Penn State has a good program. And Pace. A lot of good programs are dotted all over (Baldwin Wallace, Viterbo, Point Park etc). search music theatre on College Confidential, and you will see a variety of good programs and info. Auditions can be grueling and expensive. Maybe plan for Unifieds.

I went to VCU for grad school in theatre decades ago. Back then they had virtually no music theatre. That has likely changed, but I don't know how much investment is there.

My kid applied for various BA theatre programs (did not want a BFA) and was considering Muhlenberg. No entry audition, but you can submit supplements for merit scholarships. They were quite generous!

Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not in this world directly, but a friend’s kid went to Temple and an acquaintance is at Northwestern. Just a few more to check out!

Northwestern alum here (not in the theater dept.) and the OP said her kid does not want cold weather. Northwestern is cold and there can be months of gray snow turning black as it sits around. I loved it there (and I'm from the warm South!) but a kid who was seriously not interested in cold-weather regions shouldn't go to NU unless the program there is so compelling for her that it's a clear first choice despite the weather. The theater department is incredible but the quality of life the student prefers is crucial too.

I know that some people have health problems that flare up in the cold and see to be in warm weather. I can’t imagine someone resilient enough to make it in TV, theater or film who’d be worried about cold weather.

What kind of response is this? You know nothing about the child and it’s perfectly reasonable to have geographic preferences in a college search.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not in this world directly, but a friend’s kid went to Temple and an acquaintance is at Northwestern. Just a few more to check out!

Northwestern alum here (not in the theater dept.) and the OP said her kid does not want cold weather. Northwestern is cold and there can be months of gray snow turning black as it sits around. I loved it there (and I'm from the warm South!) but a kid who was seriously not interested in cold-weather regions shouldn't go to NU unless the program there is so compelling for her that it's a clear first choice despite the weather. The theater department is incredible but the quality of life the student prefers is crucial too.

I know that some people have health problems that flare up in the cold and see to be in warm weather. I can’t imagine someone resilient enough to make it in TV, theater or film who’d be worried about cold weather.

Kenyon
Bard
Emerson--I realize it's in Boston, but in a super competitive and subjective major like theater, I would advise DD to apply broadly and not limit her options.

Anonymous wrote:So listen, schools are great but what's the end run? You major in theater, presumably, to act. Focusing so much on the college seems somewhat disconnected from the path to the ultimate thing. Which one of these choices gets you closest in proximity to the thing?

Again, was not looking for these types of opinions on theater as a course of study. There are absolutely colleges that create a path into the theater and performing arts world.

My child was heavily into Theater and other performing arts, so I get it, OP. I would encourage your child to choose a school where she could be happy if she changes her mind on major.

Anonymous wrote:So listen, schools are great but what's the end run? You major in theater, presumably, to act. Focusing so much on the college seems somewhat disconnected from the path to the ultimate thing. Which one of these choices gets you closest in proximity to the thing?

I cannot speak to OP's child's specific situation (as a performer) but I know someone who got a full ride to the Emerson BFA program for technical theater and I can't speak highly enough for how it set her up to have an effective career. Besides arts classes, they had required classes on creating a professional business of yourself (everything from designing logos/resumes/portfolios to doing taxes, accounting, etc.) and opportunities for students to work toward union membership so they were set to join the working world when they graduated. I hope OP and their child are looking into the network/union work opportunities and business classes that are offered at whatever program they choose to go with, although I will say that most of the artists I know did spend at least part of their 20s working secondary jobs until they either switched careers or found something stable. The only one I know who didn't was at American Ballet Academy and went straight into a company.

Does scad have musical theatre?

Anonymous wrote:So listen, schools are great but what's the end run? You major in theater, presumably, to act. Focusing so much on the college seems somewhat disconnected from the path to the ultimate thing. Which one of these choices gets you closest in proximity to the thing?

I presume these are very rich people, and they want the college experience for their kids.

So listen, schools are great but what's the end run? You major in theater, presumably, to act. Focusing so much on the college seems somewhat disconnected from the path to the ultimate thing. Which one of these choices gets you closest in proximity to the thing?

Anonymous wrote:How about Belmont?

Adding to our list. Looks like a good option with warm weather, a fun city location, and an overall artsy vibe (which my kiddo really likes).

Anyone have a sense for how religious it is? I have a friend whose child went there to study music and didn’t even realize it was a Christian school.

Anonymous wrote:A friend with a very successful MT child used the College AUdition Coach starting in Junior year and speaks very highly of them.

Was not familiar with this but looks like an interesting program. Thanks for the suggestion! Lots to learn about the process.

The BFA Acting Dreams facebook group is really good, if someone hasn't already recommended it...

How about Belmont?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just know that schools like Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, etc., are SUPER-competitive and have only a few spots for theater, so have some back-up plans.

We are well aware! All these programs are incredibly competitive and only take a handful of students each year. Going to be intense! Will likely have a few safety schools where child could still pursue theater in some capacity.

We may consider some other options further north but child struggles quite a bit with colder weather and winter months so really not ideal. At least SUNY Purchase is not in Upper NY. Thank you all for the thoughtful additional suggestions!

Has your daughter considered conservatories abroad too? I have a friend who auditioned for New England Conservatory (sorry I mostly know Boston schools!) but ended up in London. Not sure the weather's less depressing in the UK though...