BWW Blog: OU, Oh Yeah!

If you had told little Molly at age eight that she would move ten hours away from her home in Georgia to go to college in Ohio, I think she would have laughed at you and asked where Ohio was on the map. I had never heard of Athens, Ohio or Ohio University until I started on my college audition journey. The reason I had never heard of OU or their theatre program is simply because before Fall 2019 there was not an active Musical Theatre major at the university. Ohio University's theatre department has a rich history of amazing training and community for their acting and design majors, which is why they made the move to add the BFA in Musical Theatre to their roster of wonderful programs. Now, I'm gonna be honest. Making the decision to join the inaugural class of a BFA program was not an easy one, but I'm going to lead you through why Ohio University was the best option for me!

I was very clear on what I wanted from a university setting. I wanted the big campus and the traditional college experience that comes with it. So OU was the perfect fit in that department, with Athens being the perfect quaint college town that is intricately wrapped into the campus. I wanted a program that would fit in with the opportunities this campus had to offer, and the MT program lived up to that expectation. I wanted an education that would not treat me like one type of performer. I wanted the opportunity to explore every facet of the art form, and that is exactly what the head of MT Alan Patrick Kenny (fondly called APK) and the program have given me. The first thing that drew me to the program was the Actor Musicianship focus and certificate program. The need for actors to be musically competent and able to play instruments is growing in the industry. Our program is structured to give every freshman either a year of piano or guitar along with an extremely in depth music theory study that has a focus on musical theatre and composition. Yes, I wrote a song this year! Something I always viewed as dauntingly impossible was conquered by my entire class after one year of music theory.

So musical ability is heavily incorporated into the curriculum but there is also a separate certificate program that allows students to take private instrumental lessons within OU's School of Music. These features truly made OU stick out to me in the college audition process because the Broadway of tomorrow is looking for collaborators and creators, and having the edge of instrumental ability and musical knowledge is unmatched.

Another facet of my program that I quickly fell in love with is the ability to customize my education. While we have a basic degree plan laid out for us, there are an abundance of minor and certificate options students are allowed to add to customize our degree plans. I am personally a part of the Actor Musicianship certificate program and the dance minor, offered through the school of dance. Other options include a Health/Wellness certificate and a Social Media certificate, alongside plenty of others.

The ability to mold our education to our wants is such a blessing for someone like me, who has a broad range of interests and lots of drive to go out and learn everything. Many of my peers are also members of Greek Life, employed on campus, and members of different clubs/organizations. I have never felt limited during my time at Ohio University. I cannot wait to be back on campus in the fall exploring all of my passions with my friends at one of my favorite places. So when you're looking into college programs, make sure you know what you want and you don't compromise for any less. You will find your place just like how I found mine!

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