Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre Track

Faculty

Charles Dugan, D.M.A.
Part-time Faculty
Bliss Hall 3031
330.941.3810
chdugan@ysu.edu

Adam Howard, M.F.A.
Lecturer
Bliss Hall 1250
330.941.1837
adhoward05@ysu.edu

About the Major

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Musical Theatre is a professional degree for students who are interested in pursuing a career as an actor and singer. Admission to this program is available by audition only. The broad, yet comprehensive, curriculum is based in theatre as a means of creative expression and a vehicle for public engagement. Students learn about theatre and performance from multiple perspectives. Practical application and theoretical investigation, as it relates to professional theatre, are balanced through required coursework. Students graduate from this program prepared for careers as broadly employable theatre professionals.

Musical Theatre is one of the most demanding performing arts professions within the theatre industry. The rigorous B.F.A. program requires coursework in three areas of performance—singing, dancing, and acting—as well as foundations in liberal arts and theatre history. Individualized instruction promotes focus and results in mature, talented, and energetic performers who are prepared for a career in the professional musical theatre field. Our students routinely win coveted internships and seats in acclaimed workshops—including those with Netflix, the Open Jar Institute, Disney's Animal Kingdom, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Cedar Point, and others. They also perform and win awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) and participate in Study Abroad programs, including performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

The co-curricular theatre season includes four mainstage productions, and all B.F.A. Musical Theatre students are required to audition and participate. Additional performance opportunities are made possible through semi-annual cabarets, the annual Festival of New Work, and An Evening of 10-Minute Plays. Performance opportunities focus on students and their professional growth in real-world situations. In addition, all B.F.A. Musical Theatre students complete a senior capstone in which they meet with their instructor individually as well as in small groups that facilitate deeper discussions and refine and prepare final showcase material for performance.

Our alumni may be seen regionally, nationally, and internationally across the theatre and entertainment industries. Our graduates are found on stage and screen—from Tony Award-winning Hadestown to Days of Our Lives—and receiving nominations and awards from The Tonys to The GRAMMYS®. Our dynamic programs also empower our alumni to become successful directors, designers, choreographers, and more at the national level, including at the Great Lakes Theatre Festival and similar venues. Our students hone their artistic and technical abilities and also develop a range of other valuable transferable proficiencies. They earn degrees in areas about which they are passionate, and their skills are applicable to careers in numerous professions across the theatre and entertainment industries and more.

Contact Information

To learn more about our degree programs, audition information, scholarships, professional development and careers, performances, faculty, and students, visit University Theatre or contact us at 330.941.3810. 

To schedule a personalized campus visit, contact the Cliffe College of Creative Arts Program Coordinator of Admissions and Recruitment at 330.941.2346 or sawaltman@ysu.edu. We would love to learn about your interests, talk with you about our programs, and become an important part of your future.

Grade of "C" or better is required for all major and minor courses. Courses cannot be taken "CR/NC".

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate the ability to act, i.e., to project one's self believably, in work and action, into imaginary circumstances and roles in a wide variety of styles and formats.
2. Demonstrate a flexible, strong, and controlled voice with trained breath support; appropriate vocal range and freedom from vocal and postural tension in rehearsal and performance; the student will also demonstrate the ability to project the voice effectively in theater spaces of varying sizes.
3. Demonstrate musicianship by learning accurate rhythm, pitch, phrasing, tempi, and appropriate vocal style that is consistent with performance practice in their vocal repertoire.
4. Demonstrate physical competence in dance and movement with a focus on ballet, tap, and jazz technique.
5. Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of basic production elements, including stage make-up.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of musical theatre repertory, the history of its development, and the relationship of this history to styles of performance.
7. Demonstrate effective audition techniques.