<p>Does anyone have any information or opinion on becoming a Drama major but going into Musical theatre? Mandy Patinkin and Sara Ramirez both went to Julliard even though they only have an acting program (though Mandy said he didn't sing at all while he was there). Just curious on opinions of majoring in drama and then supplementing with outside courses.</p>
<p>bgb,</p>
<p>This is exactly what Norbert Leo Butz did. He was an Regional Acting Major. Evidently he wanted to be able to take other classes (such as business) and by making Acting his major he was able to free up his schedule to take other classes.</p>
<p>SUE aka 5pants</p>
<p>You definitely CAN do this, as well as eventually have a career in Musical Theater, having done a drama major. What matters is about the right fit for you and what you want out of a college program. You did not say why you might be considering this option. Is it a fall back if you don't get into a MT program? Is it because you find a particular drama program really terrific but it is not a MT program? Is it that you want to concentrate mostly on acting ? </p>
<p>I know someone who is at Juilliard for Acting. She had gotten into several MT programs but chose Juilliard when she got the opportunity to attend. She once told me that there are many people in the acting program who also sing but are concentrating on acting in school. She said that they actually put on cabarets and such too, so there are opportunities to stay connected to musical theater. I know some kids who wanted CAP21 (MT) studio at NYU/Tisch but got an acting studio placement but find ways to stay involved in musical theater....either auditioning for musicals on campus, taking voice/dance, etc. There are musical theater actors who came from Acting programs....for instance, you named a couple but also Idina Menzel was in an acting studio at Tisch, not the MT one. Many other examples abound. My D has performed with a Broadway actress who was in a few musicals on Broadway and also in operas (fantastic voice) but got her BFA in drama at CMU. </p>
<p>For my own kid, she really wanted to focus on MT because she truly loves all three disciplines of acting, singing, and dance and really did not want to give any of those up in terms of her training. The person who goes to Juilliard encouraged her to audition there but she would not consider that. She was waitlisted for the Acting BFA at CMU (had tried for the MT BFA) and as tempting as that program was, I knew it was not her ideal situation as it was not the same as a MT program. She did meet students in the Acting BFA at CMU who still stayed involved in MT, taking additional courses to keep up with voice or dance. So, there are ways to still keep up with MT if in some acting programs, as well as to take outside voice/dance (of course that means extra expense on top of tuition....not to mention time). And MT performers can come out of drama programs. And these students can often do campus musical productions as well. While all this is possible, the training itself is not going to be the same as that which is in a BFA in MT program. So, it really boils down to what YOU want in a college program. Yes, you can likely make a go of a MT career out of a drama program but the training itself is going to differ a bunch. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>babygiraffeboots (love the name, by the way! :)), lots of good points made so far. You most definitely can study drama and still aspire to do MT in your career. My D is studying straight drama because that was the focus she wanted to take. What she has found is that a majority of her classmates and kids she knows from the other straight drama studios, also sing and dance. This is probably the case at most programs. She studied voice, piano and dance since she was very young, in addition to studying acting. She did many musicals at her arts h/s and elsewhere but she wanted to focus on acting in college and hasn't regretted her decision.</p>
<p>One other thing you should remember when thinking about a life in the theatre is that the majority of people who are working as actors on Broadway have NO degree, let alone one in MT. I'm not advocating skipping college, but the fact remains that this is the case. Sad, but true. A family member who works in the business was involved in some research on this subject and I can share some details with you regarding a few shows currently running and their casts. I'll give you a range of different types of musicals.</p>
<p>Putnam County Spelling Bee has 6 castmembers with degrees in everything from PoliSci to Biology. Those who studied drama/MT are grads of CCM, UMich and UCLA. 6 castmembers do not have a degree.</p>
<p>Light in the Piazza has 5 with degrees, UMich, UCLA, UMiami, OCU and Columbia, MT, drama, music, opera. 15 castmembers do not have a degree.</p>
<p>RENT has 4 with degrees, 2 MTs from Syracuse and Penn State, 1 drama from Tisch, and 1 Sociology from Columbia. 14 have no degree.</p>
<p>Spamalot has 6 with degrees, 5 BFAs Juilliard, Tisch, CMU, USC, FSU and a BA in Psych. from Harvard. 16 have no degree.</p>
<p>Wicked has 12 with degrees, BFAs from CCM, CMU, Ithaca, Syracuse, Loyola Marymount, BAs from Point Park, Agnes Scott, and a BS in Communications from NYU. 25 castmembers have no degree.</p>
<p>Even with these daunting statistics, I'm still an advocate of the best training possible at the school which is the best fit for you. All I'm trying to say is that it is more than possible (obviously) to study straight drama, or anything else for that matter, and still pursue a career in MT. :)</p>
<p>CMU often has BFA Actors who have careers in MT. Aaron Staton, who plays Sky in MAMMA MIA! or Broadway right now, did this - graduated with an Acting degree and went immediately into a Broadway musical upon graduation last year. And there are lots and lots more examples...</p>
<p>At CMU, this is especially possible because all MT's are Acting/Musical Theatre majors - MT is considered a "double major," and the MT's take many of their courses WITH the actors. </p>
<p>I think it's especially possible to do an Acting degree and then work professionally in MT if you are either a naturally gifted singer or if you work hard on your singing voice "on your own" (by taking lessons through your school, which often cost extra if you aren't an MT, or at an outside studio) throughout school. Ultimately, it is almost always the ACTING that gets you a professional job unless it is in a dancing chorus: top NYC casting directors Clemmons, Telsey) agree on this almost across the board.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Also, just a clarification of alwaysamom's helpful post: the fact that a cast member doesn't list a school in his or her bio doesn't NECESSARILY mean "no degree." I am certain of this, as I know several of the actors to whom she referred as "no degree" in her list. People choose not to include their schools in their bios for many varied reasons. However, if a performer DOES list a school, that is their way of saying they are PROUD of that training - which is a great testament to that particular program!</p>
<p>Coach, sorry I didn't make that point clear but the numbers from that study were not taken from information provided in their bios. They were garnered from interviews with the actors themselves, their agents, casting directors, stage managers, producers, etc., and provided to the individuals coordinating the study. While it is definitely true that some actors choose not to include their college in their bio, from my experience, I don't think that the numbers would change substantially from those indicated. One point which I wanted to make, and forgot when posting earlier, is that the numbers are almost reversed, in terms of education, if you look at the actors working in non-Equity tours in recent years. I think that's probably a good sign. :)</p>