BEST COLLEGES BFA MUSICAL THEATER — Page 15

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.

---

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.

---

Hello everyone,

I'm sorry to get slightly off the subject of this thread (BFAs) but I was wondering if you guys had any thoughts about Circle in the Square Theater School? I'm starting there in the fall, in their MT program. I should say that I specifically chose their program because it's mainly an acting program. My main goal isn't to become a triple threat, but a good actress who sings and dances (I know their dance training is limited but I used to be a dancer). Thanks in advance for any insight you might have about the school.

---

just curious about Aaron Tveit-- did he actually go back this year and finish coursework? Or was it online or something?

Another great program at NYU is the musical theater program in Steinhardt. Its in the Music department, so you earn a Bachelor of Music. It's more focused on singers who act and dance, rather than actors who can sing and dance, and you take four years if theory and keyboard training. Its a music program, rather than a drama program, so if you're more interested in developing your music skills, its a great program.

It is worth candidly considering the amount of debt you will take on while in school. Six months after you are out, you have to start paying that back. Unless your folks are loaded or willing to take that on for you, you may end up working full time in non-theatre just to pay that debt. Be practical - can you afford the debt? A full time job - if necessary to pay for yourself - makes it really hard to audition freely - worth thinking about. I specifically mention this for those who are moving to NYC - it's very expensive just to live here leaving aside any debt. Most of the schools recommended here are private and most of the people recommending the programs are still in them. Look at alumni who are working who came out of those schools. Look at ALL alumni - people can make a solid career and never actually play broadway - national tours, cruise ships, etc. Alumni working is the best indicator of a 'good' program if you ask me.

All that said, in my experience, going to school/studying in the city you want to work in is a great way to build connections while you are studying. There's a certain starting from scratch aspect when you move to a new city. How good are your out of town professors connections? Has anyone successfully used them? Talk to those people. Studying where you want to end up can save you months of building connections while you have no work and a lot of moving expenses.

Last, do you need to go to school at all? My partner skipped college and moved to NYC with his first year's state college tuition in his pocket, having convinced his parents to let him move to NYC and use that money to get started. He took various part time jobs, took dance and voice classes, auditioned like crazy, and got work starting at 18 (cruise ships, tours, summer stock, etc.). He had a friend who'd already moved here who got gave him a couch for a few months, introduced him to dance teachers (dance is his forte), hooked him up on how to audition, etc. Not everyone is cut out to do this but if you think you are, it might be a way to do this. You can always go back to college later if it doesn't get you anywhere.

Updated On: 12/4/12 at 11:39 AM

When looking at BFA programs, be aware that some of the MT programs are actually what are sometimes called, Liberal Art BFAs. The amount of academics is twice as much, or sometimes more, than is required on pure conservatory BFA programs.
If you are looking at Musical Theatre, you should know that there is often not enough time in the conservatory teaching day to cover the three threads of acting, singing and dance. If you have to do more academics, you may not get enough time to get a good training in all areas and may have to do catch up with workshops, etc., when you graduate.
Check out the academic requirements, ie., number of academic credits. I love working with educated actors but you should understand that there is a compromise between academics and training on many programs.
Disclosure: I have taught on a liberal art BFA and in a conservatory BFA.

I would think the music performance is for singers not actors.

---

Generally speaking, Music (or Vocal) Performance is going to have more classes in music theory, music history, foreign language, IPA, piano, etc, in addition to the expected vocal lessons. Musical Theatre will have a little of that, but also dance, acting, theatre history, basic theatre tech/design, etc.