Speaking of Colleges....

[sweeedboy]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 12:25am

Why aren't there any grad programs in musical theater? Or are there and i just don't know about them. I know lots of schools have undergrad; NYU, Carnagie Melon, etc. but as far as i know none of them have grad.

[DoReMi]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 1:43am

Oh..but there are.

Two of the best in the US are:

Cincy Conservatory and Oklahoma City University (Chenoweth got her Masters in MT there)

[bob8rich]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 3:33am

NYU has a grad course in Musical Theater Writing (though not, I think, in performing). I know this as a friend and collaborator of mine is currently in the process of submitting his application for next year.

[sweeedboy]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 12:29pm

yeah i knew about the writing program, which is super super super super super tough to get into. I think they accept all of two students every two years or something crazy like that. Any schools in new york offer a masters program?

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 12:35pm

I think The New School does? But that might just be a Graduate Program.

Updated On: 12/18/03 at 12:35 PM

[CharityHope924]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 1:05pm

I'm just going to paste in what I posted in an earlier thread on colleges, so if it sounds familiar, that's why. (I'm sorry to be so lazy, but it's just that kind of day...)

There's been a lot of talk about Tisch, but nobody has mentioned about the other musical theatre performance programs offered at NYU. Under the auspices if the music department in the Steinhardt School of Education, there are both undergraduate and graduate programs in musical theatre. The faculty is outstanding, the guest artists are all broadway professionals and the alumni work consistently (several on Broadway and in national tours right now). It's not going to teach you the finer points of acting Shakespeare, but as far as professional musical theatre training-- learning the business and preparing you to get work--it is fabulous. I got my master's there, but I already had an undergraduate degree in drama, so I went in with a lot of acting training under my belt. If you are a good actor, or at least already have good instincts, and want to perfect your voice, make professional contacts and learn how to audition, this is the program for you. It really depends upon what you're looking for in your graduate training. If you have any specific questions about the program, feel free to PM me.

One bit of advice on choosing a school on general: Make sure you look at the actual course offerings and see that there are courses devoted to the things you want to study. A lot of the viewbooks you get in the mail will say that a program teaches a certain thing, but that can just mean that it is touched upon at some point in some class. It doesn't necessarily mean there are whole courses devoted to it. If there is something that's important to you, get a bulletin and make sure it's a solid part of the curriculum.

Best of luck with your school search!