<p>Reading over your post, theatregal, there are a couple of closer-to-home schools that you might consider: American University, right there in DC, and James Madison University, in Harrisonburg VA. Both have well-rounded BA programs with strong training, and I know JMU has tons of performance opportunities as well as good academics. If you haven’t seen JMU, I’d really recommend going to a production there–I expect you’ll be impressed–and their facility is gorgeous.</p>