Searching for well-rounded, holistic, interdisciplinary Theatre programs (undergrad)

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

Is anyone informed of universities with undergraduate programs which consist of:

  1. Holistic, interdisciplinary programs combining different areas of theater:
    ex) offering intensive training/education in both set design and acting OR theater education and acting, etc.
  2. Strong conservatory-style BFA or BA with room for other minors/majors unrelated to Theatre
  3. Well-rounded approach in teaching the academic (theatre studies and history), technical (acting craft itself), and the "business" side of Theatre

I apologise if this is a nearly “impossible” search, but it is nevertheless a hopeful attempt in inquiring anyone who is informed!

2

Maybe The New School? https://www.newschool.edu/drama/bfa/

Also, University of the Arts allows and encourages students to take classes outside their majors, so you might be able to choose one aspect of theater as your major, but then put together a curriculum of diverse elective classes that meets your needs: https://www.uarts.edu/programs

3

In general, “conservatory” means you’re in a bubble of theatre. Which is great for immersion in theatre, but doesn’t work so well for minors and 2nd majors outside of theatre.

Also, BA programs (and BS programs) will tend to give you more latitude in taking classes outside of the more narrow focus of a BFA.

Having said that …

University of Evansville. Has the usual BFA in Performance, but also a BS in Theatre Studies, which incorporates various areas of study in theatre (eg, “I’m interested in acting, dramaturgy, and lighting”). Additionally, it’s possible to get a dual degree in an area outside of theatre (eg, lighting and electrical engineering).

DePaul. During our visit, they talked quite a bit about how much they liked students pursue minors within the department (eg, BFA Acting, with a minor in Dramaturgy). Reading their website, I infer it’s possible to at least pursue a minor in something non-theatre, if not an actual dual degree (in other words, you’d have to call them and ask about the dual degree).

Also look into Boston University, NYU Tisch, Univ. of Michigan to see if their programs are flexible enough for you. I suspect they might be – and they’re all certainly solid programs.