uclaactor

So, here's the honest and in-depth deal on the UCLA program.

As with most BA or BFA's in musical theatre, the first two years are spent mostly integrated with the acting students, with the only differences being that in addition to speaking voice classes, you also have one private singing lesson per week, and during some terms, a weekly or bi-weekly group lesson where ensemble material is worked on. As well, in addition to stage combat and the like, you'll also have 3 days a week of dance, rotating between the disciplines, but with a constant foundation of classical ballet. The 3rd and 4th year your acting classes are only with musical theatre majors in your track/year and some of the study is geared towards textual scenes from musicals, and the dance classes are opened up to guest classes and less ballet.

Now, here's the real dirt on the program..... please understand that this is strictly an opinion, albeit an inside one....

There are TWO musical theatre programs at UCLA. One within the theatre department (the relatively new "Ray Bolger" program), and one within the music department ("workshop") taught by Professor Hall. The truth is this, although the theatre department has everything in place to compete with all the other BA's and most BFA's around the country, the singular best class I ever took at UCLA (not withstanding "partying 101") was the music department's 90L taught by professor Hall. He is is honest, brutal, and caring all rolled up into one, and the setting for the class is the closest thing I've yet to see in a collegiate environment that mirrors professional classes here in nyc. Now this class is not part of a musical theatre major within the music department, but simply an elective that is open to ANYONE within the undergraduate community. Students such as Sam Harris and Susan Egan took the workshop regularly prior to the musical theatre major's existance, and while I was there, some of the strongest performers in the class were econ or psych majors, who wanted a more interdisciplinary education, but who clearly had the chops to work in the business. The theatre department quickly realized that various students (myself included, as I was part of the inagural class) were passing on theatre electives to take the workshop, but instead of trying to encorporate it into the department, have left their students having to choose between courses. Don't let this discourage you though. In some ways it's an opportunity to get instruction and feedback from a greater pool of faculty, and a chance to learn early on that this business is saturated with tough decisions. You can do both, be in the Bolger track and take the "workshop" (which would be my recommendation), and can probably fit the workshop in at least once every few quarters (ucla is on the quarter system, so there are three terms per academic year, plus two summer school sessions). "Workshop" is offered every term, with students required to re-audition for each term regardless of their previous experience in it. Some terms are spent simply studdying, and some are spent in performance.

Perhaps the greatest thing that sets UCLA apart from other musical theatre programs is the enviroment. UCLA is the second largest public institution in the country. With over 40,000 undergraduate applicants each year, and less than 5,000 accepted, it's a pretty amazing company to keep. The campus is 15 minutes from the beach. As a alumnus, the academic weight of the degree has definitely been worth the price of admission. If you ever want to join the ranks of the business world, the degree is going to be a huge help over any of the conservatories. Which brings us back to the initial decision BA vs. BFA. If you want a small professional studio, apply to CCM, NYU, Emerson, The Boston Conservatory, Carnegie-Mellon, Ithaca, or any of the other tier 1 or tier 2 BFA's. If you want the "American College Experience", places that give you an interdisciplinary academic schedule, sports teams, greek life, and the like, then you're much better off at a UCLA, UMich, Northwestern, Indiana, UCSD, or other comparable program.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. I spent the better part of two years researching all of these programs, and have compiled a pretty comprehensive list of what I would consider to be the top and second tier programs for the musical theatre major.

Good luck to all of you, and hope to see you in NYC.