<p>Any thoughts on the theatre program at Muhlenberg?</p>
<p>We are going to visit in a couple of weeks, so I’ll let you know if I have any thoughts afterwards! It is interesting, I am trying to set up visits to 4 schools in PA, and they are the only one who will let him sit in on classes. Point Park said they only allow it for seniors who have applied and they said he could do a general university tour and maybe meet with someone in the dept if they aren’t too busy; Penn State is having him meet with someone and get a theatre dept tour as well as general tour, and CMU is just having him sign up for a regular tour and a group department tour. Muhlenberg has been by far the most welcoming and willing to tailor the visit to what he is interested in, which is a point in their favor!</p>
<p>zebrarunner, I would not discount BFA programs that don’t let you sit in on classes as this can be common. My D attended a wonderful program (to her) at NYU/Tisch where sitting in on conservatory classes is usually not allowed by visitors given the nature of the studio classes. However, it is very common for a BA school and particularly a small liberal arts school like Muhlenberg, to allow observation of classes. So, you are sorta comparing apples to oranges on this policy. Yes, we sat in on classes at the BFA program at UMichigan. But remember that BFA programs are not like BA programs and the style of studio classes or conservatory classes are not like regular college classes entirely. I would not let such a policy be a consideration as to which school is a good one or a good fit. Just my opinion. We got to observe a class in the BFA in MT program at Penn State but it was on the audition weekend and part of how they had set things up for visitors that day. We did not observe classes at CMU. My D got to attend a class in the BFA program at Syracuse but it seemed to be due to having a friend in the class who got permission from his instructor. My D who applied to regular colleges, not for theater, observed classes at most of her campus visits and so Muhlenberg fits more into that category.</p>
<p>My DD is a dance major at Slippery Rock University and her program was very welcome to having people sit in on their classes. Overall it was a great experience and really solidified her wanting to attend. It isn’t too far from Point Park. I don’t know much about the theatre program, a couple of her friends are majoring in theatre and seem to like it.</p>
<p>For what it is worth… US News selected Muhlenberg’s theater department tops in the country. It is a great school, with great people, worth a visit and an interview…</p>
<p>I have read such wonderful opinions about Muhlenberg here. Can anyone speak to the quality of the academics in specific terms? Where I live in the Northeast, I have found very few people have heard of Muhlenberg- even in theatre circles. However, here on CC it sounds ideal for a student who wants a great liberal arts education and is passionate about theatre. Is it really a fit academically for an A-/B+ student with very high (99th%) test scores?</p>
<p>Muhlenberg is a hidden gem of a LAC. It is a very interesting mix of pre-professional (law, medicine) and theater students. The student body seems to get along very well. The college takes great pride in getting to know students before admitting them. They really value interviews and visits and select a large percentage of their incoming class from those who know Muhlenberg is the right choice for them and make them an ED decision. They have a great reputation for placing graduates into great programs. They go above and beyond to show they care for the students and do a great job of providing a caring and nurturing culture on campus. I strongly recommend visiting and doing the admissions talk and tour and then go back when school is in session and just hang out. They have amazing facilities for the 2200 students and everyone who works there has been very helpful whenever I have approached them with any type of request. I probably looked at over thirty LAC’s between both children and this is clearly one of the very best. Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>D just went to Muhlenberg today for an audition (scholarship only, not required and I don’t think they have any pull with admissions but I could be wrong), tour, and got to sit in on an acting class. Charles Richter, head of the theater department is great. Very personable and enthusiastic about the program, put my daughter to ease, really seems to know everyone past and present and cares about the students.
There is no musical theater major per se but the way the school is structured it is possible to major in theater/acting, minor in dance and minor in music (which gives you the voice training a serious MT student would want). Muhlenberg has a very dance program with levels in all disciplines (ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, modern, African dance) and allows kids with prior dance experience to test into a higher level.
Very pretty campus and the students D and I met were very friendly, answered all of our questions and truly love their college. It was a very good experience for my daughter and she came away from today with a very positive outlook on the school.q</p>
<p>Thank you for sharing cellomom51. I have a couple questions:
How long were you there? (trying to schedule)
Were there other students at the same time?
