<p>I'm currently a senior in high school and I' am looking around for schools for me and my friend who want to go to a school with a really good theatre/musical theatre/drama program here in CA. Anyone know of any? Thanks in advance!!</p>
<p>I think if you search the Theatre and Musical Theatre forums you will find TONS of info! </p>
<p>You may also get more specific feedback if you are more specific about your academic stats and what you are looking for in a program. </p>
<p>Welcome!</p>
<p>There are lots of pages on this, but here’s the quick run down:</p>
<p>UCLA (BA Theatre run like a BFA with required audition as a freshman and mostly theatre classes… specialize in Acting or Musical Theatre). My D is here in the BA Theatre/Acting</p>
<p>USC (BFA in Acting; BA in Acting and audition for both; very highly regarded)</p>
<p>Cal Arts (BFA Acting) Some call this the Juilliard of the West. My D was accepted, but turned it down because it is a different sort of campus and it is a little “out there” in its approach. But it is an amazing place</p>
<p>The first three (UCLA, USC, and Cal Arts are the stars of undergraduate programs… not graduate… graduate stars are UCLA, UCSD, and UC Irvine and Old Globe…)</p>
<p>UC Irvine (BA Theatre and BA in Musical Theatre) You don’t audition for the BA in Theatre till Sophomore year. Don’t know about MT</p>
<p>UC San Diego (BA Theatre no audition as a freshman… don’t know what happens next, but they work with LA Jolla Playhouse conservatory people.)</p>
<p>UC Santa Barbara (BA Theatre - audition before sophomore year)</p>
<p>Chapman - I think a BFA in Theatre… know lots of kids there and they love it. Great campus. Great facilities. Feels like Main Street Disneyland.</p>
<p>Loyola Marymount University - I think they have both Acting and MT, but I don’t know if it is a BA or BFA. Lots of rich kids…</p>
<p>CSU Fullerton -BA Acting AMAZING FACILITIES; lots of celeb alumni</p>
<p>CSU Long Beach - BA Acting</p>
<p>SF State - Well known acting program, highly regarded; big on shakespeare.</p>
<p>Santa Monica City College - this is a great two year program. People go there first and then transfer to another university.</p>
<p>Those are the ones people talk about the most in California…</p>
<p>I’m a freshman BA Acting (w/ MT minor) at USC. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. It’s an amazing program.</p>
<p>At UC Irvine you can start as a Drama BA, not audition required. You can then audition into MT Classes, starting with MT II and MT III. Once you are in MT III you can audition for the BFA in Musical Theater. However, the program is very selective and there are many, many people going for that BFA. Yet, one thing to note, is that outside of your musical theater classes, you will be primarily taught by graduate students. That is one thing to consider. There are also hardly any actual just straight acting classes at UCI past your first year. Lower level dance classes are also taught by grad students, and getting a vocal coach can be quite difficult as well.</p>
<p>Would love to know if anyone can tell me, which would be a better community college to attend between Santa Monica and Los Angeles City Colleges. D has been admitted to a few 4 year theatre programs, but price is prohibitive. We need to consider 2 years at a community college, with the intent of transfering to a stellar BA or BFA program.
Your knowledge will be most appreciated.</p>
<p>also, there’s no audition for the BA at USC, though some people who audition for the BFA are accepted into the BA program. There is an audition for the musical theatre minor, though. And I’m 99% sure I’ll be a freshman there (BA theatre, hopefully MT minor) next year. :)</p>
<p>Sheilatara: Not all BFA/BA programs allow transfer in students during the junior year. I would check carefully to make sure that you can transfer to the program of your choice. I do know that you can transfer to the UCLA theater program, but this is limited by the number of spaces available depending on attrition by students in their freshman and sophomore years.</p>
<p>Hi my name is giana and I am really interested in the musical theater program at usc. I’ve been taking singing lessons since I was 6 and I’m going to be a senior next fall. I was wondering if you could give me some information on the audition process/ admissions info. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>The hardest part is getting into USC. I think last year’s acceptance rate was 18%? But once you are at USC, you sign up for the musical theatre minor auditions, which are held every semester. I don’t think you can audition for it your first semester any more, but I’m not sure about that. Students accepted into the minor are in the Thornton school of music and get the same privileges as any other music student. The minor is 27 units:
History of Broadway
2 semesters piano or guitar, or one semester of theory
3 semesters of private voice (or two semesters of private and one of group voice)
Musical theatre audition (my favorite class at USC by far)
4 semesters of musical theatre workshop (can be 3, if the student is in a school of theatre show, like the musical)</p>
<p>It’s a lot of 2-unit classes, so they’re easy to fit into spare parts of your schedule. I really love the minor, we have some great fantastics. </p>
<p>It’s been a while since my audition, but I think they ask you to prepare two contrasting songs—but they may ask you to sing something else in your book if they don’t like the songs you brought. I believe the acceptance rate the minor is pretty high, as it’s mostly self-selecting. Most people who are at USC for acting want to do film & TV, not musical theatre, but I think we have a wonderful program.</p>