Skip to main content
Converse University
    • Undergraduate
      • Majors, Minors, & Pre-Professional Programs
      • Applying to Converse
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Financial Aid
      • Find Your Counselor
    • Graduate
      • Master’s Degrees & Doctoral Programs
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Financial Aid
      • University Center of Greenville (UCG)
    • About Converse
      • Our Mission & Values
      • Converse at a Glance
      • The Converse Community
      • The Converse Advantage
      • About Spartanburg
    • Visit Converse
      • Campus Map
      • Virtual Tour
      • Visit Converse
      • COVID-19 Info
    • Converse-admissions-at-glance-admission

      See clearly, decide wisely, and act justly

      Converse offers over 100 majors, minors, certificates, and graduate programs. We guarantee all undergraduate, full-time students will graduate from Converse in four years.

      Converse at a Glance

    • Majors & Programs
      • Undergraduate Majors & Minors
      • Graduate Programs
      • Career Tracks, Certificates & Partnerships
      • Course Offerings & Academic Catalogs
    • Schools & Departments
      • The Arts
      • Education & Graduate Studies
      • Humanities, Sciences & Business
      • Converse College for Women
      • Converse International School 康沃斯大学国际学院
    • Beyond the Classroom
      • Research
      • Nisbet Honors Program
      • Model Programs
      • Career Development
      • Travel & Study Abroad
    • Academic Resources
      • Mickel Library
      • Registrar
      • Faculty Directory
      • Academic Support
      • Academic Calendars
    • Converse grant science program NIH

      Create, innovate, and transform.

      Converse puts you in the middle of it all. From research, real-world experience, and engaging faculty, to internships and career advisement teams, we put your future first.

      Academics

    • Campus Services
      • Bookstore
      • Campus Safety
      • Technology Support
      • Dining Options
      • Venue Rental
    • Student Life
      • Student Development & Success
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • Campus Events
      • Health & Counseling
      • Leadership & Service
    • Converse Alumni
      • Stay Connected
      • Service Opportunities
      • Transcripts
      • In Memoriam
      • Reunion
    • Life at Converse
      • First-Year Experience
      • Residential Students
      • Commuter Students
      • First-Generation Student Support
      • Diversity, Community & Inclusion
    • 50399412677_dcf97d8c7d_c

      Your college life starts here.

      From residential campus life to clubs and athletics, to beyond Spartanburg, see what life outside the classroom is like.

      Life at Converse

  1. AthleticsGo Valkyries!
  1. MyConverse
  2. Calendar
  3. Directory
  1. apply
  2. visit
  3. give
Converse University
  • Home
  • Academics
  • Programs

Musical Theatre

The Musical Theatre major at Converse offers you immersive training in acting, dance, and voice. Whether you dream of acting, creating, directing, or stage management, the dynamic curriculum of Converse’s Musical Theatre degree will prepare you for a career in musical theatre or build the foundation for pursuing an advanced degree.

Degree Offered

  • BA in Musical Theatre

Related Degrees

  • Minor in Dance
  • BA in Theatre
  • Minor in Theatre
  • Minor in Arts Administration

About Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre artists inspire, entertain, and challenge audiences with live performances that enhance our capacity for empathy and illuminate our common humanity. At Converse we train and support the next generation of performing artists by providing programs that promote intellectual curiosity, creativity and lifelong learning. The stage is our laboratory, a place where we grow and create in community.

Why Musical Theatre

We teach and inspire our musical theatre students by sharing rigorous scholarship, unique studio process, and transformative live performance in music, dance and theatre. Our primary focus in the classroom, in rehearsal, and in live performance is to give student artists opportunities and support to succeed. Join us and find your light!

  • Perform powerful roles in a unique environment
  • Enjoy small class sizes and a dedication to personal mentorship
  • Study the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique with certified teacher, Professor Melissa Owens
  • Take cutting-edge courses in devised theatre and dramaturgy
  • Create a collaborative senior capstone project by writing a play, researching a legendary diva or directing a musical.

Productions

Through Theatre Converse’s rich production season including mainstage and studio series productions, you will be given opportunities to shine onstage, backstage and off the stage in all aspects of theatre arts, technical production, production design, arts management or playwriting.

