Hi! I am a senior in high school right now and I am getting super stressed looking for colleges and such. I want to be an actress, and maybe write/compose musical theatre and ideally, I would like to get a BFA or BA in musical theatre. The thing is, I’m not an incredibly talented singer. I’m okay, but not mind blowingly amazing, and when I see all of these schools where 600 people audition and they only accept 12, it really scares me. Is there anywhere with a higher acceptance rate? And I’ve seen so many threads on here that say the school isn’t worth it if it isn’t a low acceptance rate, but that sort of thing really bothers me because there are a lot of students who maybe aren’t insanely talented but still want to work hard and succeed in theatre. So do I have any options? I don’t have enough money for a coach. My parents aren’t going to help me pay for college. They don’t want to help me look for schools. And I’ve heard that this website is helpful but I’m having a really hard time finding what I’m looking for. Thank you so much to anyone that can help me. I’m so overwhelmed and confused.
(Also, I’m looking mostly for schools in the Northeast. PA, NY, MA, NJ, CT, around there.)
I crunched the numbers a couple of years ago and I don’t think I came up with a single audition only program with odd greater than 10%.
BUT, there are some schools with odds better than others and there are lots of fantastic non audition BA programs.
Though none of these schools are in your geographic target area, they do have acceptance odds that are greater than being struck by lightning:
Western Carolina
Western Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Nebraska Wesleyan
Northern Kentucky
@oliveostrovsky - You say you are not an outstanding singer, but what is your music background? Do you already play an instrument(s)? Are you strong in music theory? Experience composing? Have you acted and/or sung in school plays and musicals? Been in choir or drama classes? Any kind of lessons, workshops, camps or other experiences outside of school related to acting, music, dance? Are you a good writer/storyteller? Due you eat MT librettos or their “books” for breakfast? What kind of student are you - GPA, test cores, etc. (don’t need specifics, just in general)? I don’t ask these things to see how you “stack up”, but to give folks here on this forum and idea of what your strengths may be, so they can target their answers a little closer to your needs. Not every Musical Theater/Acting program will give you experience with writing and composing. You may also want to look at music schools and perhaps even post your questions on the Music Major thread.
I can give you a tiny “sample” (my son) of a kid pursuing MT writing/composing. His example is by no means definitive. There are many ways to fill-in the details of your college experience. My S had many years of playing instruments/piano since elementary school. Was fortunate enough to get in some music theory in HS. Also singing, dancing, acting - it’s what he lived for. He is currently a junior at a fine BFA MT program in one of our state schools (Ohio). Many of his program mates have no prior experience with reading music and some have no prior dance experience. Everyone must take Music Theory for MT majors. My S was able to place out of that basic class and took Theory with the Music majors. The scheduling for these cross-program classes does NOT always work out. Although he would like to take more music theory in order to take composition classes, it’s not clear that will be possible. Due some excellent JH/HS English teachers (and his own sense of humor), my S is also a fairly decent writer, but will probably only be able to fit in one college English class - the required/dreaded English Comp 103 (or whatever).
This past summer, my S came home and took a food service job in order to have his schedule - and mind - “free” to start writing a musical. He had been tossing around the idea for a year or two, and started doing some research on his subject over winter break last year (at the same time he was furiously writing lyrics to a “Forbidden Broadway” type show that he self-produced this spring). This summer he put the pedal to the metal on research and started writing. He is fortunate to have one of the music faculty live close to our home and was able to meet with that person a couple times to get some pointers on composing/arranging. His dad also happens to be a musician who writes music - but who wants to believe their dad knows what he’s doing? My S is hoping to get program support to get his musical produce on-campus his senior year. This is not a “typical” scenario at my S’s program, but last spring they produced a musical that was written by a senior and an alum. That show went to a festival in NYC this summer.
This is only one way to get into MT writing/composing. There are as many other ways to get there as there are people interested in doing it. (If you haven’t already, you might want to check out the book The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows are Built, by NYU teacher Jack Viertel. There are probably many other informative books on the subject.) You do NOT need to go to an audition-based program. A BA may give you more flexibility to pursue your interests. I am not familiar with schools in your geographic target area and can be no further help in that regard. I’m sure others can chime in. I am somewhat familiar with NKU (Northern Kentucky), mentioned by @KaMaMom, and I know they have a good music program in addition to MT/Acting/Dance. There is quite a bit of faculty “fluidity” between NKU and CCM (Cincinnati Conservatory of Music). Good Luck!
Look at the “Non-Audition” BAs and BFAs on this list: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1335445-big-list-of-mt-colleges-by-program-type.html#latest
SUNY Oswego might be good for you: non-audition, located in New York State, and it’s a SUNY school so hopefully not too expensive (definitely a concern if your parents aren’t willing to help).
Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton, went to Wesleyan University, a Liberal Arts college in CT. He began writing In the Heights his sophomore year.
