Dreaming of Broadway fame? You’re very likely going to need some post-high school training. Although a number of big-name musical stars have made it without a degree (see below), an increasingly large number of the top names in musical theater came up through a handful of top-notch undergraduate and graduate programs.
Now, I can hardly claim to be an impartial observer here: I teach at The Boston Conservatory, which ranks among the best of these programs. (I’d say the best, but I don’t want to appear immodest.) So, I have a bit of inside info on what makes a good program. Essentially, it comes down to two things: great students and great teachers. But it also has to do with the breadth and depth of the training offered.
Schools can vary as to their individual curricula, and in whether they have a huge endowment that allows them to invest in flashy theaters and state-of-the-art rehearsal facilities. Some of these programs are based on a conservatory model, with a primary focus on professional training, alongside a solid foundation in the liberal arts. Others focus more directly on academics, while providing strong professional training as well.
Which would work better for you? It really comes down to personal preference. Are you dead set on being on Broadway? Is professional training your primary goal? Then a conservatory program might work better for you (e.g. Carnegie-Mellon, U. Michigan, CCM). Do you want the strongest possible academic education? Then you might be better off at a traditional liberal-arts college or university with an emphasis on performance skills (e.g. NYU, Yale, Northwestern).
American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) - Tyne Daly, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Christopher Jackson. Caissie Levy, Emily Padgett, Anthony Ramos, Christopher Sieber, Sarah Stiles, Marissa Jaret Winokur
American Conservatory Theater - Christopher Fitzgerald (MFA), Anika Noni Rose (MFA), Annette Bening (MFA), Denzel Washington (MFA)
Baldwin-Wallace University - Steel Burkhart, Jill Paice, Kyle Jean-Baptiste
Bennington College - Brooks Ashmanskas, Carol Channing, Tim Daly, Holland Taylor
The Boston Conservatory - Nick Adams, Eddie Korbich, Erin Davie, Josh Grisetti, Chad Kimball, Austin Lesch, Constantine Maroulis, Anne L. Nathan, Noah Racey, Jennifer Simard, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Alysha Umphress, Bud Weber
Boston University - Jason Alexander, Dan Fogler, Brad Oscar, Julianne Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, Alfre Woodard
Brown University - Kate Burton, Daveed Diggs, Laura Linney, James Naughton, John Lloyd Young
Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) - Christian Borle, Corey Cott, Josh Gad, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Megan Hilty, Chris Hoch, Telly Leung, Erin Mackey, Patina Miller, Christiane Noll, Rory O’Malley, Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Porter, Patrick Wilson
College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati (CCM) - Matt Bogart, Nikki Renèe Daniels, Lisa Howard, Leslie Kritzer, Karen Olivo, Faith Prince, Betsy Wolfe, Tony Yazbeck
Duke University - Aaron Lazar, Heidi Blickenstaff, Kerry O’Malley
Elon University - Matt Shingledecker, Taylor Trensch, Barrett Wilbert Weed
Emerson College - Mario Cantone, Jennifer Coolidge, Andrea Martin, Henry Winkler
Florida State University - Davis Gaines, Montego Glover, Christian Delcroix, D.B. Bonds
Fordham University - Alan Alda, Patricia Clarkson, Julie White, Robert Sean Leonard, John Benjamin Hickey, Denzel Washington
The Hartt School (University of Hartford) - Phillip Boykin, Marin Ireland
Harvard-Radcliffe - Stockard Channing, Lindsay Crouse, John Lithgow
Hofstra University - James Barbour, Peter Friedman, Julie Halston, Lainie Kazan, Tom McGowan, Christopher Walken
Indiana University Bloomington - Colin Donnell, Charles Kimbrough, Kevin Kline, Nicole Parker, Elizabeth Stanley
Ithaca College - Kerry Butler, Matt Cavenaugh, Michelle Federer, Jeremy Jordan, Aaron Tveit
The Juilliard School - Michael Arden, Daniel Breaker, Steven Boyd, Boyd Gaines, Kelsey Grammer, Harriet Harris, Gregory Jbara, Kevin Kline, Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Nancy Opel, Mandy Patinkin, Alex Sharp, Phillipa Soo, Benjamin Walker
Manhattan School of Music - Harry Connick Jr., Shuler Hensley
