What are some of the best liberal arts colleges for performing arts?

Question

I'm a junior, who is just beginning to look into colleges. While I'm not at all sure what I want to focus on in college, one of my interests is in performing arts (particularly drama and musical theatre performing) and I was wondering what small liberal arts colleges were strong in this area...

I'm currently looking mostly on the East Coast, but please give me answers from where ever; place doesn't matter to me as much as the school itself...

Answer 1

you say liberal arts, and you say theatre, so i'll give you very good liberal arts colleges with pretty good theatre programs. i take it you aren't looking for a conservatory:
vassar
williams
whitman
tufts
sarah lawrence (good playwrighting program)
connecticut college

if you want a good musical theatre program, you'll have to look at some bigger places or conservatories (northwestern, NYU, etc.), but the ones listed above have good theatre majors. most liberal arts colleges will have them, and every college has theatre of some form or another.

Answer 2

What style or method of acting do you want to learn? Do you want a B.A. or a B.F.A program? A B.A. will have more liberal arts in it, and a B.F.A. will be oriented more toward performance in your chosen artistic field.
Some styles of acting to consider are Meisner, or Method (Lee Strasburg, Stella Adler.) I recommend that you find out a little bit about these acting methods and then choose a school where the faculty teach the method that you want.
Be aware that many of the stronger schools will require an audition. Start preparing now!

I've included a link to the National Schools of Theatre. There are about 130 or so member schools.

http://nast.arts-accredit.org/

Good luck!

Answer 3

Sounds like my school. Christopher Newport University in Virginia. It's about as eastern as you can get. East Coast of VA in fact. Small school, around 5,000 students and not looking to expand. Excellent living facilites, and in 2004 the Ferguson Center for the Arts was completed. You can get a BFA with a theater concentration with further emphasis in acting, musical theater, design/tech, arts admin, directing/dramatic lit. or go 5 years and get a Masters in Teaching theater arts.

check out www.cnu.edu and www.cnu.edu/theatercnu

Answer 4

You don't say what area you're looking in......but I can tell you two in the midwest -- Carroll College in Waukesha, WI has a nice theatre department -- but on a larger scale, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee has a very good fine arts department. Good luck!