Magenta Rose Brown (she/her/hers)
BA Theatre, Acting Emphasis
Class of 2023
Email: magentarosebrown@gmail.com
IG: @magentarosebrown
What is your FAVORITE thing about your program?
My favorite thing about UCLA is the culture of collaboration it promotes as well as the ability to expand your knowledge past just the specific emphasis you were admitted for. Going into college it was very important to me that I got a solid chance to grow and learn in academic classes as well as theatrical classes, and even within the theater department there are chances to learn things like directing, writing, designing, etc even if you are a performance emphasis and I know a number of people, myself included who are pursing two emphases within the theater department.
What would you change about your program? Why?
I think that there is a lot more room for collaboration between the UCLA Theater department and Film department. A good deal exists right now but it is mostly facilitated by the students instead of the faculty and is something that you usually have to seek out yourself. I think there is a great opportunity these departments have, being under the same school to collaborate and I wish that was more supported by the faculty members.
How would you describe the overall vibe of your program? Competitive? Supportive? A bit of both? Something else?!
The UCLA Theater department vibe is very collaborative and supportive from my experience, and people are usually quite willing to help one another out as well as be happy for one another’s successes.
What was the biggest surprise about your program that you didn’t anticipate as an incoming freshman?
The biggest surprise, and a nice one at that, is the fact that I got to know and become very close with people of different emphases outside of just Acting. Because of the way the freshman classes are structured, you take all of your theater classes with all the other theater majors, so I got to know many designers, directors, stage managers etc.
What makes your program unique?
The amount of opportunities to explore academically and theatrically, and the chance to grow both in what you were admitted for, and for other passions.
Real talk: How do the audition & casting processes function at your program?
Each quarter, the theater department holds auditions for all the shows happening that quarter. The way it currently works is you go into one room and audition for every director at once, and then if a musical is happening that quarter and you are auditioning for that, there is a separate day for songs and dance auditions. You do not have to audition for the musical if you only want to be considered for the plays, but if you are auditioning for the musical, you will be considered for the plays as well. When you audition, they make you sign an audition form stating that if you attend callbacks, you will accept whatever role is given if cast. So, if you are called back for a show, you do not wish to be a part of you can simply not show up for the callback, that’s pretty common. However, if you do show up for the callback then you have to be satisfied taking whatever role you are called back for or whatever role they give you if cast. A few people have declined roles before, but it is very looked down on by the department and can make it hard for you to get cast in future shows. Not all students like this current process and some are petitioning for it to be changed, but I have no clue if it will change or not any time soon.
What’s it like outside of performance classes? Is it possible to participate in extracurriculars? Greek life? Double majors? Minors?
A lot of theater students have very active extracurricular lives outside of the theater department. There is obviously a lot of student theater groups on campus that many people are involved in, but outside of that, many students are involved in various other clubs and organizations not specifically theater related. It is definitely possible do be involved in Greek Life and I have a lot of friends who are. Like I mentioned before lots of people do double emphases within the theater department like acting/writing, Musical theater/directing, writing/directing, acting/designing etc. As far as double majoring with Theater and another major that’s not really allowed due to workload and scheduling, but it is very very possible and common to minor in something.
Does your school help you pursue professional working opportunities during the year, over the summer, and/or post-graduation? How so?
Somewhat, but you have to seek it out. TFT (School of Theatre, Film & TV) sends out a weekly newsletter that sometimes has internship opportunities or short film opportunities and other audition opportunities. If you are searching for an internship for a specific quarter, you can get some help from certain faculty members, but you have to reach out to them, and be a go-getter of sorts. There is also a senior showcase at the end of your four years.
Are there any opportunities and/or resources that you feel are lacking in your program?
As I mentioned before, I believe there could be more facilitated cross collaboration between the theater and film departments. I know that there are a lot of musical theater students who wish that there were more department musicals than there currently are.
What’s the dynamic like between students and faculty?
Friendly and professional. The faculty really care about the students and helping the students grow and do what they can to facilitate that.
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?
Feedback from professors to students is pretty built into class time in performance classes, as well as in private voice lessons for musical theater students. Professors are also quite willing to meet students during office hours. At the end of each quarter there are anonymous class/ professor evaluations that students fill out to provide feedback to professors.
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?
There are a few diversity class requirements that the school has in place to promote learning diversity and some of those classes can be quite rewarding. There is also an active student theater company called Colorbox that is specifically focused on making and supporting inclusive and diverse art within the theater community.
What types of resources does your school encourage/make available for students in regards to mental, physical, and emotional health?
UCLA has a great gym on campus that is open to all students as well as another smaller gym in the dorm area. As far as mental and emotional health UCLA has a counseling service that is somewhat hit or miss, some people have good experiences with it, others not. With their counseling service you’re not usually able to go super frequently, however, they can give some good referrals to outside mental health resources.
What were you most worried about as an incoming freshman that you TOTALLY didn’t need to be worried about?
As an incoming freshman, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to make friends outside of the theater department. I definitely did not need to be worried about this - From the dorms to clubs to general UCLA social life there are lots of ways to meet and connect with people outside of the theater department. Even transitioning back out of online learning to in person learning I was a bit worried about this as on zoom I had gotten into a bit of a theater bubble, but I was pretty easily able to reconnect with the non-theater friends I had made as well as make new ones when school went back in person
How did you know that this was the right place for you?
I knew UCLA was the right place for me because I was looking for a school in which I could get very high-quality acting training while growing intellectually at the same time. I am very pleased that I am at a school in which I can take both acting and writing classes within the theater department, and to top it off I love being in LA, and the general study body vibe at UCLA.