Marymount Manhattan College - Adam Chanler-Berat, Annaleigh Ashford
New York University - Nina Arianda, Billy Crudup (MFA), Raul Esparza, Michael C. Hall (MFA), Marcia Gay Harden (MFA), Jackie Hoffman, Adam Jacobs, Nikki M. James, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Steve Kazee (MFA), Idina Menzel, Debra Messing (MFA), Ruthie Ann Miles, Josh Radnor (MFA), Josh Segarra, Jeremy Shamos, Bobby Steggert, Jason Tam
Northwestern University - Kate Baldwin, Craig Bierko, Jeff Blumencrantz, Zach Braff, Gregg Edelman, Brian d’Arcy James, Adam Kantor, John Cameron Mitchell, Megan Mullally, Kristine Nielsen
Oberlin College - Will Chase, Judy Kuhn, Seth Rudetsky
Oklahoma City University - Kristin Chenoweth, Kelli O’Hara, Ron Raines
Pace University - Bradley Cooper, Eisa Davis
Point Park University - E. Clayton Cornelius, Megan Sikora, Marcus Stevens
Princeton University - Steven Bogardus, Jarrod Spector, Brooke Shields
Rutgers University - Roger Bart, Kevin Chamberlin, Michael Esper, Okieriete Onaodowan, Sheryl Lee Ralph
SUNY Purchase - Ron Eldard, Edie Falco, Liz Larsen, Micah Stock, Stanley Tucci, Steven Weber, William Youmans
San Diego State University - Kathy Najimy, Raquel Welch
Syracuse University - Jessie Mueller, Josh Young, Taye Diggs, Vanessa Williams
Towson University - Charles S. Dutton, John Glover, Andy Karl
Tufts University - Hank Azaria, Peter Gallagher, Joel Perez, Oliver Platt
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Billy Crudup, Max von Essen, Michael Cumpsty
University of North Carolina School of the Arts - Gary Beach, Jennifer Ehle, K. Todd Freeman, Tom Hulce, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Billy Magnussen, Terrence Mann, Joe Mantello, Mary-Louise Parker, Wesley Taylor, Lauren Ward
University of Michigan - Stanley Bahorek, Jenni Barber, Nick Blaemire, David Burtka, Gavin Creel, Erin Dilly, Barrett Foa, Hunter Foster, Alexander Gemignani, James Earl Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Andy Mientus, Lauren Molina, A.J. Shively, Jennifer Laura Thompson
University of Minnesota - Susan Blackwell, Tovah Feldshuh, Santino Fontana, T.R. Knight, Jessica Lange, Lenny Wolpe
University of California, Irvine - Jenn Collela, Bob Gunton, Beth Malone, Andrew Samonsky, Teal Wicks
University of California, San Diego - Danny Burstein (MFA), Jefferson Mays (MFA)
University of Southern California - Swoosie Kurtz, Kevin Mambo, Stark Sands, James Snyder
Vassar College - Jane Fonda, Grace Gummer, Anne Hathaway, Justin Long, Frances Sternhagen, Meryl Streep
Wagner College - Betsy Joslyn, Michelle Pawk, Janine LaManna, Randy Graff
Webster University - Hunter Bell, Norbert Leo Butz, Michael James Scott
Wesleyan University - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bradley Whitford, Frank Wood
Yale University - Mark Linn-Baker (MFA), Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Stephen DeRosa (MFA), Malcolm Gets, Anika Larsen, Jefferson Mays, Kristine Nielsen (MFA), David Hyde Pierce, Bryce Pinkham (MFA)
Other schools - John Cariani (Amherst College), Carolee Carmello (SUNY Albany), LaChanze (University of the Arts), Christine Ebersole (MacMurray College), James Monroe Iglehart (CalState - Hayward), Jim Parsons (MFA, University of San Diego), Will Swenson (Brigham Young University)
Didn’t graduate - Laura Benanti (NYU), Melissa Errico (Yale), Sutton Foster (Carnegie-Mellon), Marin Mazzie (Western Michigan University), Mike McGrath (Boston Conservatory), Cristin Milioti (NYU), Matthew Morrison (NYU), Donna Murphy (NYU), Jason Danieley (Southern Illinois University, University of Missouri), Laura Osnes (University of Wisconsin), Andrew Rannells (Marymount Manhattan College), Anthony Rapp (NYU)
Didn’t attend college - Stephanie J. Block, Matthew Broderick, Laura Bell Bundy, Charlotte D’Amboise, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Cheyenne Jackson, Nathan Lane, Norm Lewis, Lea Michele, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Sherie Rene Scott
Dreaming of Broadway fame? You’re very likely going to need some post-high school training. Although a number of big-name musical stars have made it without a degree (see below), an increasingly large number of the top names in musical theater came up through a handful of top-notch undergraduate and graduate programs.