Previous productions include:

  • Heathers the Musical
  • 1776
  • You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown
  • Godspell
  • As You Like It
  • Cabaret

Internships

  • Stage Management Team, Spartanburg Little Theatre
  • Actor, Spartanburg Youth Theatre’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox
  • Assistant Director, Spartanburg Little Theatre’s Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
  • Drama Teacher, Woodland Heights Elementary After School Program
  • Dance/Theatre Instructor, Fine Arts Day Camp

Musical Theatre Mentoring Project

As part of the interdisciplinary Psychology of Musical Theatre class, students and faculty team up to lead an “acting the song” month-long workshop with local high school students. Together they create a collaborative musical performance, exploring major themes such as “To Dream” and “To Fight.”

Study-Travel

Theatre & Dance students have the opportunity to study and experience international theatre through travel-study courses.

During a Jan term study-travel trip, students studied literature and theatre in England with Dr. Templeton & Professor Owens. They spent 12 days visiting Shakespeare’s Stratford-Upon-Avon, the Cotswolds, the University of Oxford, and London. These tangible experiences brought new life and meaning to the works they studied. Visits to key sites – Big Ben, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey- as well as multiple theatre experiences in the West End, at the Barbican, the Globe and the National, engaged, entertained and inspired students and faculty.

Musical Theatre Coursework
The Michael Chekhov Acting Technique

The study of musical theatre includes instruction in major works of dramatic literature, dramatic styles and types, and understanding the principles of organizing and producing full productions. As a musical theatre student, you will have a wide variety of roles in productions: from stage management, to directing, acting, movement, stage lighting, costuming, set design, and script writing. In addition to hands-on learning, you will understand the evolution of Theatre by exploring the history and theory of Theatre, with an emphasis on musicals.

Sample Courses

  • Acting the Song
  • Theatre History
  • Voice
  • Technical Production
  • Musical Theatre History
  • Musical Theatre Dance
  • Ballet
  • Musical Theatre Ensemble

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Musical Theatre

Our Musical Theatre degree involves intensive study and research in acting, voice and dance, along with the histories and theories of music and performance. You will develop skills in analyzing, anticipating, and executing performances rooted in music.

From voice to stage production to dance, you will find a wide variety of challenges and means of expression in Musical Theatre at Converse. We want you to grow as an artist and a future professional in our program.

View the BA in Musical Theatre Major requirements.

Course Offerings & Academic Catalogs

What are common careers in Musical Theatre?

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Choreographer
  • Costume, Scenic or Sound Designer
  • Theatre Management
  • Monologue Coach
  • Dance Instructor
  • Educator

Next Steps

  • Request info Connect with us Opens new window
  • Visit the campus We will be your home
  • Apply online Start your journey Opens new window

Department News

Converse’s 2022-2023 Faculty Symposia Lineup

The Office of Research and Engagement at Converse University promotes collegewide engagement in research and scholarly creative work. The office supports and assists faculty, students, and staff from the conception …

Read More

Carrying on a Legacy of Excellence in Theatre Through the W. Hayward Ellis Memorial Theatre Scholarship

Converse Theatre recently performed The Thanksgiving Play, and there is a strong sense of gratitude among the entire cast and crew. They are in their second show of this year’s …

Read More

Converse Community Supporting Glow Lyric Summer Theatre

Multiple students, grads and staff of the Converse community are working and performing with Glow Lyric Theatre this summer. Glow Lyric Theatre is South Carolina’s only summer opera and musical …

Read More

Programs of Study

Converse offers over 100 majors, minors, certificates, and graduate programs across 2 campuses and online.

    • Undergraduate Degrees
    • Graduate Programs
    • Arts
    • Education and Graduate Studies
    • Humanities, Sciences, and Business
Request Information Visit Campus Apply Now
Converse University
  1. Campus Map
  2. Employment Opportunities
  3. Human Resources
  4. Title IX
  5. Alumni
  6. Converse College for Women
  7. Lawson Academy
  8. Strategic Plan 2023-2026
  9. Converse International School
  10. About Converse
  11. Converse Box Office
  12. Accreditations and Affiliations
  13. HEERF Disclosure Statements
  14. Employers and Recruiters

Contact Us

580 E. Main Street
Spartanburg, SC 29302
864.596.9000

Contact Converse University

Follow Us

  • Like us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Add us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on YouTube

© Converse University

Privacy Policy
Copyright
Converse University
2023
Employment Opportunities