Where Do You Belong? Stats from the Most Represented Schools on Broadway Part 3
By: Julie Musbach May. 18, 2019
Deciding where to go for college or university is nothing short of daunting. There are all kinds of factors to consider such as location, ideal class size, and admission requirements. Every aspect is important when deciding where to go for a well-rounded theatre education and guaranteeing you find the school that's the right fit for your artistic style.
To help out, we're rounding up some of the top theatre schools to give students some stats to consider when getting ready to apply or even transfer. Plus, we've got comments straight from the faculty in charge of each of the programs detailing what they consider the ideal theatre student to be for their school!
Plus check in with Part 1 and Part 2!
New York University
New York, New York
Undergraduate Students: 26,417
Admission Rate: 28%
Average GPA: 3.66
Average Class Size: 10-30 students
57.2% Female
42.8% Male
Notable alums: Jelani Alladin, Rachel Bloom, Lady Gaga, Adam Jacobs, Nikki M. James, Denis Jones, Moisés Kaufman, Idina Menzel, Matthew Morrison, Javier Muñoz, Donna Murphy, Anthony Rapp, Ali Stroker, Shaina Taub, Brandon Uranowitz
"NYU Tisch Drama's musical theatre training program, the New Studio on Broadway, is most ideally suited to diverse students who love to tell stories through dialogue, singing and dancing-students who love all kinds of music from contemporary sounds to Hammerstein, Sondheim, Lin Manuel-Miranda and beyond, who love dance from ballet to African to tap and beyond, who love playwrights from Shakespeare to Lynn Nottage to Quiara Hudes and beyond. NSB meets every student where they are and celebrates the art within them: the music, the dance and the poetry of a life lived in response to the world we are in, and the musical theatre that the world needs today and beyond." -Kent Gash, Director of Tisch Drama's New Studio on Broadway
For more info, visit www.nyu.edu
American Musical and Dramatic Academy/AMDA College of the Performing Arts
New York, New York; Los Angeles, California
Undergraduate Students: 1722
Admission Rate: 22%
Average Class Size: 12-18 students
70% Female
30% Male
Notable Alumni: Tyne Daly, Paul Sorvino, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jason Derulo, Christopher Jackson, Anthony Ramos, Nina Arianda, Caissie Levy, Sarah Stiles, Jeremy Pope
"AMDA is best suited for students seeking to train within a diverse community of dedicated creative artists. With campuses in the heart of the performing arts districts in New York and Los Angeles, and a faculty comprised of working industry professionals, AMDA serves as both school and stage. Students who flourish at AMDA are those with commitment, passion, and a desire to develop the skills, confidence, imagination and power to contribute to their community as artists, entrepreneurs, and conscientious citizens of the world." -Jan Martin, AMDA President
For more info, visit www.amda.edu
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia
Undergraduate Students: 2,063
Admission Rate: 83%
Average GPA: 3.53
Average Class Size: 10-30 students
60.2% Female
39.8% Male
Notable Alumni: Roman Banks, Anthony Wayne, Laura Woyasz, Kathy Voytko, Aaron Galligan-Stierle, J. Robert Spencer
"Music Theatre students with an eye towards the future truly thrive at Shenandoah University. Here at SU we make it our business to observe the trends that are happening in the music theatre industry, and we allow our teaching styles and curriculum to be fluid in order to best serve the needs of the students. We have an abundance of Broadway and New York professionals on faculty at Shenandoah - people who have been "in the trenches" in New York and know what it takes to succeed in this business. Our dedication to equal emphasis in Acting, Voice and Dance training are advantageous to any student serious about entering the profession. We are dedicated to not only cultivating serious Music Theatre artists who have all of the tools to succeed, but also to sending wonderful and healthily minded people into the world." -Kevin Covert, Director of Musical Theatre
For more info, visit www.su.edu
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Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
Undergraduate Students: 18,080
Admission Rate: 25%
Average GPA: 3.66
Average Class Size: 2-20 students
60.1% Female
39.9% Male
Notable Alumni: Greg Hildreth, David Garrison, Jason Alexander, Reed Birney, Chris Akerlind, Jess Goldstein
"Boston University School of Theatre students are highly motivated theater-makers. They thrive in an environment that celebrates the depth and breadth of the art form. They are socially engaged, broadly humanistic, and grow in skill, daring, and curiosity during their time here. They learn to foster collaboration with a high regard for generosity of spirit and depth of commitment to the work at hand." -Jim Petosa, Director, Boston University School of Theatre
"The kind of student that thrives in our program is a generous and talented innovator: someone who doesn't wait for opportunities but learns how to create them for themselves, whether they are an actor, director, producer, playwright- they take huge risks and are fully committed to the pursuit of their artistry, with an intrinsic curiosity about how their work intersects with the larger world." -McCaela Donovan, Assistant Director Boston University School of Theatre
For more info, visit www.bu.edu
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Undergraduate Students: 19,054
Admission Rate: 69%
Average GPA: 3.63
Average Class Size: 10-30 students
49.6% Female
50.4% Male
Notable Alumni: Eloise Kropp, Ez Menas, Barry Busby, Dan Horn, Skyler Adams, Dorcas Leung, Emily Mechler, Christopher Rice, Jamard Richardson, Daryl Tofa
"The students in the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre at the University of Oklahoma are talented, intelligent artists with big hearts. We cap the entire program at 50, therefore our students get personalized training from eight full-time faculty, all of whom specialize in Musical Theatre Performance. Our faculty do what we teach, and we offer our majors a unique hybrid of conservatory-style training and the chance to be part of a large flagship state university like The University of Oklahoma (OU). OU is a tough school to get into academically, and the Musical Theatre program is very selective. We have a real triple-threat reputation graduating incredible actors who sing and dance. We have a long tradition of bringing in major names in the theatre industry for guest residencies - and an additional focus on new works. We are fortunate to have many alumni working on Broadway, in National Touring companies, in regional theatres and internationally. Go Sooners!" -Ashton Byrum, Director Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre
For more info, visit www.ou.edu
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California
Undergraduate Students: 6,391
Admission Rate: 52%
Average GPA: 3.75
Average Class Size: 10-35 students
55.6% Female
44.4% Male
Notable Alumni: Amber White, Riley Berris, Linda Cardellini, Colin Hanks, Charley Koontz, Chris Sullivan
"LMU Theatre Arts students tend to be very involved and interested in multiple aspects of theatre. They want to learnt to act, but also do sound design. They are playwrights who also are stage combat choreographers. They are interested in learning about all aspects of their art and craft and are hungry to succeed in a business with no guarantee of success. They find at our school mentors who prepare them to make theatre, work in the film, television and new media industry, and create their own art. Most of our students are involved in volunteer work, activism and art for social change. We lift others as we climb." -Kevin J Wetmore, Professor and Chair of Theatre Arts
For more info, visit www.lmu.edu
For more on college theatre, take a scroll through our College Center; plus hear from students at these schools and more in our collection of Student Blogs!
Are you an educator interested in seeing your school listed in our roundups? Contact julie@broadwayworld.com.
Photo Credit: Oklahoma! by Little Fang Photo; Frozen by Andrew Eccles; Tootsie and Cats by Matthew Murphy; Colin Hanks by Amy Arbus
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