Now, I can hardly claim to be an impartial observer here: I teach at The Boston Conservatory, which ranks among the best of these programs. (I’d say the best, but I don’t want to appear immodest.) So, I have a bit of inside info on what makes a good program. Essentially, it comes down to two things: great students and great teachers. But it also has to do with the breadth and depth of the training offered.
Schools can vary as to their individual curricula, and in whether they have a huge endowment that allows them to invest in flashy theaters and state-of-the-art rehearsal facilities. Some of these programs are based on a conservatory model, with a primary focus on professional training, alongside a solid foundation in the liberal arts. Others focus more directly on academics, while providing strong professional training as well.
Which would work better for you? It really comes down to personal preference. Are you dead set on being on Broadway? Is professional training your primary goal? Then a conservatory program might work better for you (e.g. Carnegie-Mellon, U. Michigan, CCM). Do you want the strongest possible academic education? Then you might be better off at a traditional liberal-arts college or university with an emphasis on performance skills (e.g. NYU, Yale, Northwestern).
American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) - Tyne Daly, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Christopher Jackson. Caissie Levy, Emily Padgett, Anthony Ramos, Christopher Sieber, Sarah Stiles, Marissa Jaret Winokur
American Conservatory Theater - Christopher Fitzgerald (MFA), Anika Noni Rose (MFA), Annette Bening (MFA), Denzel Washington (MFA)
Baldwin-Wallace University - Steel Burkhart, Jill Paice, Kyle Jean-Baptiste
Bennington College - Brooks Ashmanskas, Carol Channing, Tim Daly, Holland Taylor
The Boston Conservatory - Nick Adams, Eddie Korbich, Erin Davie, Josh Grisetti, Chad Kimball, Austin Lesch, Constantine Maroulis, Anne L. Nathan, Noah Racey, Jennifer Simard, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Alysha Umphress, Bud Weber
Boston University - Jason Alexander, Dan Fogler, Brad Oscar, Julianne Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, Alfre Woodard
Brown University - Kate Burton, Daveed Diggs, Laura Linney, James Naughton, John Lloyd Young
Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) - Christian Borle, Corey Cott, Josh Gad, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Megan Hilty, Chris Hoch, Telly Leung, Erin Mackey, Patina Miller, Christiane Noll, Rory O’Malley, Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Porter, Patrick Wilson
College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati (CCM) - Matt Bogart, Nikki Renèe Daniels, Lisa Howard, Leslie Kritzer, Karen Olivo, Faith Prince, Betsy Wolfe, Tony Yazbeck
Duke University - Aaron Lazar, Heidi Blickenstaff, Kerry O’Malley
Elon University - Matt Shingledecker, Taylor Trensch, Barrett Wilbert Weed
Emerson College - Mario Cantone, Jennifer Coolidge, Andrea Martin, Henry Winkler
Florida State University - Davis Gaines, Montego Glover, Christian Delcroix, D.B. Bonds
Fordham University - Alan Alda, Patricia Clarkson, Julie White, Robert Sean Leonard, John Benjamin Hickey, Denzel Washington
The Hartt School (University of Hartford) - Phillip Boykin, Marin Ireland
Harvard-Radcliffe - Stockard Channing, Lindsay Crouse, John Lithgow
Hofstra University - James Barbour, Peter Friedman, Julie Halston, Lainie Kazan, Tom McGowan, Christopher Walken
Indiana University Bloomington - Colin Donnell, Charles Kimbrough, Kevin Kline, Nicole Parker, Elizabeth Stanley
Ithaca College - Kerry Butler, Matt Cavenaugh, Michelle Federer, Jeremy Jordan, Aaron Tveit
The Juilliard School - Michael Arden, Daniel Breaker, Steven Boyd, Boyd Gaines, Kelsey Grammer, Harriet Harris, Gregory Jbara, Kevin Kline, Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Nancy Opel, Mandy Patinkin, Alex Sharp, Phillipa Soo, Benjamin Walker
Manhattan School of Music - Harry Connick Jr., Shuler Hensley
Marymount Manhattan College - Adam Chanler-Berat, Annaleigh Ashford
