I just started to get into theatre in my sophomore year of hs so i don’t have the experience or confidence to back up an application directly to a drama school. But i really enjoy it and want to leave that option open to myself, which is why im trying to find schools that have great theatre programs that students who aren’t officially majoring can have a [heavy] hand in if they like. It sounds pretty optimistic to believe such a school exists, but optimism is the only reason i havent totally lost my mind yet. any recommendations?
I don’t think this is as hard as it appears to you. Many good colleges with good theatre programs allow unrestricted (to majors and non-majors) access to their theatre programs. The question of whether you are a major or not should not even come up in your courses, and would be irrelevant to half the student body anyway, as they wouldn’t have declared one.
I agree. Nearly any liberal arts college (and also likely many universities as well) will have theatre courses, opportunities to audition and participate in tech roles open to the entire student body. Where you won’t have opportunity as a non-major to participate is the BFA programs. You likely want to look for B.A. programs in theatre (even if you don’t want to major in theatre, this is the type of program that is more likely to be open to everyone). You also might try posting in the theatre/drama majors forum. A lot of knowledgeable people there.
I agree that you can find this at many schools. For example my D is at Lafayette College and is very involved in theater there although she is not majoring in theater nor does she plan to follow a career path in that field. She has taken a number of theater classes which she loves – I think she will ultimately end up with a minor in theater. I’d imagine many other schools offer similar opportunities.