I've signed the paperwork.

I'm going to North Carolina School of the Arts.

GO FIGHTIN' PICKLES!!
(Yes... that's our mascot... good thing we don't have a sports team!)

Well it's been a while since i've posted...

So I've basically narrowed the next four years of my life down to two places... given i get into at least one of them.

 

University of Southern California - large campus, lots of people, really small intimate theatre program (Only twenty people in the BFA program each year). Has a lot of random opportunities both involving the Drama School and outside of that. I would be able to do comedy sportz some more, which would obviously be awesome. I love everything this school has to offer, including acting in student films from the number one film school in the country. The one problem is this has been the school that i've been most worried about not getting into... they seem very indifferent involving my abilities.

Otterbein - Small campus, not too more people than Cinco has now, even smaller more intimate theatre program (only 8 total people in acting (8 more in musical theatre)). Not quite as many random opportunities, considering it's just outside of Columbus, Ohio, but it would be a great place for me to actually focus really hard on improving my acting, which is KIND OF an important part about all of this. Plus, senior year i'd spend nine weeks in L.A. interning with a casting agency (one student this year is actually interning with the people who cast the show "Lost," so these guys know people). They have shown a greater interest in me than USC, which is promising. but once again, there are no guarantees considering they only admit four male actors... **************AND MEGAN WILL POSSIBLY BE LESS THAN A FIFTEEN MINUTE DRIVE FROM ME AND I LOVE HER. :P   **************



Both schools are great, i visited both this weekend, I love both of them for different reasons. now i just gotta wait a month and a half to find out anything...

other than this, my life is school, rehearsals, homework. bland, boring, nothing special.
 



*sorry for not mentioning OU drew... if i don't get into either of these, it goes back in the running.

I miss the show already...

am VERY jealous of missing camping, i was really hoping i could go along with yall.

still had a great time in both florida and maryland, and had a much needed break.

much love and please call/text now that i exist again

Well, I still have a short list, but i have added a college:

OU (been accepted)
Otterbein (official audition was today)
USC
NYU
Webster
University of North Carolina School of the Arts

OU is a good school, very good theatre school, but as shaina said they do try and place you in a category and i'm not too fond of that, considering I tend to be a character actor but would definitely like lead roles. However, I had a talk with Matthew Ellis, the movement and fight choreography director there, and he seems really cool and he would be a phenomenal resource to have should i want to work towards becoming certified and successful as a fight director. Also as shaina already said, they prepare you very well for the entertainment world of today, and overall it would be a great choice in school for me (disregarding the lack of Jews and the fact that it's in the Bible belt...)

Otterbein is unbelievable. The guy that worked with shaina also worked with me and made one of my monologues so so so comfortable and real and just plain awesome. and he was jewish. So he told me about synagogues in the area, and that was nice. The problem is they do not prepare you as much as OU for acting on camera and definitely not for stage combat, but I would still be able to find a way to get certified in fight directing by taking courses and such. Out of all of them, they would probably best prepare me overall for my acting, but they only accept four guy actors, so....... wish me luck? haha

USC refuses to call me back... The more i think about them, the more i wonder if it would be a good idea for me to go there. I mean, granted, i haven't given them what they wanted in an audition because i have done a really internal and "real" comedic piece for them yet to go along with my dramatic. But still, that means if i were to go there, they would spend so much time trying to change me to fit what they want me to be, and fuck that. I'm good the way i am thank you, and that time spent trying to change my whole style of acting would be taking away from time i could be building as an actor.

NYU is lovely, but I had a conversation with my father who had a conversation with his good friend who is a producer in hollywood (He was one of the producers for Everybody Loves Raymond, so he's kinda a big-time guy, ya know? One of the many reasons why i love my father... he knows everyone!) And my dad's friend tells him that producers don't just look in New York and Los Angeles, they look around the country for people who stand out from the crowd. If i were to end up at NYU or USC, that would be a very large and competitive crowd to try to stand out in, so it's not like i'm counting NYU out, but that is something that's on my mind. Otherwise, obviously it's a wonderful school.

Webster is more on the bottom of my list of those six... i don't know why, but they haven't stood out to me yet. I know they're an amazing school, but i don't think they're into me as much as they are into shaina and i don't think they try to recruit me as much. But eh, they are a good school, so I'm definitely keeping them on my list.

I just added North Carolina to my list... apparently it's a very intensive conservatory that makes sure you're damn ready for the business when you come out. Very competitive to get into, very competitive once you're in. They don't just deal with high school kids that apply to them, if i were to get in, i'd be working with people in their twenties and thirties that had to audition the same as me to get in there... It's real shit going on up in there, but i talked to both Gallas and De about it, and they both said how intense of a program it is and how well it prepares you. Once again, it's really tough to get in, so i'm not getting my hopes up there.


That's about it on my thoughts about each of the colleges... I really just want to get out of here already... And after talking with the colleges that called me back (and the bastards at USC who didn't... grrr), it actually helped me relax and made me feel more comfortable with my decision to pursue acting (and thank goodness it did, 'cause this is the scariest process i've ever had to go through)

if you have any thoughts at all, please comment. I love you all and value your opinion almost more than my own  : )

(wow, that was a lot longer than i expected it to be... Thank you to those who read it, i don't blame you if you didn't, haha)

Something's weird about the pattern in my life right now... I can't quite place my finger on what it is though.

I mean, i have the boring school, the stressful rehearsals and other theatre related things, i have college apps and auditions, and i don't really have time for much else. I hate all the stress and work, and yet something keeps me from going absolutely insane, and i have no idea what that is.

anyone else have that feeling ever or am i just insane and should be locked up immediately?

Current Music: Sweeney Todd - A Little Priest

Well I'm back. OU went pretty well i'd say, and the campus is great. Living with Drew for the weekend was just about awesome. I also got to see carolyn, mary, hannah, and a couple of other former cinco people, which is always fun.

So yay for one bit of stress coming off my back!!

but even still, some things just take hold and never let go...

I don't have my monologues memorized.

I'm still studying for an english quiz at 2:30 in the morning.

but i don't feel tired.

")

So... a slightly cheerful night in the life of Leighton Schlanger.

I had a great time studying with Shaina and Heidi, even though Heart of Darkness can go straight to hell and never return.

I'm going to actually get some sleep tonight.

AND i just found out i got a 33 on my ACT. Yay for possible much-needed scholarship money!

for AP Lit, should i read...

1984

or

Slaughterhouse-5