When you say you want to be an actress, what do you see yourself doing? Straight plays, comedies or musical theatre? Are you interested in TV and film? If you don’t have the musical chops to be super talented in MT as a performer, than you can pursue drama programs rather than MT.
You can try your hand at writing or composing for MT based on your writing and musical ability. You yourself do not have to be a great vocalist or MT performer to compose or write.
In the real world, outside of school and acceptance rates, generally it is going to be the most talented that will be cast. If being a vocalist/dancer isn’t your strength, then seek programs that will target acting, composing and/or writing.
A BFA or BA in MT might not be the right track for you.
@mom4bwayboy first of all, thank you so so much for taking the time to reply to me in such incredible detail! It means the world to me because I have absolutely no help in my search.
I play piano at an intermediate level and play drums and xylophone in my concert band at school. I am pretty good when it comes to music theory. My school is very small and we don’t have any theatre classes, but we have a concert choir and jazz choir and I am a section leader in both. I have been in the musical at my school for the past three years and have choreographed the last two. (I don’t take dance classes and never have due to financial reasons, but I have the most knowledge of theatre and have watched A LOT of musicals, and since our theatre department is severely underfunded, we don’t have enough money for a choreographer. So I am their best bet, haha.) I have had a leading role in the past two plays we’ve done, and had large supporting roles in the musical, but really, it’s very much a ‘big fish in a small pond’ deal. I’ve done two different theatre camps but everyone there was a lot better than me and that’s who the teachers focused on, so I didn’t have much opportunity to learn. And when it comes to my musical knowledge, I think it’s pretty extensive. I spend a lot of time listening to, watching, and reading the librettos of various musicals. Its almost to the point of obsession, haha.
About my writing abilities. I’m feeling kind of conceited writing this, but all of my teachers say I’m really good. I’ve won the English award every year and my teacher says my essays are at the level of a master’s thesis paper. Another one of my teachers said that I’m the best writer to come through the school since he started teaching 15 years ago. And I love to write. I can churn out 15 pages in an hour just because I love it so much and am so passionate.
But I also love being on stage so much. It’s where I’m happiest. And theatre is my whole heart. But i thought that maybe, since I’m not good enough to make it with my performing talents, I could do what I’m good at. Which is writing. And I’ve been told that the music I write is pretty good too. I’d really like to work harder on it. But i guess I just don’t know how. There isn’t like, a Musical Theatre Writing major. If there was, I’d do that. But I feel like the only major where I can participate in Musical theatre is a Musical Theatre major. It seems like all the Theatre majors are straight acting.
Thank you so much for your help and giving me such a good response! I am looking for all the help I can get. I have been in a constant state of panic for the last couple weeks and knowing that someone could help me makes me a little calmer. Thank you so much, I’m sorry for writing such a lengthy response.
Have you considered going to a school that has a Bachelor of Music in Composition? I know OCU has a really neat program called Project 21 for young composers. Graduates of the program have composed for film, Disney and other places. During school they have done neat projects such as a light show on a well known bridge/landmark in OKC where the lighting show was set to music works by OCU student composers. I know it is not in your target geographic area but I wanted you to know there were such programs out there.
You may want to google composition degree and see what else comes up. Some others that come to mind would be Berklee in Boston, Manhattan School of Music in NYC, and the commercial music program at Belmont. You would need to check with each school to find out what types or genres of music they focus on. But it could be a possibility. I do think you probably have to audition for these programs also so you may need to look up their requirements. I’m sure there are plenty of others out there if you research further.
I know Tisch has a graduate degree in Musical Theater writing. It’s the only one of which I’m aware.
You might also look into the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop or the American Musical Theatre Project with the Johnny Mercer foundation. These are not a 4 year degree but could provide you with some of the training you are seeking that would utilize your music and writing skills in the world of musical theatre. You could go to school for some other type of writing or general theater degree if you decided not to pursue MT, and still get the training you are seeking.
Best of luck to you!
@oliveostrovsky - I think @vvnstar’s suggestion about studying music composition or attending some sort of music writing intensive is a good one, with one hesitation: I am not familiar with the admission requirements for OCU’s program, but I am a teensy bit familiar with CCM (Cincinnati) and Shenandoah (VA). Both offer a BM in music composition. In order to get accepted you must submit a portfolio of your past composition work (I’m guessing OCU would be the same and I know at least the Johnny Mercer project also requires the submission of a portfolio). Would you have such a thing? Or could you put one together in a VERY short period? The application deadlines for most of these schools are November and December (often the 1st). If you are planning on applying to ANY of these types of schools - and this would include MT/Acting schools that require an audition and/or prescreen for admittance - you will have an application deadline schedule like no other.Including Ivy league. Your school counselor will most likely have no clue what you are up against and has probably never helped a student get into these types of programs. If you are indeed serious about applying to a competitive BFA school, read every post pinned to the top of the Musical Theater Major forum page and read Mary Anna Dennard’s book, “I Got In”. Do that immediately so you have an idea of what needs to happen in the next few - and I mean, like two - months. It’s possible that there are schools with Music Composition programs that are not on this kind of timeline and/or don’t require a portfolio, but you will need to do some “legwork” to find them.
