Do you NEED a BFA in Muscal Theatre or Theatre?

[jimbo2]

Posted: 11/10/08 at 5:21pm

I want to go to college for music but i really love performing on stage, and I fear that a BFA would limit my options if I don't "make it" or what not. Is it a bad move to get a vocal performance degree and either minor in or audit classes in theatre? Or would I just be setting myself up for failure?

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 11/10/08 at 6:29pm

Anything you major in is fine, as long as you feel you're getting enough training.

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 11/10/08 at 9:23pm

Absolutely not. But make sure that you take some acting classes while you're there.

[jessica0414]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 1:17am

Say, hypothetically, your bachelor's is in something other than theater or music performance, but you wanted to get your MFA. Is that possible anywhere?

[Taryn]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 1:17pm

Jessica, I wouldn't worry. I'm a senior in college and in the market now for MFA programs (acting, not musical theatre), and almost none of the programs I've seen have required a BA in Theatre or any sort of undergraduate degree requirement (other than having a bachelors in SOMETHING). I go to a school that doesn't even have a theatre major. The closest we have is an English major with a concentration in theatre. It's a very tiny theatre program, which isn't actually it's own department, it's part of the English department.

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 11:18pm

Jessica --

Yes. I am currently in an MFA program (an awesome one) for Acting. One of my classmates was a double major of International Relations and French, and another was a double major of International Relations and Spanish. The French student had done a lot of professional work before coming to grad school, and was already in the Equity Membership Candidacy program. The Spanish student had done a TON of theatre stuff in undergrad, and actually took more Acting classes there than I did while earning my BA in Theatre.

[Taryn]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 11:26pm

Jessica,

I tried to reply to your private message, but it says you don't accept PMs. A good place to start for MFA programs is an article in Backstage that listed ALL the theatre programs (grad and undergrad) in the country. Unfortunately, you have to pay a bit to get access.
The article

[jessica0414]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 12:13am

Thanks! Sorry about that, I'll have to see what's up with the PMs. I'm really interested in theater but sort of came to that realization too late to change my major/take more classes and not spend many more years (and espeically dollars!) in undergrad, lol. Thanks for the link, I will definitely be checking that out.

[MikesBarto2002]

Posted: 11/14/08 at 11:52pm

I think you should focus less on what type of degree that you get, and more on the opportunities that the school can offer you once you have graduated. Not only do you need to look for a school that offers a wonderful education, but I believe it is important that the school continues to take care of you after you graduate, whether it is offering a showcase that is performed for agents in New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago after you graduate, or helps you with job placement, or has great connections with summer stock theaters in the area. The more connections you can make right out of school, the better. AND the more a school can help you make those connections, the better!
Schools for Theatre