Anyone know/have any experience with BFA, BA, or BM MT programs in Canada? Thanks!
I hear Sheridan is very good. There are others here who can help you more, I am sure. Good luck!
You won’t find any BFAs in Canada in Musical Theatre–the degree programs that exist are exclusively BMTs (Bachelor of Musical Theatre), BAs, or college diplomas (i.e. not degrees, college and university are two different entities in Canada, and some college programs can only confer diplomas, not degrees). I did my undergrad in MT in the States, but if I had to do it all over again and could only stay in Canada, I would be looking into Sheridan’s BMT, as mentioned above, if I wanted a conservatory-style education; the new joint BMT program between St. Lawrence College and Queen’s University, where your first two years are spent in conservatory-style training at St. Lawrence and the last two are spent in a more liberal arts approach at Queen’s; or the combined honours BA in Music and Theatre at Dalhousie University if you wanted to focus in voice, as this program is built off their BM in Music (I have a soft spot for this program; I almost went to Dal).
There are other great MT training options in Canada, too–I have many friends who have gotten a certificate from Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts or a diploma from St. Clair College, and have been very successful in Canadian theatre so far (most of us are only a couple years out of school). I know that there are also musical theatre programs at Capilano in Vancouver and at St. Thomas in Fredericton (though I believe the latter is just a specialization).
Of course, you could always look into BFA Acting programs in Canada–I went to Ryerson for a hot second (not for performance) and I know that their BFA actors take some musical theatre classes, and I seem to remember a Windsor rep telling me during an information session that their BFA acting program is heavy in voice and movement. Then again, all my info on this front is from at LEAST five years ago, so things may have changed!
I’m also paging @alwaysamom here, because she always has her finger on the pulse of what’s going on in Canadian theatre!
@CanadianMTgirl Hi! Hope you are doing well, and I also hope that one day you and I can connect. I suppose we may have already, without knowing it I am travelling at the moment but my recommendation for anyone who wants to study MT in Canada would be Sheridan, by far. It is an excellent program and equally good to any other college MT program with which I’m familiar in the U.S. The difference in the level of quality in grads from Sheridan vs other programs in Canada, overall, is substantial. It is extremely competitive to get in, though, so other options are certainly a necessity.
@elledaspitzer Feel free to PM me if you need further info!
Just wanted to note that because both @elledaspitzer and I are only new members (not 15 posts), we can’t PM @alwaysamom can you PM me? I’m also looking for the best musical theatre programs in Canada, and I can’t find much information online.