New York University - Nina Arianda, Billy Crudup (MFA), Raul Esparza, Michael C. Hall (MFA), Marcia Gay Harden (MFA), Jackie Hoffman, Adam Jacobs, Nikki M. James, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Steve Kazee (MFA), Idina Menzel, Debra Messing (MFA), Ruthie Ann Miles, Josh Radnor (MFA), Josh Segarra, Jeremy Shamos, Bobby Steggert, Jason Tam
Northwestern University - Kate Baldwin, Craig Bierko, Jeff Blumencrantz, Zach Braff, Gregg Edelman, Brian d’Arcy James, Adam Kantor, John Cameron Mitchell, Megan Mullally, Kristine Nielsen
Oberlin College - Will Chase, Judy Kuhn, Seth Rudetsky
Oklahoma City University - Kristin Chenoweth, Kelli O’Hara, Ron Raines
Pace University - Bradley Cooper, Eisa Davis
Point Park University - E. Clayton Cornelius, Megan Sikora, Marcus Stevens
Princeton University - Steven Bogardus, Jarrod Spector, Brooke Shields
Rutgers University - Roger Bart, Kevin Chamberlin, Michael Esper, Okieriete Onaodowan, Sheryl Lee Ralph
SUNY Purchase - Ron Eldard, Edie Falco, Liz Larsen, Micah Stock, Stanley Tucci, Steven Weber, William Youmans
San Diego State University - Kathy Najimy, Raquel Welch
Syracuse University - Jessie Mueller, Josh Young, Taye Diggs, Vanessa Williams
Towson University - Charles S. Dutton, John Glover, Andy Karl
Tufts University - Hank Azaria, Peter Gallagher, Joel Perez, Oliver Platt
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Billy Crudup, Max von Essen, Michael Cumpsty
University of North Carolina School of the Arts - Gary Beach, Jennifer Ehle, K. Todd Freeman, Tom Hulce, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Billy Magnussen, Terrence Mann, Joe Mantello, Mary-Louise Parker, Wesley Taylor, Lauren Ward
University of Michigan - Stanley Bahorek, Jenni Barber, Nick Blaemire, David Burtka, Gavin Creel, Erin Dilly, Barrett Foa, Hunter Foster, Alexander Gemignani, James Earl Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Andy Mientus, Lauren Molina, A.J. Shively, Jennifer Laura Thompson
University of Minnesota - Susan Blackwell, Tovah Feldshuh, Santino Fontana, T.R. Knight, Jessica Lange, Lenny Wolpe
University of California, Irvine - Jenn Collela, Bob Gunton, Beth Malone, Andrew Samonsky, Teal Wicks
University of California, San Diego - Danny Burstein (MFA), Jefferson Mays (MFA)
University of Southern California - Swoosie Kurtz, Kevin Mambo, Stark Sands, James Snyder
Vassar College - Jane Fonda, Grace Gummer, Anne Hathaway, Justin Long, Frances Sternhagen, Meryl Streep
Wagner College - Betsy Joslyn, Michelle Pawk, Janine LaManna, Randy Graff
Webster University - Hunter Bell, Norbert Leo Butz, Michael James Scott
Wesleyan University - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bradley Whitford, Frank Wood
Yale University - Mark Linn-Baker (MFA), Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Stephen DeRosa (MFA), Malcolm Gets, Anika Larsen, Jefferson Mays, Kristine Nielsen (MFA), David Hyde Pierce, Bryce Pinkham (MFA)
Other schools - John Cariani (Amherst College), Carolee Carmello (SUNY Albany), LaChanze (University of the Arts), Christine Ebersole (MacMurray College), James Monroe Iglehart (CalState - Hayward), Jim Parsons (MFA, University of San Diego), Will Swenson (Brigham Young University)
Didn’t graduate - Laura Benanti (NYU), Melissa Errico (Yale), Sutton Foster (Carnegie-Mellon), Marin Mazzie (Western Michigan University), Mike McGrath (Boston Conservatory), Cristin Milioti (NYU), Matthew Morrison (NYU), Donna Murphy (NYU), Jason Danieley (Southern Illinois University, University of Missouri), Laura Osnes (University of Wisconsin), Andrew Rannells (Marymount Manhattan College), Anthony Rapp (NYU)
Didn’t attend college - Stephanie J. Block, Matthew Broderick, Laura Bell Bundy, Charlotte D’Amboise, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Cheyenne Jackson, Nathan Lane, Norm Lewis, Lea Michele, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Sherie Rene Scott
Dreaming of Broadway fame? You’re very likely going to need some post-high school training. Although a number of big-name musical stars have made it without a degree (see below), an increasingly large number of the top names in musical theater came up through a handful of top-notch undergraduate and graduate programs.
