Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater: Musical Theater

Department

Program Overview

Boston Conservatory at Berklee's musical theater program is internationally recognized, consistently ranked among the best in the United States, and listed in Playbill’s "Big 10" most represented colleges on Broadway. Working with distinguished faculty, our students receive a uniquely contemporary and innovative conservatory education to help them become multi-dimensional theater artists destined to reshape the American musical. Performance opportunities reflect diverse styles and genres, from Broadway hits to modern classics to world premieres.

Boston Conservatory is located in the heart of one of the world’s leading theater cities. Home to nearly 100 theater companies, Boston was recently ranked as the third best city in the United States for musical theater. Each year dozens of theater students perform in professional Boston theaters, notably with our partner SpeakEasy Stage Company, while pursuing their B.F.A. degree.

Recent master class artists and visiting artists include Tony Award winners Sutton Foster, Chita Rivera, Rachel Chavkin, Susan Stroman, and Billy Porter; Oscar winner Rami Malek, Grammy winner Harry Connick Jr., and Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael R. Jackson (Strange Loop). We are regularly visited by top agents and casting directors; as well as successful alumni working nationwide, from New York to L.A. including cast members from Hamilton, Hadestown, Come from Away, Jagged Little Pill, Dear Evan Hanson, and Wicked.

Our Students

Boston Conservatory students have a calling and the theater is their home. They are not interested in just being “marketable types”—they want to create their own original, authentic identity as a 21st century theater artist. Generous, ambitious, and fearless, our students are driven by a love of musicals and a desire to shape the future of the artform. They believe that theater has the power to change hearts and minds, and they want to make an impact on the world.

Curriculum Overview

The four-year curriculum of the B.F.A. in Theater: Musical Theater immerses students in a variety of performance techniques and styles in acting, dancing, voice and speech, and singing, as well as the studies of multicultural plays and musicals, music theory, and the collaborative process. It offers a distinctive blend of rigorous structure and personalized flexibility so students can choose a path that reflects their interests and ambitions.

In the first two years of the program, students are grouped in small “cohorts” and move through a progression of dynamic foundational courses in acting, singing, movement, dance, voice and speech, text analysis, musical theater history, and piano. They also receive weekly private voice lessons and create an “actor’s toolkit” with knowledge about mental and physical wellness, nutrition, stage intimacy practices, and diversity and inclusion principles.

In their junior and senior years, students experiment with new ways of working, refine their skills, and delve deeper into advanced techniques, such as acting for the camera, pop-rock singing, or classical theater. They have the opportunity to explore and expand their interests by choosing a specialization in directing, devised theater, dance, playwriting, or songwriting. Some students choose to pursue a minor in areas such as Creative Entrepreneurship or Visual Culture and New Media Studies.

In their final year, students focus on expressing their unique artistic identity. In addition to preparing their senior showcase, they explore elective topics such as eco-performance, drag performance, or race and performance. They hone their audition techniques, learn about the business of theater, and prepare for professional careers in New York City, regional theater, film, and television.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater: Musical Theater requires students to complete 120 credits, consisting of the course requirements listed below. View the Sample Curriculum by Semester for details.

Musical Theater

T-EN 1301 Musical Theater 1 (1 credit)
T-EN 1302 Musical Theater 2 (1 credit)
T-EN 2301 Musical Theater 3 (2 credits)
T-EN 2302 Musical Theater 4 (2 credits)
T-EN 3301 Musical Theater 5 (2 credits)
T-EN 3302 Musical Theater 6 (2 credits)
T-EN 4301 Musical Theater 7 (2 credits)
T-AP 0401 Applied Voice Lessons (8 credits total; 1 credit each)

Acting, Movement, and Voice & Speech

T-ST 1101 Acting 1 (2 credits)
T-ST 1102 Acting 2 (2 credits)
T-ST 1103 Movement 1 (1 credit)
T-ST 1104 Movement 2 (1 credit)
T-ST 1201 Voice and Speech 1 (1 credit)
T-ST 1202 Voice and Speech 2 (1 credit)
T-ST 2101 Acting 3 (2 credits)
T-ST 2102 Acting 4 (2 credits)
T-ST 2105 Viewpoints 1 (1 credit)
T-ST 2106 Viewpoints 2 (1 credit)
T-ST 2201 Voice and Speech 3 (1 credit)
T-ST 2202 Voice and Speech 4 (1 credit)
T-ST 3101 Acting 5 (2 credits)
T-ST 3102 Acting 6 (2 credits)
T-ST 3103 Directing: Staging and Composition (1 credit)
T-ST 3105 Kinesthetics and the Imagination (1 credit)
T-ST 3106 Building Physical Comedy and Connection (1 credit)
T-ST 3203 Voice and Speech 5 (1 credit)
T-ST 3204 Voice and Speech 6 (1 credit)
T-ST 719xx Acting electives (4 credits total; 2 credits each)
T-ST 729xx Voice and Speech electives (2 credits total; 1 credit each)

