, involve like a bunch of info sessions to where we have current students that you can ask questions of. We have Matt, our admissions director, is there the whole time. And sometimes as faculty, too, that you can pick their brains about stuff. So. So, yeah, it's quite a holistic, again, like assessment process.

[50:26] Harry Castle: And the faculty member that's in the room with you will then make a recommendation to general admissions about, you know, what they experience of you in the room and how good of a fit they think you are based on that. And that all goes into the calculations. It's not the only calculation, obviously, but it is a major factor.

[50:42] Charlie Murphy: I love it. I love that phrase defrost, too. I think that's so true in terms of being able to try to reveal yourself. It's not easy when you first walk in the room. Do you have a sense of like the percentage of people who are submitting a prescreen who are then getting a callback? And then if you know that sense of the callback numbers versus who gets in, you can share whatever numbers you feel comfortable with. But if you have a sense of like, what does it mean to get a callback? And then from the callback, what are my chances of getting to be one of the 30?

[51:07] Harry Castle: Yes, that is a great question. And I unfortunately do not have a number off the top of my head. I do know that we in a given cycle, we usually look to receive between 700 and 900 applications for things. So it's, I would say, having been at other universities as well, it's not like a Michigan situation in terms of like, you know, that percentage is extremely small of people that are getting in. It's still pretty small, probably 700 to 30. It's not a huge number.

[51:46] Charlie Murphy: Right. So, yeah. And of course, we are looking for a range of different kinds of people. So it's a little difficult to say. I think every year it really depends on who we get. And then we offer, we tend to offer around 40 to 50 places with the understanding that, you know, the people that we thought were fantastic, other people are also going to think are fantastic, and people have to make their own journey through. But yeah.

[52:15] Harry Castle: Well, how does it work? I mean, you know, I understand the holistic vibe of the audition, certainly, and that you're, you know, and it's going to be a vote and there's academic sides of things, you know, with a prescreen, especially if you're thinking about people who are potential theatre arts people, is that something that like they should be expressing of their multi-hyphenate interests? Are they talking about that in the essay? Are they talking about in the room? You know, if you're somebody who goes, I love acting, I'm not sure acting is everything for me. And you go, you're good, you fit, but maybe the monologues aren't as strong. How does that work in terms of you admitting the, I think we understand for the most part, BFA acting, what that would, what the, you know, talent that's being seen in the monologues, but how would that work for the students who are maybe a little bit directing, playwriting, acting, not sure, focused?

[53:07] Harry Castle: Yeah. I mean, I can speak mostly for my process in this. I'm always on the lookout for those people. We are asked to have a particular eye to identify folks who they acting, it may become clear that they are good at acting, but it's not their most desired like path through the thing. And so we do encourage people in that prescreen materials, talk about what you're interested in, give us as good of an impression of you and your areas of interest as you possibly can. And then, yes, I'm always on the lookout for the people. And that's why the interview part of the in-person audition is so important too, because it gives me an opportunity to talk through that monologue that you just did, but this time with you as the director, if you had to rewrite something in this monologue, what would you change?

And like, why, you know, what annoys you about this character? What would you, you know, what gets under your skin a little bit? What would you want to do differently if you were writing it? So there are kind of lots of different ways for that kind of 15, 20 minute slot to go in person.

[54:09] Charlie Murphy: Totally makes sense. Okay. Now I would be doing a dereliction of my duty as a monologue coach and for my monologue team if I didn't ask you about the site-specific requirements in the monologue audition. So talk to me a little bit about, you don't have to give us all the tricks and tips of what the best way to do it is, but maybe from your thinking of like, what do you like to see or why that was included or why that has been, you know, what might you be looking for? What could, should students know about that when they go, oh my gosh, I have to do this?

[54:41] Harry Castle: I, my, I think my biggest piece of advice is that for most of us who are sitting, you know, through a day, maybe two, three in a row of auditions is that if you want to go somewhere deep with a monologue, make sure that you're counterbalancing that with something else. We can sit through, you know, 30 monologues in a row of that one thing from the

[55:09] Charlie Murphy: Welcome back to Mapping The College Audition. I’m your host, Charlie Murphy, and today we’re diving into the Acting BFA program at Boston University with Assistant Professor Harry Castle. Harry, thanks for joining us.

[55:39] Harry Castle: Thanks for having me, Charlie. I’m excited to be here.

[56:09] Charlie Murphy: Let’s start with the differences between the Acting BFA and the BFA Theater Arts degrees at BU. Can you explain how those programs differ?

[56:39] Harry Castle: Absolutely. The Acting BFA is specifically focused on developing the craft of acting. It’s very performance-oriented, whereas the Theater Arts BFA encompasses a broader range of theater disciplines, including production, design, and management. So, while both programs share some core classes, the Acting BFA dives deeper into acting techniques and performance skills.

[57:09] Charlie Murphy: That makes sense. How does BU implement an acting focus into the curriculum for the Acting BFA?

[58:09] Harry Castle: The curriculum is designed to prioritize acting training from day one. Students engage in a variety of acting classes, including scene study, voice, movement, and improvisation. We also incorporate a lot of practical experience through performances and workshops, allowing students to apply what they learn in real-time.

[58:24] Charlie Murphy: And what about opportunities for students to explore minors outside of acting?

[58:54] Harry Castle: We encourage students to explore their interests outside of acting. Many students choose to pursue minors in areas like music, dance, or even subjects like psychology or business. This interdisciplinary approach enriches their education and can enhance their versatility as performers.

[59:24] Charlie Murphy: That’s great to hear. I know many students are interested in studying abroad. Does BU offer a junior year semester abroad option?

