Hi all! There always seems to be abundant information on the best programs for BFA’s in Acting and MT; however, it seems as though recommendations for quality Theatre BA programs (a well-rounded theatre education) are harder to come by. Any recommendations or suggestions?
Check out U of Southern California. They have a non-audition Drama B.A. that is great but requires high stats for admission.
Drew University in Madison NJ!
Wagner is a great BA but audition only and high academic requirements so not a safety at all. Not sure about the quality of Muhlenberg’s BA (non-audition, but definitely some academic minimums)
@mn8465 UIC (university of IL Chicago) has relatively good tuition and the BA and BFA are taught by directors of local theatres such as Goodman and the Steppinwolf Theatre
When you say “well-rounded theatre education,” what exactly do you mean by that? Do you want a theatre performance major that includes a solid liberal arts component (e.g. non-conservatory)? Or a non-performance theatre major that will go into all the various areas that a performance major would perhaps have a single course in: theatre history, script analysis, tech, and so on?
Just by way of examples, Pace’s BFA Acting is a liberal arts degree such that you would average 2 non-theatre classes per semester on top of your 4 theatre classes. You need to fulfill various areas of knowledge (AOKs) spread across everything from science and math to civic engagement. However, it is about as close to conservatory level training as you will get in a non-conservatory program; the focus is clearly on performance and you go very deep into acting, movement, vocal production, and so on.
Holy Cross, by contrast, has a very solid theatre program that is not performance-focused. Sure, you’ll take some acting, but it is a much broader program that has just 12 theatre classes for the major (that’s 1.5 classes per semester on average, compared to 4 per semester in the Pace BFA program) and a whole lot more liberal arts. Other schools such as Connecticut College (which partners with the Eugene O’Neill Center) would be similar here.