The BFA in Musical Theatre is a professional actor training program designed to prepare students to tackle the professional theatre world upon graduation. We provide a learning environment where we train not just the actor, but the whole person through activities in the classroom, rehearsal space, and onstage in performance.
At Shorter University, students are not only allowed to audition for mainstage shows in their first year—it is required for all BFA students! The faculty feels strongly about immediately fostering the connection between what students are doing in the classroom to what they do onstage.
One of the strongest aspects of the actor training at Shorter University is the faculty’s dedication to the growth of every student as an individual. Students’ training is monitored carefully through their time here, structured with regular opportunities to reflect on strengths and weaknesses, goals that are being set, and growth as an artist and member of the Shorter University Theatre Department.
BFA in Musical Theatre Performance
Our actor training has three main branches:
- An intensive curriculum designed to prepare students to be working actors after four years at Shorter. Coursework includes Acting, Stage Movement, Voice for the Actor, Audition Techniques, Makeup, Theatre Production, Theatre History, 8 semesters of Dance, a private weekly voice lesson with a member of the Music Department Faculty, Diction, Ear Training, Theory, Musical Theatre History, and more.
- A strong focus on preparing for professional auditions. All BFA performance majors are required to audition at the Georgia Theatre Conference (GTC) in the fall, which screens them to go to the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) in the spring—SETC is the largest multi-theatre auditions in the nation. Extensive “mock” auditions are held throughout the year to fine tune the auditioning process.
- A commitment to professional networking, which is crucial for a working theatre professional. Numerous guest directors and guest artists are brought in throughout the year to do master classes in addition to bringing in representatives from various companies to do private auditions and coachings at Shorter.