BEST COLLEGES BFA MUSICAL THEATER — Page 14

check out Illinois Wesleyan too. If you are lookin at Milikin you might be interested by that one.

*BUMP*

I know the topic has been discussed to death, but where on this list that was created previously on this thread would OTTERBEIN fit?

Top 3: (arguable all could be #1)
CCM
UMich
BoCo

Class B: (well known for MT and in no order)
Penn State
CMU
NYU
Millikin
Elon
Webster
Baldwin-Wallace
UArts
Ithaca
Northwestern (with no BFA)
Point Park

Class C: (not as well known, but still good, in no order)
Roosevelt (CCPA)
Florida State
U Central Florida
Illinois Wesleyan
OCU
U Arizona
UCLA
Marymount Manhattan (no BFA MT)
Catholic University
Western Michigan
Wright State
Ball State

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My personal knowledge would put Otterbein in the Class B category. I know they are very selective (they take around 4 boys, 4 girls a year) and rising in notoriety. I've heard people say Otterbein is one of the best MT programs if you're looking for equal and excellent training for singing, acting, and dancing.

Can anyone tell me about FSU's program. I know that some of their graduates are in the show Memphis.

Updated On: 3/29/11 at 09:24 AM

From Memphis, I'm pretty sure only Kevin Covert went there. They have had tons of Michigan grads though, Bryan Langlitz, Sydney Morton, Ashley Blanchet, Cary Tedder,etc.

Jessica Lea Patty of Addams Family, now in People in the Picture is an FSU grad, and she's amazing. I took a master class from her and she was excellent. Definitely a very prepared and accomplished performer.

Speaking of Broadway performers with BFA's in either Acting or Musical Theater, what would the leading school be right now (in terms of how many grads from a school are currently or were recently on b'way)? Michigan?

EDIT: Just looked it up and Montego Glover also holds a BFA from FSU.

Updated On: 4/15/11 at 08:51 PM

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/

Go to College Confidential, a much better place to be asking these questions.

ahhrealmonsters - In response to your negative comment about the New Studio on Broadway at NYU Tisch, first of all, you yourself have admitted that you know very little about it, so I feel that your opinion is unjustified.

The faculty and programs at the New Studio on Broadway are absolutely fantastic. They have teachers who formally taught at Carnegie Mellon, Yale School of Drama, and Juilliard (all highly reputable places). They are still selecting top notch kids out of the 1400 people who auditioned for the program this year (and the number is growing). Please don't assume that because the program is new, there is no way it can be better than CAP21. Because there have not been graduates yet, of course there are no working alumni.

The New Studio on Broadway at Tisch is without a doubt one of the top musical theatre programs in the country. Just look at the faculty, students, reputation, and the greater university.

has anyone heard anything about Emerson College? I've heard some positive things and they look pretty interesting

My daughter is looking for a MT school in the Southeast ( I would prefer Florida!) Has anyone heard about the $1 mil endowment just awarded to U of F Musical Theatre school? Not crazy about FSU as a school, but I know they have a very good music school. But looking for another option in Florida, maybe transfer after a couple of years. Thanks!

BAs give a more general artistic viewpoint. I have a BA, and took classes in design, acting, directing, musical theatre, acting, dance, etc. Would i have a BFA in, say, musical theatre, I would focus solely on singing, acting, and dancing.

The above statement may also be true, but technically the difference between a BA and a BFA is that the former is a liberal arts degree. A BA program will typically require two years' worth of general electives, one year of major classes, and another year comprised of electives and/or a minor. (The actual classes one takes will be mixed up; I don't mean each year will be devoted to one category.)

A BFA program--again in theory--will require more studio classes and fewer general academic electives.

This is the basic model. There are plenty of exceptions. I spent many years at UCLA and there was an ongoing tension between the desire of some faculty members to form a conservatory and the University of California charter, which requires that all UC schools offer liberal arts degrees.

To the person looking at Florida (if you still check the boards and assuming you have at least a year to decide)... I've heard good things about UCF, but they tend to send their students to work exclusively in Orlando afterwards. FSU has a very developed program and Miami is building up a strong program, from what I hear.

*Side note: UCF allows most people to get in-state tuition vouchers, which for Musical Theatre, is a huge help. There are very few state schools (around the country) with a good program.


-I'm just going to be honest, since no one will write it: Tisch is dead for Musical Theatre.
-PACE is excellent, however they encourage you to go out and work during your time there, which, while that is good... it's only good to a certain extent. There's a reason you go to a training program. PACE gives you phenomenal training, but if you're looking for a true four year experience, PACE may push you out of the nest a little too fast. Many people refer to it as a "factory".
-Elon and Penn Sate are becoming big powerhouses. That's been alluded to, no need to go more into it.


BAs are very good options and shouldn't be looked at as a "fall back." With a BA, as long as the school is good, you're still getting an excellent training... a BA allows you to learn more, outside of theatre; a lot of graduate schools (a la Yale) prefer a BA, for that reason. Even though a BA is rooted in liberal arts, they're more often than not very rigorous. (Look at Wagner and Muhlenberg, for example.)

As far as BAs go, Wagner is excellent and has really been shaping up their program recently. The Wagner Theatre Performance major is actually a lot more intensive than most BFA Musical Theatre programs, and the school is very well respected in the industry.

Then of course, there's Northwestern, which is also great.

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Updated On: 9/26/12 at 05:57 PM

Thoughts of about Ball State University?

This talk of TISCH reminds me: prospective students, make sure you look into whether a school favors a certain acting style. You should want to be well versed in many styles, but also should really do some research to make sure you're not unhappy with the style of training. It could potentially be the difference as to whether you stay at a school or transfer.

Back to Tisch...

Maybe "dead" was a little harsh, but it really doesn't live up to the hype of its name and what it once was.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as the new studio... you don't really get to pick your studio, right? If I'm recalling correctly, an audition for TISCH is just that, and they place you into a program AND a studio... is that still the case?

I'm totally willing to be wrong here, I just haven't heard many positive things coming out of TISCH in the past few years, from one person in particular who would've been a junior this coming fall, actually.

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