I think everyone is giving great advice. In my capacity, I actually get to travel all over the country to work with theatres who are doing musicals that involves flying (Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, etc). There are many theatre programs all across the country. They are as different as snowflakes and each program has something to offer, however, as a potential "customer," a student should look at a few key items before choosing their program.
1) How well connected are the professors? If they have connections outside and do work outside the school, that is a good indicator of the quality of the mentorship.
2) Look for programs that have specialists in each area: vocal, music, dance, movement, etc. A smaller program might guarantee that you spend more time onstage, but a larger program may allow you to focus on specific areas in your development that need the most work. Do not immediately dismiss a program with grad students - remember that grad programs often attract professors with wider exposure. You have to weigh the pros and cons of each and find the right choice for you.
3) Where do you want to work when you graduate? A good school in Los Angeles may not set you up well to work in New York. Many top notch programs are "feeder schools" for certain markets. If you are looking to enter that market, find a good "feeder school" and they will train you to enter that market.
4) What do the students say? Once you narrow down you school choices, I recommend a visit where you stay with current students and "walk a mile in their shoes". If the school does not offer to set that up for you, ASK for it.
5) As you are gathering your information, keep your current mentor informed. Your current teacher knows you . . . probably better than you know you . . . so talk it out with them. Sometimes simply hearing yourself talk through the options with someone you trust will help you decide on the best option for you.
I hope this helps.
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Tracy Nunnally
Owner/President
DeKalb IL
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-05-2014 16:06
From: Phillip Rayher
Subject: Best colleges for Musical Theatre
Jonathan has listed many of the programs with good track records and staff. I always say to my students "remember there are new Musical Theatre programs popping up every day- that's were the new enrollment is coming from. As the relatively new (at least to an old timer like me) BFA programs in acting slow down, we now have new BFA in musical theatre. So, check into how many alumni are actually working in the field after graduation. I am not saying "immediately" on graduation but after sometime. I hope this makes sense, I am at school between classes.
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Phillip Rayher
Director, Theatre Dept.
Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts
San Francisco CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-04-2014 17:48
From: Jonathan Dorf
Subject: Best colleges for Musical Theatre
Hi Carolyn,
There are a ton of good programs out there, though many are more acting and not just musical theatre--like Juilliard, USC, Cal Arts and DePaul, for example. Obviously, NYU comes to mind, as do UCLA, which has the very well funded Ray Bolger Musical Theater program, and Carnegie Mellon. Cincinnati College of Music also has a great rep, and Emerson is probably strong as well, as their reputation in general is quite good. Boston University has a strong theatre program and I believe just started a musical theatre track. Of course, there are also more conservatory-style programs like AMDA.
I'm sure there are many others. A question to consider is whether it might be better to major in something a little less narrow (i.e. acting vs only musical theatre acting). My two cents.
Cheers,
Jon
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Jonathan Dorf
Playwright/ Co-founder of YouthPLAYS/ Co-chair of The Alliance Of Los Angeles Playwrights
Los Angeles CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-04-2014 07:59
From: Carolyn Greer
Subject: Best colleges for Musical Theatre
Hi, everyone!
I know we all have our favorites, but a friend has asked me to give her a list of top schools and second tier schools and I thought I would bring it to the crowd with the greatest knowledge. They live in Florida, but I think are open to anywhere in the US.
All my best to everyone! Hope your school year is off to a great start! Welcome back to those of you just getting started. We've been in school a month and our first set of one-acts are in three weeks. Three weeks!!! I have to go!!
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Carolyn Greer
Owensboro KY
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