'Red Flags' BIPOC Students Need to Look Out for with BFA Programs

Oberlin College

With the summer almost here, this is typically the time of the year when rising high school seniors begin to look at which colleges they’re going to apply. While 2020 has removed the traditional in-person tour option for a lot of these schools, the college search continues nonetheless.

When it comes to BFA theatre programs, the questions and perspective between white and BIPOC(Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students. differ greatly. What might be a perfect situation for a white student might not before someone who is not.

But often, BIPOC’s are pressured into accepting admission into programs that perhaps aren’t as welcoming to diversity. Those students don’t want to pass up the chance to study at a top school.

The good news is there are tons of schools that are welcoming to diversity and have many opportunities for BIPOC students to shine just as much as their white students.

So here are some “red flags” that BIPOC students should look for when evaluating some of these BFA theatre colleges.

Their program has a very low percentage of BIPOC students

This has to be at the very top of your list of things to ask about and take notice of. If a school doesn’t have a strong history of BIPOC students, there’s a reason for that. There could be a number of reasons, some of which we’re going to mention further in this column, but it’s something that should be considered.

Stats don’t lie. So if a school tells you that they value diversity but have nothing to show for it, that should raise a lot of questions. If they’re telling you that they’re going to increase their efforts on raising diversity and providing more opportunities for BIPOC students, challenge them on what their exact plan is. If you’re not satisfied with their answers, move on. No need to spend four years and a lot of money at a place that doesn’t have a concrete plan to value your work.

Their Senior Showcases are practically all white

Let’s not downplay the importance of senior showcases. They are extremely important. This is your chance to perform in front of industry professionals for jobs and signing opportunities. Every quality BFA program should have at least one showcase for their graduating class, a great program will have more.

So it’s important to see who is finishing in this program. Are their showcases reflecting the diversity they had from day one? Or are maybe only one or two BIPOC students being included in the showcase as opposed to a dozen or more white students?

Some programs have special showcases for BIPOC students in addition to including them in the main senior showcase. These schools should be at the top of your list.

They don’t have a diverse faculty

I need to make this point early, there is a severe lack of diversity among performing arts college professors, to begin with. This is a national issue. So even the vert best schools aren’t going to have a lot of diversity among their educators, but they should have some.

This is something to look out for because if the entire faculty is white, it’s absolutely more of a challenge for their to look beyond the “white gaze” and being true advocates for BIPOC student no matter how “woke” they are.

Without having a diverse faculty for BIPOC students, those students might have to rely on school resources outside the department which runs the risk of doing more harm than good.

Their show season isn’t diverse and they’re questionably casting BIPOC students

If a school does have a good number of BIPOC students, ask or look carefully at what types of shows these schools are doing and how are these students being cast in them. Are BIPOC students cast in lead roles? Or are they being shuffled into ensembles or sidekick parts? Are they casting shows outside the “white" default” by casting a black Julie Jordan or an Asian Hamlet?

Also, take a look at their show seasons. Are they doing work that allows for diversity or are they doing shows that don’t?

Their entire college population isn’t diverse

While it’s easy to think that BFA conservatory students live in a bubble at schools, it’s not always the case. There will be many times where BIPOC students are going to rely on resources outside the theatre department and if those resources aren’t available, it’s not a good fit. Yes, a BFA program could have a ton of black students, but if they are going to be the only black students on campus, is it the ideal location for them? It’s a question worth asking.

You’re not getting satisfactory answers

This probably should have been at the top, but I’ll finish this piece with maybe the most important thing to look for.

It doesn’t matter if the college is ranked #1 in the country, if you’re not satisfied with the answers they’re telling you, take that as a major red flag.

Given the new attention and awareness that colleges are implementing to recruit more BIPOC students, they should have quality action plans and answers to all your questions. If they don’t, I would question how serious this school is when it comes to recruiting someone like me.

I hope this helps. This is a time when BIPOC students need to feel more comfortable with their college choices than ever before. This marks the beginning of many articles we’ll be doing on the BFA theatre program process. So as questions arise, don’t hesitate to comment on here, social media or email us directly at onstageblog@gmail.com