Fall Application Only: March 1, 2020
Once the students application is received from the Common App or from SUNY, students will receive an email with their Purchase Application ID and a direct link to the Theatre Design/Technology Slideroom form.
New York City: January 18, 2020
On Campus: February 10, 2020
On Campus: March 10, 2020
Online interview requests for the BFA Theatre Design Technology program will open October 2018 in our SlideRoom portal. To register for an interview you must first submit an application to the college for the BFA Theatre Design Technology program. Only applicants to the college for the BFA Theater Design Technology program will be able to register for an interview. Applicants will be emailed the interview registration instructions. The non-refundable interview fee of $50 plus the $5 SlideRoom submission fee (total $55) must be submitted online at the time of your interview submission.
Please do not call the conservatory to schedule an interview. All interviews are scheduled online.
Admission to the BFA Theatre Design/Technology program is highly selective and is based on a required interview with the Design/Technology faculty and a review of the students overall application by Admissions. Only exceptionally talented students who can demonstrate a high level of ability, creativity and commitment in the interview will be offered admission.
Read Night of the Iguana: Read the play Night of the Iguana, by Tennessee Williams. Questions about this play will be asked during the interview.
Prepare a Resume: Your resume should include a complete list of your theatrical experiences. It should include titles of works, duties performed, locations of performances and the name of the directors, designers and stage managers with whom you have worked. Bring one copy of your resume with you to the interview.
Letters of Recommendation: Please bring two letters of recommendation (in sealed envelopes) with you when you come for your interview.
Photograph of yourself: Please bring a photograph of yourself to the interview.
Prepare and Submit your Portfolio: Prepare a portfolio that includes examples of design and/ or technical work that you have done in high school, community theatres, summer stock, or at other colleges, to be submitted as follows:
1. Submit three to five examples of your portfolio pieces and a photograph of yourself online in Slideroom. There is a $5 fee per portfolio submission payable in SlideRoom. You can upload images, documents, or videos and share links to online videos in SlideRoom.
2. You must also bring your actual portfolio materials with you to your interview.
When submitting your portfolio pieces, please observe the following guidelines for each respective specialization:
• Costume Design: Drawings, paintings, and/or garments that you have made. These items need not be theatrical.
• Lighting Design: Drawings, paintings, photography, drafting plots and lighting plots.
• Scene Design: Drawings, paintings, still life or still life studies and drafting designs.
• Costume Technology: Samples of costume construction, photos of work that has been built, drawings and other artwork.
• Stage Management: Prompt scripts, cue sheets, ground plans, rehearsal notes and programs.
• Technical Direction/Production Management: Drafting samples, objects that you have built, photographs and production paperwork.
Skype Interviews:
Skype/telephone interviews are available if needed. Students requesting a Skype interview should request the Skype interview date when submitting interview request online. Once you have registered for an interview, please email design.technology@purchase.edu to notify the department that you would like to interview via Skype.
Applicants will be notified of decisions within two to three weeks of their interviews. If you are offered admission, you will need to accept our offer in writing and you will be required to submit an enrollment deposit by May 1.
Whether you just graduated high school or you’ve taken a gap year (or more), if you have not yet attended college you should apply as a freshman. Even if you’ve taken college-level courses in high school, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams, you’re still a freshman.
It takes a certain nature to thrive at Purchase. While we seek to enroll academically qualified students with a consistent record of achievement in a challenging high school curriculum, we also seek students with grit—the determination to strive and succeed.
Successful students at Purchase are highly motivated, intellectually curious, and deeply engaged in our community as well as the world at large. Our students are passionate about their goals and persevere to achieve them. They are daring—willing to take calculated risks to achieve more when they create works of art, engage in research and scholarship, or take on internships. They are driven to succeed and exhibit an entrepreneurial spirit in creating that success for themselves. In addition, Purchase students are often socially aware and will take an active stand for what they believe in. All candidates are encouraged to pursue a rigorous college prep curriculum throughout their entire high school career, enhancing their college preparation through honors and Advanced Placement coursework. The Office of Admissions maintains a holistic review process with a focus on the quality of your academic program, your cumulative academic average, your Think Wide Open Statement, and supplemental information.
Generally, successful freshman applicants have earned a GPA of 3.0 (or 85 on a 100 point scale).
Purchase does not require scores from the SAT or ACT exam (with exceptions), though applicants are given the option to submit them. It is recommended that test scores be submitted only if it is believed to benefit the application. For applicants who are considering submitting scores, we typically prefer the following:
Students who are required to submit test scores include:
Purchase College’s motto is “Think Wide Open.” It’s our way of learning, teaching and being and so much more. By choosing Purchase, students make a conscious decision to join an intense community with a deep respect for individuality and diversity and an unparalleled environment of creativity and innovation. As an applicant, we want to know what Think Wide Open means to you. All students submit either an essay, video or other creative work (poem, song, visual artwork, etc.). It should be original and should connect to Think Wide Open broadly or specifically. Videos and creative works should include a brief introduction or statement that helps contextualize your submission for the viewer/reader.
Associate Professor Dan Hanessian founded the Broadway Technical Theatre History Project.