Now, I can hardly claim to be an impartial observer here: I teach at The Boston Conservatory, which ranks among the best of these programs. (I’d say the best, but I don’t want to appear immodest.) So, I have a bit of inside info on what makes a good program. Essentially, it comes down to two things: great students and great teachers. But it also has to do with the breadth and depth of the training offered.
Schools can vary as to their individual curricula, and in whether they have a huge endowment that allows them to invest in flashy theaters and state-of-the-art rehearsal facilities. Some of these programs are based on a conservatory model, with a primary focus on professional training, alongside a solid foundation in the liberal arts. Others focus more directly on academics, while providing strong professional training as well.
Which would work better for you? It really comes down to personal preference. Are you dead set on being on Broadway? Is professional training your primary goal? Then a conservatory program might work better for you (e.g. Carnegie-Mellon, U. Michigan, CCM). Do you want the strongest possible academic education? Then you might be better off at a traditional liberal-arts college or university with an emphasis on performance skills (e.g. NYU, Yale, Northwestern).
American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) - Tyne Daly, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Christopher Jackson. Caissie Levy, Emily Padgett, Anthony Ramos, Christopher Sieber, Sarah Stiles, Marissa Jaret Winokur
American Conservatory Theater - Christopher Fitzgerald (MFA), Anika Noni Rose (MFA), Annette Bening (MFA), Denzel Washington (MFA)
Baldwin-Wallace University - Steel Burkhart, Jill Paice, Kyle Jean-Baptiste
Bennington College - Brooks Ashmanskas, Carol Channing, Tim Daly, Holland Taylor
The Boston Conservatory - Nick Adams, Eddie Korbich, Erin Davie, Josh Grisetti, Chad Kimball, Austin Lesch, Constantine Maroulis, Anne L. Nathan, Noah Racey, Jennifer Simard, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Alysha Umphress, Bud Weber
Boston University - Jason Alexander, Dan Fogler, Brad Oscar, Julianne Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, Alfre Woodard
Brown University - Kate Burton, Daveed Diggs, Laura Linney, James Naughton, John Lloyd Young
Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) - Christian Borle, Corey Cott, Josh Gad, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Megan Hilty, Chris Hoch, Telly Leung, Erin Mackey, Patina Miller, Christiane Noll, Rory O’Malley, Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Porter, Patrick Wilson
College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati (CCM) - Matt Bogart, Nikki Renèe Daniels, Lisa Howard, Leslie Kritzer, Karen Olivo, Faith Prince, Betsy Wolfe, Tony Yazbeck
Duke University - Aaron Lazar, Heidi Blickenstaff, Kerry O’Malley
Elon University - Matt Shingledecker, Taylor Trensch, Barrett Wilbert Weed
Emerson College - Mario Cantone, Jennifer Coolidge, Andrea Martin, Henry Winkler
Florida State University - Davis Gaines, Montego Glover, Christian Delcroix, D.B. Bonds
Fordham University - Alan Alda, Patricia Clarkson, Julie White, Robert Sean Leonard, John Benjamin Hickey, Denzel Washington
The Hartt School (University of Hartford) - Phillip Boykin, Marin Ireland
Harvard-Radcliffe - Stockard Channing, Lindsay Crouse, John Lithgow
Hofstra University - James Barbour, Peter Friedman, Julie Halston, Lainie Kazan, Tom McGowan, Christopher Walken
Indiana University Bloomington - Colin Donnell, Charles Kimbrough, Kevin Kline, Nicole Parker, Elizabeth Stanley
Ithaca College - Kerry Butler, Matt Cavenaugh, Michelle Federer, Jeremy Jordan, Aaron Tveit
The Juilliard School - Michael Arden, Daniel Breaker, Steven Boyd, Boyd Gaines, Kelsey Grammer, Harriet Harris, Gregory Jbara, Kevin Kline, Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Nancy Opel, Mandy Patinkin, Alex Sharp, Phillipa Soo, Benjamin Walker
Manhattan School of Music - Harry Connick Jr., Shuler Hensley
Marymount Manhattan College - Adam Chanler-Berat, Annaleigh Ashford
