Program Description

Point Park University


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The Conservatory of Performing Arts confers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in dance, dance pedagogy, and theater arts and offers conservatory training within a liberal arts context. Students receive intense training in their concentration as well as a thorough academic education. Because the faculty members believe that performing arts majors develop best in front of a live audience, the program offers varied performing opportunities for students at the Pittsburgh Playhouse of Point Park University.

Nationally renowned, the Pittsburgh Playhouse is the performance facility for the Conservatory of Performing Arts. Here students participate in live-theater/dance experiences before a subscription audience. Consisting of three working theaters, this 70-year-old facility is fully staffed by a production team of designers and artisans who train and supervise student apprentices in building, designing, lighting, and managing shows. The front-of-house staff members as well as the box office and public relations personnel engage all students in the business aspect of running a theater. The season, which features student actors, dancers, designers, and stage managers, consists of five Playhouse Jr. productions for children and five Conservatory Company dramas/musicals.

Dance students may perform in one of five Playhouse Dance Company productions and a Playhouse Jr. Children’s Dance Show as well as a public school outreach program.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in cinema and digital arts is an innovatively designed program, with an emphasis on professional education and liberal arts—both in theory and in practice. Exploring the integration of media and the arts in society as well as the impact of technology on culture, the curriculum provides practical, professional training while developing a sound foundation in the arts and humanities. Theory and aesthetics are taught as an integral part of developing communication and production skills.

In the Conservatory of Performing Arts, it is the mission to educate, train, and artistically equip students with the skills necessary to compete in the commercial media industry. The degree offered is a four-year, 120-credit Bachelor of Arts in cinema and digital arts, with concentrations in cinematography, directing, editing and sound, producing, and screenwriting.

This well-rounded educational experience culminates with the annual Point Park Digital Film Festival presented to showcase graduating senior thesis production projects. Admission to the Film and Electronic Arts program is based on self-discipline, professional attitude, and a commitment to the craft as demonstrated through an interview with the Director of Film.

The B.F.A. degree in film and video production is offered in collaboration with Pittsburgh Filmmakers. Students take their academic courses at Point Park University and their film and video requirements at Pittsburgh Filmmakers’ newly built facility in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Both institutions work together to ensure that students receive a challenging educational experience.

Conservatory faculty members are working professionals in acting, singing, dancing, writing, composing, painting, designing, choreography, and other specialties. Guest artists and master teachers in musical theater, voice and speech, and dance are regularly featured. Past guests include Chita Rivera, Michael Rupert, Jeff Shade, Rob Ashford, Sherry Zunker-Dow, Cicely Berry, Paul Gavert, Patricia Wilde, Albert Poland, Barbara Pontecorvo, Edward Villella, Maxine Sherman, Marshall Swiney, and Claire Bataille. The program also offers many workshops and collaborative efforts of an interdisciplinary nature with other University programs.

During the summer, the Conservatory offers an International Summer Dance program (open by audition) featuring renowned names in the world of dance. The International Summer Dance program offers training in jazz, ballet, and modern dance. The program culminates in a recital performance.

The community of Pittsburgh itself is an arts and education center with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Opera, Ballet, and Dance Council and the Pittsburgh Public Theaters supplemented by eight other institutions of higher learning within a 15-minute drive. The whole city is truly the campus of the programs.

Prospective applicants must apply and be accepted by the University. An audition for and an interview with faculty members is required for all prospective majors. Scholarships/apprenticeships from $1000 to $5000 are based on either talent or academics or both. Presidential and special academic full- and part-time awards are highly competitive.

Off-campus auditions are possible at Thespian State Conferences and dance auditions in Chicago; New York; Dayton, Ohio; and Louisville, Kentucky. Videotaped auditions are acceptable; prospective students should contact the Conservatory for procedures.

For more information and audition guidelines, interested students should contact Joseph McGoldrick, Director of Artistic Recruitment, Point Park University, 201 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222; jmcgoldrick@pointpark.edu; 800-321-0129 (toll-free).

Program Facilities and Features

At the Conservatory of Performing Arts, facilities include ten dance studios as well as the three-theater complex at the Pittsburgh Playhouse of Point Park University, which offers performance opportunities for students in front of a subscription audience. In addition, students can take advantage of the on-site costume/set construction apprenticeships, 11 private singing and piano instructors; art and design classes; more than 100 dance classes per week, acting classes with a ratio of 1 instructor to 15 students, and the Point Park University Singers. Point Park University is central to many educational, arts, and entertainment activities, and it is within walking distance of boating, swimming, and parks.

Alumni

The Conservatory has numerous graduates performing in touring companies, on Broadway, in dance companies, in movies, on television, and in other theaters. Many more alumni are teaching in schools, on faculties, choreographing, writing, directing, and stage managing across the world. Broadway and national touring productions of Contact, Cabaret, 42nd St., and Kiss Me Kate as well as movie and television credits, including Pulp Fiction, Inspector Gadget, Wonder Boys, NYPD Blue, Due South, The Guiding Light, Providence, CSI: NYC, and Leaving L.A. are just a few of the vehicles showcasing Conservatory graduates of theater and dance.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen and transfers: May 1. Required: high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, minimum 2.0 high school GPA, 2 letters of recommendation, interview, ACT test score only, theater questionnaire and 2 photos, portfolio for technical theater and stage management applicants, audition for acting and musical theater applicants. Auditions held 8 times on campus and off campus in New York, NY; Louisville, KY; state conferences in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Maryland, Atlanta, Southeastern Theatre Conference sites; recorded music is permissible as a substitute for live auditions if a live audition is impossible and videotaped performances are permissible as a substitute for live auditions by prior arrangement. Portfolio reviews held 8 times on campus and off campus in Louisville, KY; state conferences in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Maryland, and New York; the submission of slides may be substituted for portfolios whenever needed.

Undergraduate Contact

Mr. Joseph McGoldrick, Director of Artistic Recruitment, Conservatory of Performing Arts, Point Park University, 201 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-1984; 412-392-3450, fax: 412-391-2424.