<p>Hi guys! Just out of curiosity, which Ivy League colleges have good theatre programs as a major? Also, anyone know of any small liberal arts schools with strong theatre programs? Thanks! :)</p>
<p>Bard College, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence… plenty of others, too, I am sure!</p>
<p>If you want a BA and are capable of getting in Ivy league level, then I would suggest Northwestern.</p>
<p>Although the Yale School of Drama is a graduate program, Yale’s undergraduate theater department is amazing. Tufts and Brandeis have always had good theater departments. Williams has the Williamstown Theater nearby, and Princeton has the McCarter. I’ve heard good things about Brown’s theater program, but can’t say more than that. As a fallback, you might consider Drew, in Madison, NJ - they have the NJ Shakespeare Theatre on their premises, and very good performing arts departments. Bennington, Oberlin, and Connecticut College are other options.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! What exactly does the undergrad theatre dep at Yale consist of? There is no undergrad theatre degree, correct? That’s actually been a source of confusion for me for a long time so if anyone could clear that up, that would be amazing!</p>
<p>SUNY Fredonia might be up your alley.</p>
<p>Here is a link to the Yale Theatre Studies website – [Department</a> News | Theater Studies](<a href=“http://theaterstudies.yale.edu/]Department”>http://theaterstudies.yale.edu/) There is a Theatre Studies major at Yale. In addition to the Senior Thesis and Dance productions listed on the website, there are a number of student groups on campus (that sometimes hire professional directors) that produce theatrical work.</p>
<p>If you click Yale Drama School you will only find information about the Graduate and Certificate programs. The Drama School and the Theatre Studies programs are not affiliated, although the presence of the Drama School and the Yale Repertory Theatre on campus certainly enhances the opportunities for students to see excellent productions. Years ago I remember there being some undergraduates in the ensemble of a Yale MFA Director thesis production… I think occasionally there were also a few undergraduates in Yale Cabaret productions. I do not believe this happened often… and I am not sure if this still does happen or not. </p>
<p>LACs to look at with strong theatre, in addition to those mentioned above, include Skidmore, Kenyon, Boston College, Gettysburg, Goucher, Barnard/ Columbia… William and Mary, UVA (VA publics), Dartmouth and Middlebury, as well.</p>
<p>I’d add Muhlenberg.</p>
<p>My D1 went to Tufts, was not a theatre major but had friends in theatre and dance. She said the majority of theatre productions there were student-run. If you are looking for alternatives to auditioned BFAs, a school like that is going to be a very different experience. Check course catalogs. A BA at a school like U of Minnesota or U of New Hampshire, for example (as well as at many of the schools already listed here) has a lot more training courses and guided experiential learning than the programs at many liberal arts colleges/universities.</p>
<p>There is an auditioned BA program at Fordham Lincoln Center.</p>
<p>Ithaca College! Not exactly on the same academic level as some of the other places on this thread but the theatre department is bursting with opportunities for BAs and BFAs. Also, more opportunity for merit $ if you have high stats.</p>
<p>I’d second Northwestern. Based on D’s research, it offered by far the strongest combination of world-class academics and theatre training. She has many classmates who turned down Yale, Princeton, Brown, Harvard (not to mention all of the top BFA programs) for NU as it was their top choice, and they are all very pleased with their decisions.</p>
<p>Smith College has an amazing theatre program. It was founded as a woman’s version of the Ivy League and so it’s academics are really strong. It’s an open curriculum so you can pretty much take as many theatre courses in as many areas interest you. They offer TONS of different classes in acting, history, tech, dramaturgy, dance, music, and directing and you can also take classes at 4 other colleges in the area (includig Amherst). They do a tremendous amount of shows a year and have 3 stages and you are also able to audition for local professional companies and shows at any of the other colleges in the area. It really is an amazing school with great academics, theatre, and tons of history!</p>