The BA in Musical Theatre offers training in acting, dance techniques and styles, voice and musicianship, character and ensemble, voice and movement, and theatre history. Our approach emphasizes the synthesis of acting, singing, and dancing in musical theatre performance. Students are encouraged to put into practice what they learn in the classroom through hands-on engagement in the preparation and presentation of performances produced in the School of Theatre and Dance.
Students are encouraged to audition for musical theatre productions and non-musical plays. In the classroom, students work with a faculty of professionals in the field, who bring their expertise to the art, craft, and business of theatre. The BA track allows students to explore various aspects of the industry, such as on-camera acting, voice over performance, design, stage combat, directing, marketing and management, and stage management. This major offers more flexibility than the BFA track when pursuing a minor or double major while allowing students to dive deeper into the musical theatre track by auditioning for advanced BFA courses and participating in multidisciplinary programs. This pragmatic approach prepares students to face the challenging realities of making a life in the performing arts.
As a result of successfully completing program requirements, students should be able to:
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inhabit a role as cast, demonstrating the ability to use research, text and score analysis, rehearsal, and exploration;
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articulate fundamental dance terminology and demonstrate technique in ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theatre styles as an additional means of furthering the dramatic life of a scene;
