<p>Kayla,
There are many paths to a career in musical theater and it is important that you find the type of educational program that suits your own needs and interests. Several clients of mine who started out thinking they wanted a BFA, have changed course and are applying to BA schools because truly that path fits them best. They are very passionate about theater, however. Also, my daughter has several HIGHLY talented MT friends who have played many leads, won NFAA, major theater awards in their region, etc. who CHOSE a BA path, even though they are qualified and even got into BFA schools. For instance, they preferred Yale, Brown or Northwestern over the BFA path. My daughters have a friend at Brown as well who just was the lead in the National Tour of RENT. Another friend has been on Broadway and chose Northwestern. Some are at Yale, Vassar, Tufts, Muhlenberg. </p>
<p>Those schools do not all have a BA in MT but they do have theater departments and there is a very active theater scene, including musicals on those campuses. </p>
<p>Another option is to apply to BA in MT schools, of which there are not a lot but there are quite a few out there, some by audition, some not. I have listed many of these on the forum on other threads and will not list them all here but I'm talking of schools such as Indiana, James Madison, American, Susquehanna, and so on. This is a great option for someone like you because you can focus on MT as your major but possibly minor or double major if you want that broader liberal arts education. </p>
<p>Another option, and the one that my own daughter preferred and is similar to what KatMT seemed to also want when she went to college, is a BFA program within a school that also offers liberal arts of some significance, and in her case, she wanted a selective challenging liberal arts setting if she had a choice. Some have a reasoning of "back up plan" but that is not HER motivation whatsoever. She is going for it in MT. However, the reason she wants some liberal arts is she wants to be educated. Just being an educated actor is a good thing. But she also values and is interested in other subjects and learning. My thought is that your major doesn't dictate what you can do later in life. If you have a college degree, that can still take you places. It is an education. She is getting an education, albeit a big chunk of it is in theater. At her school, one CAN minor or double major (the latter being more difficult but possible). I don't know that my daughter will be doing that. But at some of these BFA programs, you can do a minor. Some BFA programs have more of a liberal arts component than others. For instance, NYU, Penn State, Syracuse, UMich (and others) have some liberal arts and more so than at Boston Conservatory, CMU, CCM. So, you may want to look at the total curriculum at some BFA schools and see which ones have enough liberal arts to suit you, if you do the BFA path. My daughter also wanted a more challenging learning environment and that made NYU and UMich attractive to her (besides other reasons). While my daughter's reasoning was not wanting a "back up plan", or other minor or double major, she also knows that she is capable of other skills/talents besides performing (as I imagine you are as well). She doesn't need a minor or major to be able to do other work down the line besides performing. A person trained in theater can work in many aspects of theater and their skills also translate into useful skills in other fields. In her particular case (and I imagine you could find your own other talents/skills), I believe she could get work as a musical director, arranger/accompanist, choreographer, writer of shows or writer in other areas. She is pretty much equally talented in those areas as she is performing and she has garnered experience in them and continues to do so in college. She will have many skills to apply to various jobs upon graduation. She will be seeking work ON stage but during that time, there are other ways for her to earn money related to her field. </p>
<p>So, a BFA does not prohibt you from meaningful work in the arts or other fields, if you have talents and skills. You do not HAVE to have a minor or double major to be able to get work. I do not believe the reason to do a double major or a liberal arts path should be with "back up plan" in mind. I think if you want to pursue theater, pursue it. Choose either a BA or BFA path due more to reasons as to the kind of education you want.....broad or intensively focused in one main area.....committment or one with choices...and all the reasons that differentiate between a BFA and a BA. You don't need a BA for a "back up plan" but a BA path is a great path for many people who want to study more than one thing, want options, want a broader curriculum, and so forth. Pick which path suits your needs and interests but either path can lead to a career in theater. Either path can lead to jobs outside of performing. A BFA in a university setting that offers a liberal arts component is a combination of sorts of those things. Some students leave options open by applying to some BFAs and some BA's (my niece is doing that, in fact). There are some excellent BA programs out there. </p>
<p>So, a person passionate about theater can do a BA or a BFA but one path is more suited to their needs than another. Both can lead to careers in theater and/or outside of theater.</p>