Lauren Masterpolo (she/her/hers)
BFA Musical Theatre, Class of 2022
lvmasterpolo@gmail.com
IG: @laurenmasterpolo
FB: Lauren Masterpolo
Okay. One sentence to describe a typical day in your program. GO!
A mix of general education classes and major specific classes during the day with rehearsal every night!
What is your FAVORITE thing about your program?
I love that UB gives me the opportunity to be in a huge lecture class with over 200 students where no one knows my name, as well as the chance to be in a class with only 9 people and get professors who know and understand how I work best.
What’s something you would change about your program? Why?
If I could change something about the program, I would rework some of our performance homework assignments. We take a lot of time our sophomore year learning a form of paperwork we do when creating and character and working on songs. Some of the pieces of the paperwork I love and feel like they really help me out. Others don’t work for me as an actor and it turns into mindless busy work. I wish once we discovered what works for us and what doesn’t, we could change the assignments to fit us instead of completing all the paperwork even though we do not benefit from all of it.
How would you describe the overall vibe of your program? Competitive? Supportive? A bit of both? Something else?!
I picked UB mainly for the supportive environment the program fosters. Because the program is so small, we are a program made up of individuals with all very different styles, talents, and plans after college. I think this has created a super supportive environment and it does not get overly competitive or negative during our mainstage auditions or in the classroom.
What was the biggest surprise about your program that you didn’t anticipate as an incoming freshman?
There are way more opportunities for students to have a say in matters than I realized when I started at UB. At the end of my sophomore year, I was voted to be a representative for the Music Theatre program. Once a month, I get the chance to meet with the Chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance to share concerns, questions and comments students have about the department. I am often a part of conversations where I get to help decide the mainstage season, upcoming classes, and possible changes to the department. This has only grown since the pandemic and I was very surprised and excited to see that student involvement was a big part in making the department run smoothly.
What’s something that you think makes your program unique?
Once a year, a guest director comes to UB and directs a mainstage musical. Students get the opportunity to work and connect with these working professionals and many end up working professionally with the same directors later on. We also take a mime class taught by a professional mime...how cool is that?
Real talk: How do the audition & casting processes function at your program?
We do mainstage auditions the semester before the show is performed so freshmen are not allowed to audition until the end of their first semester (for the fall show). Auditions and casting typically takes place over the last week of classes. We do one audition for both the musical and the play and prepare the same material for it.
A typical audition week would look like this:
Monday: One audition for both the play and musical. You have a 10 minute time slot where you sing and monologue and that is it for the day.
Tuesday: Musical callbacks. Dance and ensemble callbacks happen then there are typically cuts before the singing and acting callbacks for specific characters begin. It usually ends very late at night.
Wednesday: Play callbacks. Depends on the play and the director but usually you are given specific characters to read ahead of time.
Friday: Cast lists are released.
Despite auditions being open to all students, usually only BFA musical theatre majors get cast in the musicals. There is no seniority in casting. Plays typically have a couple nonmajors, mostly acting majors, and a few musical theatre students in every show.
Student directed show auditions are much more low-key and take place in the same semester the performances are happening in.
What’s it like outside of performance classes? Is it possible to participate in extracurriculars? Greek life? Are students encouraged to create their own work? Double majors? Minors?
UB has a huge student life and there is always something to do around campus. Many students end up doing greek life. A popular extracurricular is acapella and a lot of musical theatre students are a part of it. With SDS (our student directed series), lots of students end up creating or directing in some capacity. Double majors are common in the program and can be done as long as you have it started from the beginning and continue to keep yourself on track. Minoring is much easier. I started my minor in Nonprofit Leadership halfway through my sophomore year and will be done with it even before I graduate.
Can you travel abroad if desired?
Regular study abroad during the fall or spring semester is not possible with how the BFA program is designed but we have a 3 week London study abroad program during the winter semester that tons of students do. It is geared towards performing art students and is also run by UBTHD faculty. It is a great program and if the pandemic wasn’t a thing I would have done it my junior year!
Are there any opportunities and/or resources that you feel are lacking in your program?
UB is a research one school and most students go there for something majoring in STEM. The Theatre and Dance Department is constantly fighting for a solid budget. The pandemic cut the budget by a huge amount and at this point we don’t know how much this is going to increase as we come out of the pandemic.
What’s the dynamic like between students and faculty?
Because there are less than 50 BFA MTs total, the students and faculty get close. The faculty genuinely care about the students’ physical and mental health and they really put us first. They want us to be the best that we can be and they give individualized attention to each student so they are able to grow and succeed at their own pace and level.
Can you tell us about some of the faculty you train with who really inspire you?
My favorite professor, Vincent O'Neill, is an old Irishman who has been in the department for years. He owns Irish Classical Theatre, a successful theatre downtown. In addition to being a professional actor and director, he went to mime school in France for 4 years. He was taught by and traveled around the world with Marcel Marceau (basically the most famous mime ever). No matter what class he teaches, he is such an interesting person and has so many stories to tell. He is also a great teacher and gives such individualized feedback and attention to each student.
What types of structures are in place for students to receive feedback inside and outside of the classroom? How about for students to give feedback?
In most core performance classes, we have one on one meetings with the faculty to discuss how the class is going for each student. Students are encouraged to speak with professors when they have feedback to give and it is very easy to schedule meetings with the head of the MT program. If students do not feel comfortable with anything, they can ask class reps to give feedback to the professors. Course evaluations are also taken every semester so professors know how to improve their courses.
What steps has your school taken/is your school currently taking to promote greater representation for minority communities and to ensure greater equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of the educational environment?
Student BIPOC and EDI groups were formed this year to ensure greater representation and diversity was happening within the department. Our faculty works alongside them for season selection, bringing in guest speakers and fixing curriculum so we are constantly checking to make sure we are being inclusive in all aspects.
What types of resources does your school encourage/make available for students in regards to mental, physical, and emotional health?
UB has a mental health center where students are able to get accommodations and help if they need it. Faculty also makes it clear on how to find these accommodations if a student needs them. We only get 2 official sick days during the semester but reaching out to faculty is easy and if a student needs to take time off, it is understood and allowed.
What were you most worried about as an incoming freshman that you TOTALLY didn’t need to be worried about?
I was so worried about whether my class would like me or not! First off, I think everyone likes me and I love them so I don’t think that ended up being an issue! Second, you are going to (and you should) find people to hang out with outside of your major...so who really cares whether they like you or not? College is about making friends and that doesn’t necessarily have to be in your major. I love my friends in my class and we have a close connection because of the discoveries and challenges we overcome in our performing classes. But at the end of the day, I normally will go home and hang out with my best friend who is a psychology major because sometimes after a day full of theatre school, the last thing I want to think about is more theatre.
How did you know that this was the right place for you?
I wanted the opportunity to grow and learn as a human being and not just as an actor. UB gave me the opportunity to go to a big liberal arts sports school while attending conservatory-style classes that give me individualized attention and feedback.