I’m an academically motivated student, looking for a school with rigorous academics and an accessible Theatre. I’m imagining a small school, enrollment 1-3 thousand. I love the idea of tight-knit, small liberal arts colleges. Hoping for a BA track program, preferably where double majors are an option. I’m interested in student-run productions as well as schools with multiple faculty-directed productions per year. Any recommendations?
Kenyon, Sarah Lawrence, Skidmore and Vassar would be a few excellent options to consider. For theatre in the context of balanced academics, some of the NESCACs should be researched as well.
@merc81 wow thanks for the list, I’ll definitely start researching these schools more!
In terms of the afore-referenced NESCACs, Connecticut College and Middlebury support strong theatre programs, and Hamilton should be considered for its top facilities and flexible curriculum, @Theatreguy999.
I second Kenyon, another to look at in OH is Denison. Bennington in VT also has a wonderfully flexible program.
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Not highly selective but they do have an Honor’s program and a great theatre department. Close knit, close to NYC and great networking with industry professionals. Tons of opportunities for student run productions. Drew University in Madison New Jersey. PM if you have any questions.
Also, Butler University has an auditioned BA in Theater, and Skidmore College has a BS in Theater (non-auditioned). And, don’t forget Muhlenberg College which also has a very strong theater program.
If you have very strong stats, you could also apply to Northwestern University which has a theater program ranked highest in the nation.
Seconding Drew and Muhlenberg.
@LuvsLabs - but NU does not exactly fit the 1-3k parameter the OP asked about 
Muhlenberg is an excellent choice - esp if interested in MT - which I believe is their focus
@toowonderful - true, but NU is pretty small for a university and has a feeling very similar to a LAC imo, particularly within the Theater major of only approximately 100 students per class. Even though there are a little over 8K undergrads, I think it’d be well-worth a good look by anyone looking for an academically challenging school with a very strong theater BA. My D is happily attending Skidmore for Theater in the fall, but after spending last summer as a theater Cherub on NU’s campus she would have been thrilled to be accepted to NU’s theater program.
Also, Muhlenberg was a close second of my daughter’s options - they offer excellent dance and voice training, and have a very strong theater program and the facilities are amazing. But it is a truly tiny campus, even for a LAC, and Allentown is not the most vibrant college town. My D really struggled between Skidmore and Muhlenberg and the accepted students day at Skidmore made the decision easy for her because she excitedlly told me she met so many of “her people” there. In the end, it really is all about the vibe and the students you meet.
My best advice to juniors & their parents going through this process is - after you have a short list of likely schools in mind, try to plan a very tailored visit for your student when you visit. Correspond with the head of the theater dept and ask to arrange for your kid to shadow a student for a day and possibly even stay overnight in a dorm. My D attended a class at Muhlenberg, and even though she enjoyed it, it could not really compete with spending a day with a theater major with an acting focus at Skidmore. She attended 2 classes, ate lunch with this senior and her friends, and was invited to stay overnight in the students campus apartment (only for jrs & srs at Skidmore) and they attended a campus party that was a lot of fun. She also visited Butler U. and shadowed a student for the day, but just did not get the same vibe from that visit, so it was very helpful in her making up her mind. She said Butler seemed really great, and she really enjoyed the theater classes she attended. She could not give a single good reason why, but she said she just knew it was not the place for her.
BTW, Butler is an extremely small university (4K undergrads) worth comparing carefully to LAC’s. The campus is stunning and Indianapolis is a great “college town.” We’d never been before and I was nicely blown away by how clean and beautiful and organized and welcoming and safe it was. And, chock full of history and a beautiful community walking path along an old railroad route.
@LuvsLabs you are completely correct at Northwestern is a fabulous School, it was one of my kids top choices all the way through. And I also agree with you that the flexibility of the program and the size of the department would seem like good fit for the OP. But one of my cc pet peeves (mostly from the parent forum not the theater forums) is when someone asks for suggestions for school with very specific criteria (aka 1-3k students) and then get a long list of responses that have nothing to do with what they asked. “you said you only want 3000 students, but Michigan has an excellent theater program, or I know you said you wanted a traditional campus, but NYU is amazing.”, that sort of thing. 
And for a random comment on Butler, stay away from the Kool-Aid there all of my in-laws hit it pretty hard, my niece had the actual bulldog they use for the basketball game as part of her bridal party this past fall. Never saw anything like it. Full disclosure, my husband is the only one of his four brothers and sisters who did not go to Butler, end it is a source of much family tension
Check out Williams College in Western Massachusetts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWBvBFyxk18
Great facility - https://62center.williams.edu/about/
And it’s host to the Williamstown Theater Festival http://wtfestival.org/
Be sure to know the focus of the particular LAC, and also be sure to find out if they have any direct links with equity theatres.
For instance, @arwarw mentions Williams, which is a terrific school. Just want to add that my D, who went to Williams (not for theatre), says its program is very experimental-focused. I don’t know if that’s true, but let’s say it is–if experimental theatre is not your thing, then it may not be a good fit.
Also, some LACs have excellent ties with equity theatres with many opportunities for professional credits. These may or may not be the most highly ranked ones, but consider this valuable opportunity.
Also some programs are more known for MT like Muhlenberg, an excellent program.
I would definitely research each LAC for yourself. Look at their course curriculum to find out the nature of the classes. Find out what is required and if there are req’s and if so what they are. Look at internship/equity opportunities. Look at the productions at the school and see what they’ve done to get an idea of their focus; do acting majors have preference in these productions? Look at the faculty teaching–are they current professionals (this may or may not be important to you).
When you have a list, if you can visit that would be great. When you do visit, be sure to sit in on at least two classes to get a sense of style and if possible, see a show.
^ Excellent point!
I know this may be out of left field, but College of the Holy Cross’ (where I attend now) has an incredible theatre program. I am currently an English (Holy Cross is ranked #9 for English majors in the country!) and a Theatre double major. You can either choose an acting or design and tech track for the major, but have the ability to do a lot with other aspects such as costume design, playwriting, and directing. They high emphasize directing if that is something that interests you.
Holy Cross is an extremely good Liberal Arts school. Though they have a Catholic identity, if you do not want to affiliate yourself with it that is completely okay. I don’t consider myself Catholic, but have not felt uncomfortable once being a non-religious queer person.
Every year two professors from the theatre department will direct two mainstage shows. We also have the Alternate College Theatre (ACT) on campus which is entirely run by students. ACT directs one mainstage play and one musical, entirely directed and designed by students. Next year we are doing “Stop Kiss” and “Legally Blonde”!
Holy Cross has a couple of theatre spaces on campus, but the school is in the process of building a brand new performing arts complex! And as for rigorous academics, you definitely will be challenged, in and out of theatre classes, but the professors and other students could not be any more amazing. Everyone is there to learn, but we always have fun!
(Also Worcester is a great location because we have the Hanover Theatre, which we’ve been able to perform in before, and we are less than an hour from Boston, which there are free shuttles to go to every weekend!)
Hope this helps!
Oberlin
Willamette
Bard College
Connecticut College with National Theater program, plus conveniently on East Coast near Yale Rep, Boston, and NYC.
I would definitely second middlebury- sounds like what you’re looking for in terms of environment. When I visited they talked about how their summer theater festival actually happens off Broadway alongside working professionals and you can be selected to work with them, which sounded pretty cool. They also encourage you to send in a monologue or song with your application, which could help you stand out.
Pomona College is a selective LAC with a great theatre department. During parents weekend they had Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame being interviewed live. Michael J. Fox was interviewed the previous year. Lots of networking opportunities, and audition opportunities right in LA proper. Can’t beat the weather.