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B.F.A. in Musical Theatre

Develop your skills.
Discover your process.
Dare to find your artistic voice.
School of Theatre
Musical Theatre at Penn State is recognized as one of the finest training programs in the nation. Our mission is to train young artists so that they may thrive in the professional musical theatre and enjoy a successful and lifelong artistic journey. Students are recruited nationally and share a positive, professional, and dedicated attitude as humans and artists that allows them to enter the Industry ready to contribute to the stories they want to tell and the art they want to make.
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Earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre at Penn State
Prescreening + Process Step-by-Step (PDF) Admission and Degree Requirements Suggested Academic Plan Applying Pre-College Summer Intensive Contact Theatre's Admissions Coordinator

The Musical Theatre B.F.A. degree program is an intensive pre-professional training program with alumni working around the country and the world.

Our faculty is made up of artists dedicated to both the profession and the academy. As working actors, dancers, music directors, choreographers, and directors, we bring our students Broadway, national tour, regional theatre, and film and television experience. With a ratio of thirteen faculty to forty-nine students, the training is individualized, specific, and demanding.

Students accepted into the program will receive specialized training in singing, acting, and dance. In addition to this training, Penn State Musical Theatre offers signature initiatives like the New Musicals Initiative (which commissions musical theatre writers to write for our students), the Master Class Series, and our unique Musical Theatre Wellness Center – which assists our students in the areas of Mental, Physical, Vocal, and Nutritional Health during their training.

Connect with us

We are so proud of our many alums working around the world. Below are just a few of the exciting projects that involve Penn State Musical Theatre alumni. Check back frequently – we are always updating!

  • Caroline Bowman – Frozen, National Tour (Elsa)
  • Adam Jepsen – Frozen, Broadway (Sven)
  • Talia Suskauer – Wicked, National Tour (Elphaba)
  • Christian Thompson – Ain’t Too Proud, Broadway (Smokey Robinson)
  • Gilbert Bailey II – Beetlejuice, Broadway (Ensemble)
  • Keely Beirne – Frozen, Broadway (Ensemble)
  • Audrey Cardwell – Falsettos, National Tour (Cordelia)
  • Kevin Clay – The Book of Mormon, International Tour (Elder Price)
  • Ixchel Cuellar – Mean Girls, Broadway/National Tour (Swing)
  • Alex Dorf – Cats, National Tour (Swing)
  • Patrick Graver – The Book of Mormon, National Tour (Ensemble)
  • Marcus Paul James – Ain’t Too Proud, Broadway (Swing)
  • James T. Lane – Kiss Me, Kate!, Broadway (Paul)
  • Nathan Lucrezio – Diana, Broadway (Ensemble)
  • Allie Pizzo – Aladdin, National Tour (Ensemble)
  • Liz Schmitz – Hello Dolly, National Tour (Ensemble)
  • Jason Sparks – Kiss Me, Kate!, Broadway (Associate Choreographer)
  • Laurie Veldheer – Plaza Suite, Broadway (U/s Jean, Mimsey)
  • George Vickers – A Bronx Tale, National Tour (Tyrone)
  • Brinie Wallace – The Book of Mormon, National Tour (Ensemble)
  • Aidan Wharton – Wicked, Nation Tour (Ensemble, U/S Fiyero)
  • Maria Wirries – Dear Evan Hansen, National Tour (U/s Zoe, Alana)
  • Julio Rey – Tootsie, National Tour (Ensemble)
Musical Theatre students performing a scene from American Idiot.

See it in 360º

Welcome to our studios and spaces! Each of these 360º views is a portal of sorts into the learning and performance spaces in the School of Theatre!

You can click-and-drag to control the view in the frame, and there are embedded ‘links’ within the viewer that enable you to move among physical locations. By clicking the arrow icon at the footer of the viewer window, you can access the tour navigation menu, including the full screen (and you really should check these out full screen).

Pavilion TheatreSnap Content

Theatre Performance Classrooms + Stages

Considering the B.F.A. in Musical Theatre? Consider this.

​With our curriculum, initiatives, and connections – we are defining 21st century Musical Theatre training.

  • Tony, Grammy, Obie winning writers work in our New Musicals Initiative

  • Master classes taught by Broadway’s elite professionals

  • Graduating students leave with professionally filmed material for their websites

  • Each year, we spend time in NYC taking classes, seeing shows, and meeting alumni

Alumni Spotlight

You’ve gotta work hard to play hard. Sure, some people can skirt by without working as hard as others, but that will only take them so far.
Penn State Musical Theatre alumna Brinie Wallace

Alumni Spotlight

Brinie Wallace

B.F.A. in Musical Theatre 2016

Brinie Wallace is currently an ensemble member in the North American tour of The Book of Mormon after premiering the musical in Australia. She says her Penn State education reinforced in her the need to be “present and persistent” in the musical theatre profession, so you are ready to take on whatever challenges come your way.

Instagram @bougieatbest
Web www.briniewallace.com
Brinie Wallace, second from the right, performs as a member of the ensemble in the nationally touring Broadway production of “The Book of Mormon.” Wallace is a 2016 Penn State School of Theatre graduate. IMAGE: The Book of Mormon (c) Julieta Cervantes 2019

News from A&A

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Despite pandemic challenges the show goes on in the School of Theatre
When preparing for theatre education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, School of Theatre administration, faculty and staff leaned on science to set the stage.

When preparing for theatre education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, School of Theatre administration, faculty and staff knew that the 2020-2021 academic year presented unprecedented challenges. But the


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Theatre alumni group's networking event goes virtual
The School of Theatre Affiliate Program Group's annual networking event went virtual for 2020, allowing more alumni from across the country to participate.
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School of Theatre alumna and instructor hones her craft through comedy
Theatre alumna and instructor Malena Ramirez's comedy career has blossomed at Penn State after she got her start in New York City and her native Puerto Rico.
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