Did you tour the campus or just theater department? (my S previously attended a general tour session)</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>We were there from 1-5pm with a tour of the theater department facilities followed by an acting class followed by a 20 minute audition/interview. There were 3 other students (plus their moms) on the tour, one had auditioned before and didn’t stay for the acting class, one auditioned after the tour but before the class and my daughter and the other girl (who was a roommate of D’s from Stagedoor - she had no idea the girl was going to be there until she saw a tweet from the girl that morning, SMALL MT world! But a great reunion) auditioned after the acting class. My D went last so we were done at 5. My D’s friend also attended a Level III ballet class at 10 am so she was there for a longer day. We live 3 hours away and I didn’t want her to skip school so early in this process so she skipped the dance portion. Her friend said the dance class was a killer and she is on dance teams and dances all the time.</p>
<p>Charles Richter is great, he will work with whatever time constraints you and your son have. Just send him an email with your 3 possible dates and the times you can be there and he’ll work with you.</p>
<p>Thank you, great info!! We live 2 hours away in NJ and my s will have 7PM rehearsal so we will need to be back by then. I’ve heard great things about Charles Richter, looking forward to meeting him. Thanks again for sharing! :)</p>
<p>I am interested in Musical Theatre here and would major in Theatre and double minor in Music and Dance. Does it cost extra for voice lessons if I’m minoring in music? </p>
<p>I was just there today and Mr Richter said that voice lessons cost extra if you aren’t a music major…so I think yes to your question but not sure. But either way, he did say that the fee is much less than voice lessons cost in the real world.</p>
<p>So I was wondering…back many months ago we sent a video audition to Mr. Richter and he immediatly wrote back and said he was very impressed. I have read he likes to interview the kids and get to know them but that never happened with us. Does that mean a NO? Should we have organized a phone interview long before now?
Just wondered if anyone else has experienced this.
Thanks. </p>
<p>It is always good with Muhlenberg to demonstrate interest. Have your D start an email conversation with him and with her admissions counselor. You can go to their website and see if they are conducting any more admissions interviews and sign up for one. And I would ask Mr Richter about a phone interview with him as well.</p>
Hi all,
My daughter was recently accepted at Muhlenberg (Early Decision) as a Theater major with an emphasis on musical theater. I thought some of you might like to know what we thought and how it went. Obviously there is no “best” college for everyone, so your milage may vary.
My daughter had heard wonderful things about MC as well as their Theater and Dance department from an alumni she knows and has worked with in her high school theater program. We had visited quite a few schools before we made it to MC, and she had done extensive research online regarding several other colleges. She wanted a small liberal arts college, and so that eliminated a number of the other well-known theater/musical theater programs at larger universities. She was also interested in a BA rather than a BFA, because she wanted more access to a broad range of educational experiences beyond theater, rather than the immersive, conservatory-like environment of the BFA.
Well, our visit to Muhlenberg was the best college visit we had, bar none. We spent an entire day there. She interviewed with Admissions in the morning, we had a great tour of the campus, she sat in on an acting class, had a tour of the theater facilities, she interviewed with Charles Richter and did her audition for him. First off, everybody we met throughout the day was really nice, informative and down-to-earth. The campus is beautiful (the photos on their website are really good but believe me even they don’t do it justice!), easy to walk around, lots of green spaces and a nice mix of architectural styles. My daughter said she found the acting class she sat in on exciting and beyond what she had had before. And Charles Richter - what an incredible guy! He founded the department some 30+ years ago, and he is just the nicest, warmest and supportive fellow you could want. He is absolutely NOT some “pretentious theater type”, yet he is smart, incredibly experienced, savvy and a great judge of talent and potential.
Muhlenberg does not have a specific “musical theater” major. The student majors in Theater, and minors in music or dance or both, and the department considers them to be specializing in musical theater. They put on several main stage productions every year and at least a couple are musicals. There is a Summer Musical Theater Festival as well. The theater majors all must complete the course work for the Freshmen Seminar and liberal arts requirements as do all students irrespective of major.
Muhlenberg is small, with about 2,500 undergraduates. The students we talked with all said they really do get know their professors; they also said they find their courses interesting and challenging. There is a genuine, warm tone to the entire campus and students are selected partially based on personality and “who they are”, not just the numbers; MC really does have a “holistic approach” to admissions.
My daughter was impressed, we were impressed, and all of us are very happy that she was accepted. She’s looking foward to this Fall with a ton of excitement and anticipation.
I hope this was helpful to at least some of the CC readers. Again, your mileage may vary and MC might not be at all what you or your son or daughter may want, but at least you have a little more first-hand information!
@NorthAtlanticDad: Many congratulations to your D. We visited in October, and my D also auditioned and interviewed with both Charles Richter and the admissions department. I can wholeheartedly second everything you’ve said about the people, the program, and the school. My D applied RD because she is still on the fence about what exactly she wants, and is waiting to hear from other auditioned programs. But if she ends up there, we would all be very happy. Beautiful, wonderful place.
Congratulations to you and your daughter. I hope it will a great experience for your family. I believe Muhlenberg is a special place and I hope your family finds it that way too. Best of luck!
Could anyone PM me about the Greek life at Muhlenberg as well? I am a potential transfer 
The people at the college are “nice,” but it is a very conservative college-- more so than it appears at first glance. They don’t take kindly to people who push the envelope or think outside of the box. Even in the dance dept they say they want innovation, but really want nice little conformity. Also, the MT acting style promoted is very slap-stick, which gets annoying after a little while.