New York University - Nina Arianda, Billy Crudup (MFA), Raul Esparza, Michael C. Hall (MFA), Marcia Gay Harden (MFA), Jackie Hoffman, Adam Jacobs, Nikki M. James, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Steve Kazee (MFA), Idina Menzel, Debra Messing (MFA), Ruthie Ann Miles, Josh Radnor (MFA), Josh Segarra, Jeremy Shamos, Bobby Steggert, Jason Tam
Northwestern University - Kate Baldwin, Craig Bierko, Jeff Blumencrantz, Zach Braff, Gregg Edelman, Brian d’Arcy James, Adam Kantor, John Cameron Mitchell, Megan Mullally, Kristine Nielsen
Oberlin College - Will Chase, Judy Kuhn, Seth Rudetsky
Oklahoma City University - Kristin Chenoweth, Kelli O’Hara, Ron Raines
Pace University - Bradley Cooper, Eisa Davis
Point Park University - E. Clayton Cornelius, Megan Sikora, Marcus Stevens
Princeton University - Steven Bogardus, Jarrod Spector, Brooke Shields
Rutgers University - Roger Bart, Kevin Chamberlin, Michael Esper, Okieriete Onaodowan, Sheryl Lee Ralph
SUNY Purchase - Ron Eldard, Edie Falco, Liz Larsen, Micah Stock, Stanley Tucci, Steven Weber, William Youmans
San Diego State University - Kathy Najimy, Raquel Welch
Syracuse University - Jessie Mueller, Josh Young, Taye Diggs, Vanessa Williams
Towson University - Charles S. Dutton, John Glover, Andy Karl
Tufts University - Hank Azaria, Peter Gallagher, Joel Perez, Oliver Platt
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Billy Crudup, Max von Essen, Michael Cumpsty
University of North Carolina School of the Arts - Gary Beach, Jennifer Ehle, K. Todd Freeman, Tom Hulce, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Billy Magnussen, Terrence Mann, Joe Mantello, Mary-Louise Parker, Wesley Taylor, Lauren Ward
University of Michigan - Stanley Bahorek, Jenni Barber, Nick Blaemire, David Burtka, Gavin Creel, Erin Dilly, Barrett Foa, Hunter Foster, Alexander Gemignani, James Earl Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Andy Mientus, Lauren Molina, A.J. Shively, Jennifer Laura Thompson
University of Minnesota - Susan Blackwell, Tovah Feldshuh, Santino Fontana, T.R. Knight, Jessica Lange, Lenny Wolpe
University of California, Irvine - Jenn Collela, Bob Gunton, Beth Malone, Andrew Samonsky, Teal Wicks
University of California, San Diego - Danny Burstein (MFA), Jefferson Mays (MFA)
University of Southern California - Swoosie Kurtz, Kevin Mambo, Stark Sands, James Snyder
Vassar College - Jane Fonda, Grace Gummer, Anne Hathaway, Justin Long, Frances Sternhagen, Meryl Streep
Wagner College - Betsy Joslyn, Michelle Pawk, Janine LaManna, Randy Graff
Webster University - Hunter Bell, Norbert Leo Butz, Michael James Scott
Wesleyan University - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bradley Whitford, Frank Wood
Yale University - Mark Linn-Baker (MFA), Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Stephen DeRosa (MFA), Malcolm Gets, Anika Larsen, Jefferson Mays, Kristine Nielsen (MFA), David Hyde Pierce, Bryce Pinkham (MFA)
Other schools - John Cariani (Amherst College), Carolee Carmello (SUNY Albany), LaChanze (University of the Arts), Christine Ebersole (MacMurray College), James Monroe Iglehart (CalState - Hayward), Jim Parsons (MFA, University of San Diego), Will Swenson (Brigham Young University)
Didn’t graduate - Laura Benanti (NYU), Melissa Errico (Yale), Sutton Foster (Carnegie-Mellon), Marin Mazzie (Western Michigan University), Mike McGrath (Boston Conservatory), Cristin Milioti (NYU), Matthew Morrison (NYU), Donna Murphy (NYU), Jason Danieley (Southern Illinois University, University of Missouri), Laura Osnes (University of Wisconsin), Andrew Rannells (Marymount Manhattan College), Anthony Rapp (NYU)
Didn’t attend college - Stephanie J. Block, Matthew Broderick, Laura Bell Bundy, Charlotte D’Amboise, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Cheyenne Jackson, Nathan Lane, Norm Lewis, Lea Michele, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Sherie Rene Scott
Dreaming of Broadway fame? You’re very likely going to need some post-high school training. Although a number of big-name musical stars have made it without a degree (see below), an increasingly large number of the top names in musical theater came up through a handful of top-notch undergraduate and graduate programs.