Musical Theater Dance

T-ST 05x9 Tap (2 credits total, 1 credit each)
T-ST 06xx Jazz (4 credits total, 1 credit each)
T-ST 07xx Ballet (4 credits total, 1 credit each)
T-ST 080x Hip-Hop (2 credits total; 1 credit each)
T-ST 0xxx Dance electives (2 credits total; 1 credit each)

Music Theory and Piano

T-SK 1401 Music Lab 1 (1 credit)
T-SK 1402 Music Lab 2 (1 credit)
T-SK 1403 Piano Class 1 (1 credit)
T-SK 1404 Piano Class 2 (1 credit)
T-SK 2401 Music Lab 3 (1 credit)
T-SK 2402 Music Lab 4 (1 credit)
T-SK 2403 Piano Class 3 (1 credit)
T-SK 2404 Piano Class 4 (1 credit)

Theater Practice and Application

T-PR 1001 First Year Seminar: Wellness and the Working Artist (1 credit)
T-PR 1907 Theater Production and Process (1 credit)
T-PR 2944 Entrepreneurship for Theater Arts or T-PR 71912 The Business of Theater (1 credit)

Theater Literature and Histories, Liberal Arts, and General Education

A-xx 739xx Africana Studies or L-CM 739xx Liberal Arts elective: Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
A-xx 749xx Africana Studies or L-CM 749xx Liberal Arts elective: Social Sciences (3 credits)
A-xx 759xx Africana Studies or L-CM 759xx Liberal Arts elective: Math/Science (3 credits)
A-xx 7x9xx Africana Studies, L-CM 7x9xx Liberal Arts, and/or T-LT 799xx Topics in Theater Academics electives (6 credits total; 3 credits each)
C-PR 1001 Introduction to Creative Media Technology (1 credit)
L-CM 1301 Introduction to College Writing (3 credits)
L-CM 1302 Literature Topics (3 credits)
T-LT 1304 Evolutions and Revolutions in Musical Theater (3 credits)
T-LT 1907 Dramatic Text and Context (3 credits)
T-LT 2903 Global Theater Histories 1 (3 credits)
T-LT 2904 Global Theater Histories 2 (3 credits)
T-LT 3905 Performance Theories (3 credits)
T-LT 799xx Topics in Theater Academics (3 credits)
Xxxxx General electives (4 credits total)

What You Will Learn

Upon successful completion of the B.F.A. in Theater: Musical Theater program, students will:

perform a spectrum of musical theater styles and repertoires;
apply a distinct point of view to the interpretation of texts and music;
construct and apply a personalized technique to rehearsal and performance;
analyze and embody diverse theater practices, histories, literatures, and aesthetics;
collaborate with creativity, generosity, discipline, and integrity;
contribute to the social, cultural, and ethical impact of theater;
define and express their artistic identities with confidence and authenticity; and
make informed choices about constructing creative lives and sustainable careers.

Partnerships

Boston Conservatory's Theater Division has established partnerships with leading theater organizations that give students a professional edge. Learn more about these programs.

Your Future

Boston Conservatory is dedicated to helping students define their own unique path to a meaningful career and life in the performing arts. That’s why so many of our alumni are award–winning performers, directors, musical directors, and producers working on and off Broadway, in regional theaters nationwide, and in television and film.

Broadway and National Tours

Aladdin
An American in Paris
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Beetlejuice
The Band’s Visit
The Book of Mormon
Chicago
Come From Away
Dear Evan Hansen
Frozen
Fun Home
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
Hadestown
Hairspray
Hamilton
Head Over Heels
Hello Dolly!
Indecent
Jagged Little Pill
Jersey Boys
Kinky Boots
Les Misérables
The Lion King
Mean Girls
Motown the Musical
Moulin Rouge
My Fair Lady
Oklahoma!
Phantom of the Opera
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Prom
Ragtime
Spring Awakening
Torch Song
Waitress
West Side Story
Wicked

Regional Theater

Arena Stage
Arizona Theatre Company
Atlantic Theater Company
Barrington Stage Company
Dallas Theater Center
Denver Center Theatre Company
Drury Lane Theatre
Geva Theatre Center
Goodspeed Musicals
Guthrie Theater
Hartford Stage
Huntington Theatre Company
La Jolla Playhouse
Lincoln Center
Long Wharf Theatre
Lyric Stage Company
Manhattan Repertory Theatre
New York Stage and Film
The Old Globe
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Paper Mill Playhouse
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
The Public Theatre
Roundabout Theatre Company
Signature Theatre
Studio Theatre
SpeakEasy Stage Company
Vineyard Theatre
Walnut Street Theatre

How to apply