[59:54] Harry Castle: Yes, we do! Students have the opportunity to study abroad during their junior year. It’s a fantastic way for them to gain new perspectives, experience different cultures, and even take theater classes in a different context, which can be incredibly enriching for their artistic development.

[1:00:24] Charlie Murphy: Now, let’s talk about the prescreen requirements for the Acting BFA. I know there’s a site-specific monologue requirement. Can you explain what that entails?

[1:00:54] Harry Castle: Sure! The site-specific monologue prescreen is designed to assess how well students can adapt their performances to different environments. Applicants are required to perform a monologue in a location of their choice, which showcases their ability to connect with the space and engage an audience. It’s a unique way for us to see their creativity and adaptability.

[1:01:24] Charlie Murphy: That sounds like a valuable exercise. What advice do you have for students preparing for that prescreen?

[1:01:54] Harry Castle: My biggest piece of advice is to choose a location that resonates with you personally. It should be a space where you feel comfortable and can fully express yourself. Also, think about how the environment can enhance your performance. Practice in that space as much as possible to get a feel for how to connect with it.

[1:02:24] Charlie Murphy: Great tips! As we wrap up, what do you think sets the Acting BFA program at Boston University apart from other programs?

[1:02:54] Harry Castle: I believe it’s our commitment to fostering a supportive and collaborative environment. We focus on developing the whole artist, not just their acting skills. Our faculty is dedicated to mentoring students and helping them find their unique voices. Plus, the connections we have within the industry provide students with invaluable networking opportunities.

[1:03:24] Charlie Murphy: Thank you, Harry. It’s been a pleasure learning about the Acting BFA program at Boston University.

[1:03:54] Harry Castle: Thank you, Charlie. I appreciate the opportunity to share about our program.

[1:04:24] Charlie Murphy: If you have any questions about the college audition process, feel free to reach out at mailbag@mappingthecollegeaudition.com. And if you’re interested in working with MTCA for help with your individualized preparation for your college audition journey, please check us out at mtca.com or on social media.

[1:04:54] Harry Castle: Thanks for having me, Charlie.

[1:04:59] Charlie Murphy: Until next time, keep pursuing your passion for the arts!

[1:09:57] Charlie Murphy: Welcome back to Mapping The College Audition. I’m your host, Charlie Murphy, and today we’re diving deep into the Acting BFA program at Boston University with Assistant Professor Harry Castle. Harry, thank you for joining us.

[1:10:17] Harry Castle: Thank you for having me, Charlie. I’m excited to be here.

[1:10:37] Charlie Murphy: Let’s start with the basics. Can you explain the difference between the Acting BFA and the BFA Theater Arts degrees at Boston University?

[1:10:57] Harry Castle: Absolutely. The Acting BFA is specifically focused on developing the craft of acting. It’s a more intensive program that emphasizes performance skills, scene study, and character development. On the other hand, the BFA Theater Arts degree offers a broader approach, including aspects of theater production, design, and direction. It allows students to explore various facets of theater beyond just acting.

[1:11:37] Charlie Murphy: That’s a great distinction. How does Boston University implement an acting focus into the curriculum for the BFA in Acting?

[1:11:57] Harry Castle: The curriculum is designed to immerse students in acting techniques from day one. We have a rigorous schedule that includes acting classes, voice training, movement, and scene study. Additionally, students participate in productions throughout their time in the program, which allows them to apply what they’ve learned in a practical setting.

[1:12:47] Charlie Murphy: That sounds fantastic. I know many students are also interested in exploring minors outside of acting. Can you talk about that?

[1:13:07] Harry Castle: Yes, we encourage students to pursue minors that complement their acting training. Many students choose minors in areas like music, dance, or even business. This not only broadens their skill set but also enhances their marketability in the industry.

[1:13:47] Charlie Murphy: And what about opportunities for studying abroad? How does that fit into the program?

[1:14:17] Harry Castle: We offer a junior year semester abroad program that allows students to experience theater in a different cultural context. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to gain new perspectives and insights that they can bring back to their work in the States.

[1:14:57] Charlie Murphy: That’s incredible. Now, let’s discuss the prescreen requirements for auditions. I know there’s a site-specific monologue requirement. Can you explain how students should navigate that?

[1:15:27] Harry Castle: The site-specific monologue is an important part of our prescreen process. We encourage students to choose a piece that resonates with them personally and showcases their unique voice. It’s essential to consider the context of the piece and how it relates to the specific environment where they’ll be performing. We also provide guidance on selecting and preparing these monologues during our audition workshops.

[1:16:07] Charlie Murphy: That’s really helpful advice. What other tips do you have for students preparing for their college auditions?

[1:16:27] Harry Castle: I always tell students to be authentic. Choose material that truly reflects who you are as an artist. Also, practice is key. The more comfortable you are with your material, the more confident you’ll be during your audition. And don’t forget to take care of yourself—mentally and physically—during this process.

[1:16:57] Charlie Murphy: Great tips, Harry. Thank you for sharing your insights today. It’s been a pleasure having you on the podcast.

[1:17:27] Harry Castle: Thank you, Charlie. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss the program and share what we’re doing at Boston University.

[1:17:47] Charlie Murphy: And to our listeners, if you have any questions about the college audition process or want to learn more about MTCA, feel free to reach out at mailbag@mappingthecollegeaudition.com. We’re here to help you on your journey.

[1:18:07] Harry Castle: Absolutely. Good luck to everyone out there preparing for auditions!

[1:18:37] Charlie Murphy: Until next time, keep pursuing your passion for the arts!