Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre

Perform your way to a degree

Complete this important step in your theatrical career and leave with a musical theatre degree and lots of experience.

Majoring in Musical Theatre

Our Musical Theatre program offers training in the creative processes, history and theory of theatre as well as arts management and stagecraft. If you’re interested in acting, dancing and singing, and are committed to a professional career in the performing arts — this program is for you!

All theatre students do an intensive internship and work alongside local, regional and international companies. Students have interned at local theaters (Proctors, Capital Repertory Theatre, Berkshire theaters, etc.), educational institutions and media outlets.

Russell Sage College also offers a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre for students interested in using the arts to bring stories to life.

Theatre Institute at Sage

The Theatre Institute at Sage provide quality live theatre and arts-in-education programming for residents of Albany and Troy, New York.

As part of the Theatre Institute, our Musical Theatre program provides hands-on, multifaceted learning experiences enhanced by long runs (usually two weeks) of theatrical productions. This allows students to be constantly active as performers, technicians, teachers and administrators — and to develop not just in rehearsal, but over a longer performance schedule.

“We do two full musical productions a year, so students in the musical theatre program are constantly practicing their craft.”

David Baecker, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Arts and Letters

Musical Theatre Major Spotlights

Student

2022

Holley Kaiser

When Holley Kaiser began to look at colleges for Musical Theatre and Dance, her former English teacher — a Russell …

Student

“It’s fun, seeing how what I’m learning in school applies to the professional world.”

Coming from the Bronx, it seems only natural to expect that Tyler Cardona might have found his new life in …

Student

“I’ve never once felt like a number in my classes. I already know my professors here better than I knew my high school teachers after four years.”

– Tyler Cardona

Careers with a Musical Theatre Degree

Recent graduates of Sage’s Musical Theatre program are working as actors, as a costume designer on Broadway, a labor attorney (inspired by experiences as a member of the Actors’ Equity Association) and in arts administration.

Alumni Spotlights

A Musical Theatre degree prepared these Sage graduates for success.

Alumni

Musical Theatre 2014

Nick Martiniano

“My experience in the theatre industry really guided my career choice,” says future attorney and Russell Sage College Musical Theatre …

Alumni

“Working with everyone in Russell Sage’s Theatre department crafted my approach to work: focusing on kindness and having fun while always pushing yourself to produce the best product possible.”

She hasn’t taken a class with her former professor for more than a decade, but Elivia Bovenzi will be following …

Graduate Studies with a Musical Theatre Degree

A Master of Fine Arts degree is the next step for many Musical Theatre majors who want to continue their education. This program is also excellent preparation for graduate degrees in other fields that align with your goals.

Recent graduates have been accepted to the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and to Penn State Law School.

SEE CATALOG FOR REQUIREMENTS

Learning Experience

The Musical Theatre program combines practical artistic experience with a solid liberal arts foundation so that when you act, sing and dance, you will have the knowledge of other disciplines to deepen your personal expression.

Perform with Confidence

You will graduate with the knowledge and confidence to participate in educational, professional or semi-professional productions with competence and skill. Performance opportunities include main stage productions, voice recitals and participating in student-directed productions and workshops.

Course Objectives

The Bachelor of Science in Musical Theatre provides comprehensive training in musical theatre while maintaining a firm grounding in the liberal arts. The goal is to foster flexibility and versatility in students to enable them to participate in musical theatre on a number of levels.

Auditions

Students applying for admission into the musical theatre program must perform an entrance audition.

Please prepare the following materials:

Two memorized contrasting two-minute monologues from standard classical and contemporary dramatic literature.
Two songs — one uptempo and one ballad (accompanist provided; please bring sheet music).