<p>@caesarcreek: </p>
<p>You’re quite right that Harvard’s theatre scene is more about learning by doing as opposed to rigorous conservatoire-style training. If you want to learn to direct/act/produce while being guided by specific courses or professors, or be in productions where the director or music director is a professor, or especially a carefully planned out degree program, Harvard’s not the place for that. You go to a Northwestern, or a Juilliard, or a Boston Conservatory for that. [And you can. Many Harvard grads go to MFA/MM programs that are more specific to a particular profession]</p>
<p>With that said, Harvard’s method is clearly nothing to sneeze at. She’s turned out everything from (as Caesarcreek points out) composers and lyricists to actors and actresses and tv writers and directors and critics. Most took very few [if any] courses in practical art making. They all learned through doing in the various extracurriculars. </p>
<p>To be honest, Yale is not much different, at least on the undergrad level, as the professional schools in music and drama are somewhat separate from the college. </p>
<p>Of course, all of this only answers the passion problem. It doesn’t address the social misery problem…:P</p>