If that kind of timeline and pressure does not seem to be the answer for you, I would suggest looking at a BA program. With varied interests like yours, that might be a better option. You say you really enjoy being on stage and want to pursue that avenue. My suggestion would be to look for either an Acting program that perhaps does not require audition and allows all students (either department-wide or school-wide) to audition to be in the school plays and musicals. There are MANY successful people who have gone this route. This would also be your best bet for being able to explore areas of interest outside your major - such as writing and music composition - or even get encouragement to pursue a minor. That is hard to do in many BFA situations, but there are some exceptions and many people on this forum have experience with that (my S is just one example). If you have any AP/PSEOP credits, they can be very helpful in that pursuit.
Another thing to look for - and I would argue that this is VERY important - are schools/programs that have a well-developed avenue for student-run theater/music productions. This can take the form of something “institutionalized” and directly supported by the school/program, or it can take the flavor of extracurricular clubs or even be lead by the community outside the university. This is where you will be able to get the most experiences and opportunity to try your hand at what interests you in a low stakes environment. Just like the HS you currently attend, if there’s no one else to fill the roll, the group would probably be thrilled to get someone to step up. Some student-led attempts at creating theater/music productions can be a waste of time, but this is also where the most innovative stuff often comes from (think Lin-Manuel Miranda and In the Heights). Even if you go to a school with a tiny theater department, there may still be wonderful opportunities to develop your skills and interests in a very individualized way. Again, many successful people have gone this route - some not even discovering they loved theater until they arrived at college.
The other HUGE piece to your puzzle is the financial aspect. You say your parents are not helping to pay for college. Do you have another source of income? Would you qualify for needs-based scholarships/grants? Do you have high academic stats, National Merit, etc. that would qualify you for substantial merit aid? Are you in an under-represented ethnic category? Answers to these questions can have a very significant influence on what kind of schools/programs you look at and apply to. While every student should have perhaps one or two “pie in the sky” schools on their lists, be realistic about what you can comfortably pay for. You may not need to eliminate every high-cost school from your list until you have a full financial aid package in front of you from all your options - most likely not until next winter/spring - make sure you have some financial “safeties” on your list that you know you can afford and also get into academically. Be clear that in a “worst case” scenario, you can say, “I can afford this and it has offerings that I know I can learn and grow from”. Many students on this forum (especially females - if you happen to be male, you may have slightly better statistical odds) apply to 10 or more schools. That’s a lot of application and pre-screen/audition fees (if you have financial need, your school counselor can help you get an application fee waiver). You do NOT need to apply to that many schools, but you will need to be very strategic about the ones you do apply to. Perhaps include one or two “reach” schools (whether academic, financial, or talent-based), a few “I think I can” schools, a couple “safeties” and at least one you know is a “sure bet”. Don’t include any schools that would make you unhappy to attend. It would most likely be better to take a gap year and re-assess where to go. There are also some two-year and “professional” programs out there (especially in NYC, LA). They can be expensive, but some offer scholarships. If you take that route, you will need to take living expenses into consideration. Others on this forum can give more specific advice on these programs.
NYU offers a BM degree in Composition (Steinhardt) with a concentration in MT. To apply you need to submit the following: “Composition portfolio must contain three or four scores of original works in different instrumentation and style, accompanied by an audio recording of at least two of the works.”
@mom4bwayboy I wouldn’t classify Wesleyan as a ‘high acceptance rate’ school though, as the OP is requesting. I think their acceptance rate is under 20%, which is pretty selective for a LAC. From personal experience, my own two kids applied there (both with over 102 GPAs and both with strong national merit commendations) and one was accepted and one wasn’t.
Also- since the OP indicates that their parent’s are not going to be financing college - NYU might not be a good option - that’s a lot of debt. BUT - if they were considering. NYU, I would think playwrights horizons studio would be ideal as a balance between creating and performing
@lovetoact - I took the OP question for “high acceptance rate” to mean from a talent, audition-based standpoint. It’s in the targeted geographic area and does not have auditions. I honestly know nothing about the school and it’s theater program. I was just trying to use it as an example of a school that is not talked about as a highly competitive “top tier” MT school that “everyone” thinks a prospective MT student MUST apply to. I also think it’s pretty cool that that a student like Miranda, among others, was able to pursue non-performance skill interests while there. I’m sorry if it seemed I was implying it was an “easy” admit. Oliveostrovsky has not stated any academic stats. It’s possible she/he is a National Merit Scholar and future valedictorian who is less than confident regarding her/his singing skills.
I was just clarifying for olive, @mom4bwayboy . It would be a shame for someone to spend the application money without knowing this info, especially since mom and dad aren’t helping her with this process (not to mention the $60000+ annual tuition/room/board costs if parents are saying they won’t help). Wesleyan is an amazing school for many reasons and I would have been pleased if my accepted kid had gone there!