Now, I can hardly claim to be an impartial observer here: I teach at The Boston Conservatory, which ranks among the best of these programs. (I’d say the best, but I don’t want to appear immodest.) So, I have a bit of inside info on what makes a good program. Essentially, it comes down to two things: great students and great teachers. But it also has to do with the breadth and depth of the training offered.
Schools can vary as to their individual curricula, and in whether they have a huge endowment that allows them to invest in flashy theaters and state-of-the-art rehearsal facilities. Some of these programs are based on a conservatory model, with a primary focus on professional training, alongside a solid foundation in the liberal arts. Others focus more directly on academics, while providing strong professional training as well.
Which would work better for you? It really comes down to personal preference. Are you dead set on being on Broadway? Is professional training your primary goal? Then a conservatory program might work better for you (e.g. Carnegie-Mellon, U. Michigan, CCM). Do you want the strongest possible academic education? Then you might be better off at a traditional liberal-arts college or university with an emphasis on performance skills (e.g. NYU, Yale, Northwestern).
American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) - Tyne Daly, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Christopher Jackson. Caissie Levy, Emily Padgett, Anthony Ramos, Christopher Sieber, Sarah Stiles, Marissa Jaret Winokur
American Conservatory Theater - Christopher Fitzgerald (MFA), Anika Noni Rose (MFA), Annette Bening (MFA), Denzel Washington (MFA)
Baldwin-Wallace University - Steel Burkhart, Jill Paice, Kyle Jean-Baptiste
Bennington College - Brooks Ashmanskas, Carol Channing, Tim Daly, Holland Taylor
The Boston Conservatory - Nick Adams, Eddie Korbich, Erin Davie, Josh Grisetti, Chad Kimball, Austin Lesch, Constantine Maroulis, Anne L. Nathan, Noah Racey, Jennifer Simard, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Alysha Umphress, Bud Weber
Boston University - Jason Alexander, Dan Fogler, Brad Oscar, Julianne Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, Alfre Woodard
Brown University - Kate Burton, Daveed Diggs, Laura Linney, James Naughton, John Lloyd Young
Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) - Christian Borle, Corey Cott, Josh Gad, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Megan Hilty, Chris Hoch, Telly Leung, Erin Mackey, Patina Miller, Christiane Noll, Rory O’Malley, Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Porter, Patrick Wilson
College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati (CCM) - Matt Bogart, Nikki Renèe Daniels, Lisa Howard, Leslie Kritzer, Karen Olivo, Faith Prince, Betsy Wolfe, Tony Yazbeck
Duke University - Aaron Lazar, Heidi Blickenstaff, Kerry O’Malley
Elon University - Matt Shingledecker, Taylor Trensch, Barrett Wilbert Weed
Emerson College - Mario Cantone, Jennifer Coolidge, Andrea Martin, Henry Winkler
Florida State University - Davis Gaines, Montego Glover, Christian Delcroix, D.B. Bonds
Fordham University - Alan Alda, Patricia Clarkson, Julie White, Robert Sean Leonard, John Benjamin Hickey, Denzel Washington
The Hartt School (University of Hartford) - Phillip Boykin, Marin Ireland
Harvard-Radcliffe - Stockard Channing, Lindsay Crouse, John Lithgow
Hofstra University - James Barbour, Peter Friedman, Julie Halston, Lainie Kazan, Tom McGowan, Christopher Walken
Indiana University Bloomington - Colin Donnell, Charles Kimbrough, Kevin Kline, Nicole Parker, Elizabeth Stanley
Ithaca College - Kerry Butler, Matt Cavenaugh, Michelle Federer, Jeremy Jordan, Aaron Tveit
The Juilliard School - Michael Arden, Daniel Breaker, Steven Boyd, Boyd Gaines, Kelsey Grammer, Harriet Harris, Gregory Jbara, Kevin Kline, Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Nancy Opel, Mandy Patinkin, Alex Sharp, Phillipa Soo, Benjamin Walker
Manhattan School of Music - Harry Connick Jr., Shuler Hensley
