<p>I can act. I can sing. I LOVE Musical Theater, but I don't want to get shafted in the way of acting and/or film training. I'm interested in doing ANY acting work I can, whether it's MT, straight theater, or film. Any suggestions on some good schools and good majors to pursue at those schools to get the most out of my education? </p>
<p>I'm currently considering all sorts of conservatories and Universities. My grades and SATs are well above average, and I live in VA, so all of East Coast is doable. If something incredible hits me on the head that's farther west, I'm fine with that too</p>
<p>There are east coast BFA MT programs that offer very strong acting training. There are BFA acting programs that also offer opportunities for solid training as a singer. Some east coast schools to look at, off the top of my head, that are known for strong acting training in the context of a MT program are CMU, UArts, Ithaca, Syracuse and NYU Tisch. There are others. In BA programs that offer good acting training combined with good training in voice, examples are Northwestern and Muhlenberg. Again, there are others. This question has also been discussed a lot on the Musical Theater forum.</p>
<p>My daughter is a senior at UArts, so I can provide you some more details about its programs. The school offers a BFA in either MT or acting. For the first 6 semester, both acting and MT students take the same core acting studio classes together that serve as the backbone of the acting curriculum for both majors. Acting students take additional courses in acting styles, mask, stage combat etc while MT students take additional courses in acting a song, singing, dance and MT performance and repertoire. Both acting and MT students audition for all the same school shows and are routinely cross cast between straight drama and musicals. Acting majors can also audition for a minor in MT. There are also electives in acting for the camera.</p>
<p>On the MT forum, in addition to the discussion threads on the main page, there is a list of schools at the top of the main page that have their own sub-forums. The is also a thread pegged to the top of the main page that has the “Big List” of schools with MT programs. These could be good places to dig in and start perusing different schools to get a handle on schools that interest you for further investigation. As you go through the process, go to each school’s website and pull up the curriculum for the acting and MT programs. Each school has its own balance and focus within its acting and MT programs and looking at the curriculum is a good way to start to get an understanding of that.</p>
<p>I agree with MichaelNKat – Syracuse is another school that emphasizes a strong acting background for MT students as well as actors. In addition, they offer a semester in NYC, and a week in LA during senior year; both of those programs have a strong on-camera component.
I am a theater/vocal coach, a performer, and also the parent of a performer (who just graduated from Syracuse.) It has been my observation that actors who have developed their vocal and dance skills are much more employable than those who have not. If you have talents in the musical area, you should continue to develop those talents in order to be competitive. It does not have to mean that you will not also be employable in films, TV, or non-musicals.</p>
<p>It’s only just begun…! Seriously, take some time to browse through this discussion group. You will find huge amounts of information that will help you in your search, and if you can’t find answers to your questions, lots of people are here who will be happy to help.</p>
<p>I am a Syracuse alum MT, and the acting training there is very strong. As a MT student we took the same acting classes as the BFA actors, could audition for all plays, etc… On the flip side BFA actors may audition for musicals. At Syracuse you can audition for the MT major, but indicate that you would also like to be considered for the Acting major.</p>
<p>The other schools mentioned above also allow a a lot of cross over. I believe that CMU also allows you to indicate when you audition that you would like to be considered for the Acting program as well as the MT program.</p>
<p>In addition to the BA programs mentioned above, you may want to look at Skidmore and Rollins if you are looking for non-auditioned BA schools for your list. These schools require strong academic stats, but it sounds like you have those? Remember though, a non-auditioned BA is not a safety unless you are well above the admit stats and could afford to attend if admitted. </p>
<p>Since you are from VA In State schools to look at: </p>
<p>VCU – BFA Acting Program where they perform musicals, and have at least one MT Performance class. There are quite a few opportunities to study and work in MT around Richmond as well. I believe you audition for admission to the BA program and then again at the end of your sophomore year for admission to the BFA track.</p>
<p>For an auditioned BA program, JMU is worth a look. The MT and Theatre concentration students take acting classes together, all students can audition for plays and musicals, theatre students may take certain MT performance classes on an auditioned, space available basis. Just opened a beautiful new facility. It is worth a visit to tour the Performing Arts Center. I teach at JMU, PM me if you have any specific questions.</p>
<p>CNU is a non-auditioned program (at least for initial admission to the program. I think you do audition for scholarships as an incoming freshman, and tracks at the end of freshman year.</p>