<p>You’ll definitely get a lot of movement work at any of the conservatory programs. Seems like I’m always a little sore, but I’ve learned to like it. Tadashi Suzuki has kicked my ass in oh so many ways … and I started life as a freakin’ gymnast! LOL I think they do that at CalArts … But don’t be intimidated … Your body will tell you SO many amazing things about your roles if you learn to listen … </p>
<p>As far as MT, I don’t think CalArts does musicals per se, but given their forward-looking vision, I believe they incorporate a lot of singing and dance into their work. I know very little about UCLA, but I believe they have a full-blown MT major. The head of MT was co-author of Making it on Broadway and you’ll need to see what the real opportunities an Acting major would have to participate in those shows if that’s what you’re into. A.S.K. ;)</p>
<p>I don’t know that you can “negotiate” so much as to let them know what your situation is and sometimes they’ll make moves to help you out a bit. Again, that’s more from my knowledge of some other schools that aren’t part of this discussion, but it’s definitely worth a try. Get your parents to coach you up a bit on how to approach it. There was a kid on the MT forum last year who was accepted to the MT program at UMich - like HUGE scholarship offers from some other schools - who had some of the same issues and he came out of it with a better deal than he had at first. The key is communication.</p>