10. Elon University – Elon, NC
Elon University prides itself as graduating students who are “triple threats,” musical theatre artists that are not just excellent in either acting, dancing, or singing, but rather, all three. This is an ambitious claim to make, as having the triple threat advantage places you into the forefront of job applications in the real world of musical theatre. Their recent alumni have toured in a number of major productions, including Fiddler On the Roof, Mamma Mia, Beauty and the Beast, Matilda, and Rent, among others.
9. Oklahoma City University – Oklahoma City, OK
A musical theater program that has recently been put onto the map as a top school, Oklahoma City University’s program is known for having a well-rounded, positively demanding schedule for its musical theater majors. All students have access to top notch classical vocal training, as well as a rounded academic curriculum encompassing liberal arts classes, music theory, sight reading, and even conducting.
Known for providing high quality musical training to its musical theater students, MT students are also required to take about one dozen dance courses throughout their time at OCU. The alumni of OCU have won Tony awards, Grammy awards, roles in opera companies, and jobs on Broadway and beyond.
8. Syracuse College of Visual and Performing Arts – Syracuse, NY
Syracuse is among the top schools in the country to produce the largest number of actors that have become Broadway employed, only behind, to my sources, Elon, Boston Conservatory, University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, NYU Tisch, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. One of the major benefits students at this school receive is professional collaboration with an independent , regional, and professional equity theatre company known as the Syracuse Stage, which brings Broadway and musical theater to Northern New York in a 500 seat arena. A strong college for musical theater, it is also a very selective school that trains its students to be premiere “triple threats” in the country.
7. Boston Conservatory – Boston, MA
One of the finest schools for musical theater in the country, the Boston Conservatory faculty is stacked with an array of world-renowned teachers who specialize in a number of dance forms, including ballet, tap, jazz, and modern styles, as well as an accomplished faculty of vocal teachers and acting coaches. The institution is exceptionally selective, accepting only 2 out of 5 applicants for admission to the entire school.
The Boston Conservatory hosts an impressive 600 performances per year, which is among the highest out of any conservatory with less than 800 students. Students will never feel a shortage of performance opportunities at this school, a school that regularly sends its musical theater students to positions on Broadway, television, and in professional companies throughout the world.