<p>Good advice above to start with researching schools that give automatic $ (of some variety) re NMF status alone, and then determine whether they’re the “good theatre school” of which you speak.</p>
<p>Do keep in mind that the “academic-side merit $” question to study theatre is a larger topic than just automatic NMF awards. Many students will combine NMF status with commensurate academic status in things like SAT/ACT, GPA/standing, AP’s, strong EC’s and so forth, to assemble an overall academic “package” that makes them competitive for “academic merit $” scholarships from any school that offers these kind of awards. For most scholarships and at most colleges, a student earning such an award can study whatever they choose – theater related areas included. Again, whether such a school is what you consider a “good theatre school” is largely subjective, but strong overall schools that also offer generous academic merit awards (at least they did at one time) include Wash U, Emory, Vanderbilt, Rice, CMU, Case, GW, BU, Michigan, Tulane, and USC. While none of these schools are necessarily thought of first and foremost for their theater offerings, many if not most have “strong” theater departments.</p>