Does anyone know if they have an MT concentration or just do musicals with classes in MT. I can’t tell from their website and a mom told me they have, it but I cant find info. Help anyone?
As far as I know based on knowing kids applying from our area and also looking at the website, Chapman offers a BFA in Theatre Performance, a BFA in Screen Acting, a BA in Theatre, and a BM in Vocal Performance, but no degree or concentration in Musical Theatre. However, I do know a student who just finished freshman year there as a BFA Theatre major and who was in several musicals this past year. I’m not sure if they were departmental productions. If you google Chapman’s BFA Showcase and look at the students’ resumes, you will see a mix of straight plays and musicals on some, even when their major was BFA Screen Acting. But I think that most of the training is in acting and other aspects of theatre.
many thanks @elsacc
My D briefly researched it last year because her best friend goes there (not for acting), and I can confirm what @elsacc said, at least as of last year.
Chapman has no MT but USUALLY does a musical each year. Not guaranteed. They have a new theatre so they may do more?! I have seen many of their productions over the past few years and I cannot recommend them if you really want MT. Lovely school!
@theatremomma just wondering…you can’t recommend them as a MT school or not really at all? Since you’ve seen their productions, are they successful?
You will not have any MT or dance classes! But they have a very respected dance program. You can’t take all the majors though. The audition is classical style/opera. I know MT kids there and they are pursuing their interests in MT outside of school and studying music or acting in school. This is a music or acting degree. I hope I’m not talking about anyone in the productions here… but… not good. Remember it’s about training… if the training fits you, it’s a very nice school.
Thanks for the info! We are hoping against all hope to keep D here in CA but we really don’t have a lot of choices unfortunately. 
MTheaterMom, I went thru the same thing, trying to keep my son close. He is a rising senior at Texas State and I realized you need to leave the OC if you want to make a living at this. Private Message me if you have any more questions.
So, should we start a thread called something like “Applying to MT Programs from the West Coast?”
My daughter is only a rising freshman in high school, but I was fortunate enough to discover this board early on in her 7th grade year. We too live in southern California and based on everything I’ve learned thus far, I agree with what @theatremomma says about having to leave the area. Fortunately my D is excited about going away somewhere to college, and I am actually excited for her because it’s something I wanted desperately at that age but my mother refused to allow, lol. My husband is a little more nervous about the idea, but he sees that even some of the higher quality/high profile programs we have out here (UCI, CSUF, UCLA, etc. – no offense intended if I left any out, these are just the first ones that came to mind) all have their issues – either with state funding being a problem, or delayed audition/entry, or lack of performing opportunities for non-graduate students. So he pretty much knows that her best options will more than likely be far from home. I guess he has a few more years to get used to the idea, though. 
I think I recall that @MTTwinsinCA has shared a lot of what she learned in helping her sons, and I’m sure there are many more I’m forgetting. But if someone wanted to start a specific thread, that would be great! I have also noticed that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of general knowledge among parents or students in our area about summer intensives and college audition coaches, which kind of surprised me initially because my daughter attends a PA school. But I guess that shouldn’t surprise me too much because although we do have theatre in SoCal, it’s not as big of a scene as it is in many other smaller metropolitan areas in the country…maybe because the movie/TV industry rules here.
I have seen the most successes from students from the UCI Program. I have seen several of those grads on national tours. Fullerton has the horrible cut program and UCLA will tell you right up front that at least half of their curriculum is book based classroom learning- no budget. You need a school that will introduce them to working professionals for 4 years. All the major programs do this. Make sure the school offers master classes and opportunities to do this kind of work. Again, many do. Connections, connections, connections! My son’s classmates are scattered across the US this summer getting paid a regional theatres. Many auditioned right at school. They have connctions at several great theatres. Many schools have this.
Hi there – I’m happy to answer PMs with questions about our journey – my boys are graduates now, living and working in/around NYC. I’m hesitant about offering too much advice that might be out-of-date, since this process changes, especially with the advent of technology and new programs. With that, for the West Coasters, I will share that I’ve recently met and been extremely impressed by the new heads of MT at University of Arizona and I feel like that program is really going places. It was absolutely on our NO WAY IN HECK list back in the day because of their cut system, but everything is getting revamped and their new team seems amazing. Definitely research it, because that’s an easy drive and/or quick flight from SoCal. Keep it on your radar!!!
@MTTwinsinCA, thank you for the heads up about U of A. I didn’t realize that U of A had undergone such major changes, and I must confess that I was puzzled this year when several highly talented kids from my D’s PA school received offers and seriously considered going there (they had several other very prestigious options with scholarship money to boot). Now it makes total sense! U of A isn’t discussed much here of late, and even the stuff I had read that was a bit older was very polarized…people seemed to love it or hate it, and as an outsider several years after the fact, it was hard to know what to believe. But your post makes me feel good about being open to the possibility when it’s time for my daughter to audition.