Would love to get some info from current students/parents! Just accepted and seriously considering! What are some pros/cons/unique experiences?
Congrats! We know kids that have and do attend Webster. It is a true conservatory from what I can tell and have been told the kids are busy all day every day - well into the evening. I don’t think freshman can audition for shows (I could be wrong about this), but they may be expected to crew one semester for a show. They have ties to regional theater in St Louis. They hold both an LA and NYC showcase. My daughter loved the theater director after meeting him at nationals. He was one of the few directors that worked one on one with kids he called back and it was a challenging callback around a Shakespeare monologue. My daughter’s one hesitation is around academics - some of the kids we know weren’t super excited by the non-theater courses they took. However, I reminded her that as it is a conservatory, she would only be taking a few liberal arts classes. As long as the conservatory is challenging and fulfilling, that is what matters. And we have been told the conservatory is very challenging. The kids we know that have graduated or are still there have very positive things to say about the conservatory and the town of Webster Groves. It is apparently a very cute little town. The school is also relatively reasonable cost-wise (especially for a private school). I know that midwest auditions for summer stock type work happen at Webster (although not related to the school; just hosted there) which is an added bonus in my mind (don’t have to travel for that). Wish I could say more and hope others chime in.
(no decisions have been made on our end, but I do think Webster is a good school for theater/MT)
I attend the MidWest Theatre auditions on the Webster campus every year looking for actors to hire for our summer stock season. My daughter also graduated from the MT program at Webster in 2010. Our theatre company hires a lot of actors from these auditions and many of the ones we hire are Webster students. They are very well trained, they come to rehearsal prepared, they are professional, team players and they are talented as well. 
@bfahopeful is right, freshman do not audition but I think that is a good thing. The connections to the theatres in St. Louis and surrounding area is very important. These kids have lots of opportunities. My daughter was a distinguished Merit scholarship student with a very high GPA and SAT scores, she didn’t end up taking any academic classes at Webster outside of the conservatory, dance or music department. She came in with 17 credit hours and it was her choice to fill her other classes in those areas. She had conservatory classmates however who did take more traditional academic classes and I never heard anyone complain about the quality of those classes. I also think the showcase on both coasts is great. My daughter chose L.A. after graduation (much to our surprise) and is working in commercials and theatre. Of course she also has the “survival job” but she’s almost six years out of school and still loving the life of an actor. There are a lot of Webster grads in L.A. and they have started a theatre company called the L.A. New Court Theatre. Check it out.
As you can see, I love this school and think it’s a great buy as well. Good luck on your decision and feel free to ask me any questions. Even though my daughter has been gone from there a while, I work with students from there every summer and visit the campus once a year.
Thank you, @marianne406! That is such good info to have. Sounds like a very solid program.
Thank you @marianne406 and @bfahopeful!!! It really seems like a wonderful school, and a true conservatory is exactly what I am looking for. Your info was very helpful!