<p>We are putting together a list of schools to visit in the next couple of years. My son wants a conservatory-style program (the fewer non-theater courses the better, in his opinion). His voice teacher is encouraging him to do musical theater, but hes had no dance training, so I think a BFA in acting would be better fit. What colleges have you found that are the most lenient about allowing non-musical theater majors to audition and perform in musicals? Perhaps Im wrong, but it appears CMU, Ithaca, Pace, Shenandoah, and Coastal Carolina might be good ones for us to look at. (His safeties probably would be two in-state schools, WVU and Marshall).</p>
<p>At UArts, acting students can audition for all musicals (as well as MT students for all non-musicals). There is also a MT minor designed specifically for acting majors.</p>
<p>Ithaca’s MT major does not include dance in its audition requirements. There are schools, like Emerson, where the dance component of the MT audition is very easy and just designed to see if a student can move well and follow directions.</p>
<p>dcsparent - Coastal Carolina requires all BFA majors to audition for all shows through the annual generals and they do cross cast. So BFA Acting majors in musicals, BFA MT majors in plays, etc. At CCU you can be considered for both the MT and Acting majors at one audition. So if your S is interested in exploring both options, then he could certainly do that through the audition at CCU.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! I love to travel, so it’s nice to have some destinations in mind. I’m hoping a few college visits will inspire my son to work harder in school this coming year–not just in the theater program but in all of his classes.</p>
<p>Otterbein also does a lot of cross-casting–try to visit when you can see a production! If you’re in WV, it’s an easy drive. </p>
<p>Along with the schools already mentioned, there are quite a few programs that don’t offer a degree in MT but do produce musicals, which obviously would work for your son. </p>
<p>We started visiting in my son’s sophomore year, and it was a good motivator as you suggest–plus it gave him an increasingly clear sense of the kinds of schools and environments that he liked. We have enjoyed all the travel during the visiting phase–I’ll be curious to see how it goes now that we’ve reached the audition phase. Keep us posted on your visits!</p>