<p>I'm a junior in high school. I've been looking at some academically rigorous schools, but I've realized that musical theater is a huge part of my life and can't be overlooked. Please let me know if you have any recommendations for schools to check out. By the way, I would prefer a more interactive musical theater program. Thanks!</p>
<p>Most colleges and universities have some musical theatre going on. If you enjoy participating and are not interested in pursuing it as a career, I would suggest that you avoid schools with a highly regarded MT department. If you went to a big MT schools, only the students majoring in MT would be likely to get cast. Just be sure to ask, when you are researching or visiting schools, about theatrical productions. Some schools have a lot of shows run by students; others only have drama department productions. Some cast students from a lot of different departments, and others only cast theater majors, even if their policy suggests that all roles are open to anybody.</p>
<p>If, on the other hand, you do intend to major in theater, you will find a lot of information in this forum. Use the search function and start reading – just be sure to note the date of particular postings, because audition requirement can change and you wouldn’t want to rely on old information.</p>
<p>Just got back from seeing a friend’s daughter in Closer Than Ever at Texas Christian University in Ft.Worth. She is a BFA MT major but 3 of the 8 kids in the show were not acting/MT majors. So also look for schools that open the auditions up to the entire student body. Wagner does this, as does Muhlenberg (which also encourages double majors). I’m sure there are many more.</p>
<p>Depending on the level of academic rigor you’re interested in, I’d suggest looking into Northwestern, Yale and Brown. </p>
<p>Of the three, Northwestern offers the most structured MT training and over 60 student productions per year on top of main stage shows. All students are able to audition for all shows, and most Theatre majors are able to complete a double major in 4 years.</p>
<p>Welcome to CC! Are you looking for academically rigorous MT programs to audition for or academically rigorous schools which also have MT programs but you don’t want to major in MT? If you are looking to major in MT and also wish to go to a school with academic demand, it sounds like a Liberal Arts experience might suit you more than a conservatory experience. There are schools that have excellent MT BFA and BA programs, and still require a core curriculum in order to get a well-rounded educational experience. I am speaking from experience-- Ball State University has a core curriculum, and there are a ton of students in the Department of Theatre and Dance who also are in the Honors College. This setup works well for me and my peers, as I feel like I am learning ways to connect my work as a theatre artist to the world around me through this experience. </p>
<p>Just in case you want to look into what this experience is like: here are the links to the Honors College page:
[Honors</a> College - Ball State University](<a href=“http://cms.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/honorscollege]Honors”>http://cms.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/honorscollege)
and the Department of Theatre and Dance:
[Department</a> of Theatre and Dance, Ball State University - Ball State University](<a href=“http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/CollegesandDepartments/TheatreDance.aspx]Department”>http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/CollegesandDepartments/TheatreDance.aspx)</p>
<p>In my sons rounds of auditioning, he ran into a school that wasn’t on his list, but none the less, they where at the International Thespians Festival at the University of Nebraska last year. They saw him in the group audition and called him off campus for some further auditioning and an interview.</p>
<p>Their program is so academically rigourous that they don’t have a cut program. You either academically blow out or spontaniously combust. Great school, just crazy tough academically to go with thier theatre program.</p>