Marymount Manhattan College - Adam Chanler-Berat, Annaleigh Ashford
New York University - Nina Arianda, Billy Crudup (MFA), Raul Esparza, Michael C. Hall (MFA), Marcia Gay Harden (MFA), Jackie Hoffman, Adam Jacobs, Nikki M. James, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Steve Kazee (MFA), Idina Menzel, Debra Messing (MFA), Ruthie Ann Miles, Josh Radnor (MFA), Josh Segarra, Jeremy Shamos, Bobby Steggert, Jason Tam
Northwestern University - Kate Baldwin, Craig Bierko, Jeff Blumencrantz, Zach Braff, Gregg Edelman, Brian d’Arcy James, Adam Kantor, John Cameron Mitchell, Megan Mullally, Kristine Nielsen
Oberlin College - Will Chase, Judy Kuhn, Seth Rudetsky
Oklahoma City University - Kristin Chenoweth, Kelli O’Hara, Ron Raines
Pace University - Bradley Cooper, Eisa Davis
Point Park University - E. Clayton Cornelius, Megan Sikora, Marcus Stevens
Princeton University - Steven Bogardus, Jarrod Spector, Brooke Shields
Rutgers University - Roger Bart, Kevin Chamberlin, Michael Esper, Okieriete Onaodowan, Sheryl Lee Ralph
SUNY Purchase - Ron Eldard, Edie Falco, Liz Larsen, Micah Stock, Stanley Tucci, Steven Weber, William Youmans
San Diego State University - Kathy Najimy, Raquel Welch
Syracuse University - Jessie Mueller, Josh Young, Taye Diggs, Vanessa Williams
Towson University - Charles S. Dutton, John Glover, Andy Karl
Tufts University - Hank Azaria, Peter Gallagher, Joel Perez, Oliver Platt
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Billy Crudup, Max von Essen, Michael Cumpsty
University of North Carolina School of the Arts - Gary Beach, Jennifer Ehle, K. Todd Freeman, Tom Hulce, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Billy Magnussen, Terrence Mann, Joe Mantello, Mary-Louise Parker, Wesley Taylor, Lauren Ward
University of Michigan - Stanley Bahorek, Jenni Barber, Nick Blaemire, David Burtka, Gavin Creel, Erin Dilly, Barrett Foa, Hunter Foster, Alexander Gemignani, James Earl Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Andy Mientus, Lauren Molina, A.J. Shively, Jennifer Laura Thompson
University of Minnesota - Susan Blackwell, Tovah Feldshuh, Santino Fontana, T.R. Knight, Jessica Lange, Lenny Wolpe
University of California, Irvine - Jenn Collela, Bob Gunton, Beth Malone, Andrew Samonsky, Teal Wicks
University of California, San Diego - Danny Burstein (MFA), Jefferson Mays (MFA)
University of Southern California - Swoosie Kurtz, Kevin Mambo, Stark Sands, James Snyder
Vassar College - Jane Fonda, Grace Gummer, Anne Hathaway, Justin Long, Frances Sternhagen, Meryl Streep
Wagner College - Betsy Joslyn, Michelle Pawk, Janine LaManna, Randy Graff
Webster University - Hunter Bell, Norbert Leo Butz, Michael James Scott
Wesleyan University - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bradley Whitford, Frank Wood
Yale University - Mark Linn-Baker (MFA), Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Stephen DeRosa (MFA), Malcolm Gets, Anika Larsen, Jefferson Mays, Kristine Nielsen (MFA), David Hyde Pierce, Bryce Pinkham (MFA)
Other schools - John Cariani (Amherst College), Carolee Carmello (SUNY Albany), LaChanze (University of the Arts), Christine Ebersole (MacMurray College), James Monroe Iglehart (CalState - Hayward), Jim Parsons (MFA, University of San Diego), Will Swenson (Brigham Young University)
Didn’t graduate - Laura Benanti (NYU), Melissa Errico (Yale), Sutton Foster (Carnegie-Mellon), Marin Mazzie (Western Michigan University), Mike McGrath (Boston Conservatory), Cristin Milioti (NYU), Matthew Morrison (NYU), Donna Murphy (NYU), Jason Danieley (Southern Illinois University, University of Missouri), Laura Osnes (University of Wisconsin), Andrew Rannells (Marymount Manhattan College), Anthony Rapp (NYU)
Didn’t attend college - Stephanie J. Block, Matthew Broderick, Laura Bell Bundy, Charlotte D’Amboise, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Cheyenne Jackson, Nathan Lane, Norm Lewis, Lea Michele, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Sherie Rene Scott
