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Commitment to a Foundation of Inclusivity
The BFA Music Theatre Program is committed to creating an environment of equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and access.
Elon Music Theatre is committed to broadening our idea of what musical theatre is and can be. With a reputation for excellence in training and an eye toward the future of the industry, WE ARE ELON MUSIC THEATRE.
Please let us know how we can do better: [email protected].
Auditions and Financial Aid
Admission to Elon’s music theatre program is by audition. Audition dates are set annually in the fall and spring. View a list of upcoming audition dates. Students may audition before being admitted to Elon; however, all offers of admission to the music theatre program are pending until a student is admitted to the university. Additional information regarding financial aid is available on the University Scholarships page; visit this link for details and deadlines. Please feel free to contact Professor Julio Matos at [email protected] if you have any questions.
We will also have virtual Music Theatre information sessions on Fridays from 4:00-4:45 via Zoom. The first session will be Friday, September 2nd. There will be no sessions on 10/14 or 11/25). Please click on the link to participate.
Please note that these information sessions are for current high school juniors and sophomores.
Preparing graduates to take center stage
Casting directors and talent agents take notice when they see “Elon University” on the resumes of music theatre graduates. That’s because Elon has built a reputation in the industry for producing mature, talented, energetic and creative performers. If you have your sights set on performing in music theatre, Elon will prepare you for the spotlight. The music theatre program is an intensive course of study and performance, focused on providing you with the knowledge, experience, and professional exposure you need to build a successful career on stage or in graduate school.
Working in close contact with our expert faculty, you will develop and sharpen your acting, singing, and dancing skills. You will explore the theories of the craft and learn firsthand how to put those theories into practice. And you won’t have to wait in line for stage time. Beginning your first semester, you will find abundant opportunities to sharpen your skills in stage productions, concerts, revues and recitals.
Long before you graduate, you will make valuable contacts in professional music theatre by participating in master classes, auditions, conventions, competitions and workshops.
I couldn’t have asked for a better training ground than Elon. The environment created by the talented and nurturing faculty encourages self-exploration, passion for your craft, and success. It’s a wonderful community. I worked very hard and had the time of my life.
Innovative curriculum
Elon offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in music theatre. The music theatre program admits 16 to 20 new students each year, which means each student receives the kind of close, personal attention that will bring out his or her best.
The course of study trains students in the three essential elements of music theatre: music, acting, and dance. Major requirements include:
Individual Voice Instruction – all four years- Beginner and Advanced Music Theory
- Piano Class or Private Piano Lessons
- Acting I
- Acting II
- Acting III
- Performance in Music Theatre
- History of Music Theatre
- Music Theatre Literature
- Senior Seminar – two semesters
- Dance for the Musical Stage (I-IV) – all four years
Each major must also complete several electives and dance credits. Course offerings include:
- Acting for the Camera
- Contemporary Vocals
- Music Theatre Styles
- Fosse-Inspired Dance and Choreography
- Music Theatre Scene Study
- Jazz I-III
- Ballet I-VI
- Modern I-VI
- Tap I-III
- Beg., Int., and Adv. Jazz for Music Theatre
- Beg./Int. and Int./Adv. Ballet for Music Theatre
Expert faculty
At Elon, you will learn from dynamic professors who combine years of industry experience with a passion for teaching. The faculty includes professional actors, musicians, and dancers whose credits include performances in theatres, concert halls, and opera houses on and off-Broadway, throughout the nation, and abroad.
Early experience on stage
While classroom learning is critical, we view the stage as the laboratory in which to practice one’s craft. Throughout your academic career, you will have the chance to participate in productions including musicals, student-directed productions, plays, musical revues, recitals, singing ensembles, dance performances, workshops, readings, and masterclasses conducted by visiting industry professionals. Recent on-campus productions include The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, We Will Rock You, Cabaret, Damn Yankees, The 1940’s Radio Hour, Once on This Island, The Wedding Singer, Sweeney Todd, American Idiot, Baby, The Drowsy Chaperone, Hello, Dolly!, Little Women, Cats, and Parade, in addition to our MT Box featuring new and devised works by up-and-coming musical theatre writers.
Real-world experience
Most students in the performing arts programs leave Elon with professional credits on their resumes. Through internships, summer theatre work, and other opportunities, you will develop significant real-world experience before you graduate. Among the venues, our students have worked are the following:
- Music Theatre of Wichita
- Pittsburg Civic Light Opera
- Santa Fe Opera
- Flat Rock Playhouse
- Arkansas Repertory Theatre
- The Sacramento Music Circus
- The Muny
- Papermill Playhouse
Music theatre majors routinely participate in Elon’s nationally recognized study abroad programs, which include classical studies in Greece, semester residencies in London, and jobs and internships with the London Theatre.
After graduation
Graduates of the past four graduating classes have joined the Broadway casts of The Book of Mormon, Dear Evan Hansen, Frozen, and Hamilton; joined the National Tours of The Book of Mormon, A Bronx Tale, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Finding Neverland, Something Rotten!, and The Spongebob Musical; performed Off-Broadway in Fiorello; signed with prestigious agencies like DGRW, CGF Talent, CESD, BRS/Gage, Harden-Curtis, MSA, Bloc, Avalon Artists, The Price Group, The Roster Agency, Take 3 Talent Agency, The Mine, and more; joined productions on Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Viking Cruise Line; and performed regionally all over the country at theatres like Paper Mill Playhouse The MUNY, Pittsburgh CLO, The Kennedy Center, Music Theatre Wichita, Theatre Under The Stars, Ogunquit Playhouse, Flat Rock Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Maine State Music Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Signature Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Virginia Repertory Theatre, Wagon Wheel Theatre, Cortland Repertory Theatre, The Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare, Bucks County Playhouse,and The New York Musical Theatre Festival, among many other venues.
Broadway: Graduates have appeared in the Broadway productions of Ain’t Too Proud, Beautiful, A Bronx Tale, Caroline, Or Change, Carousel, Choir Boy, Cinderella, The Color Purple, Curious Incident, Evita, Freestyle Love Supreme, Gettin’ The Band Back Together, Hamilton, Head Over Heels, Hello, Dolly!, The Lion King, Matilda, Mean Girls, Motown, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, My Fair Lady, Newsies, Pippin, The Prom, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, To Kill a Mockingbird, Tuck Everlasting, West Side Story, White Christmas, and Wicked, among many others.
National Tours: Recent graduates have also appeared in recent National Tours of Aladdin, American Idiot, Bandstand, Bat Out Of Hell, Beautiful, Bullets Over Broadway, Cabaret, A Chorus Line, Cinderella, Crazy For You, Dirty Dancing, Elf, Evita, Fame, Fiddler on the Roof, Flashdance, Grease, Hello, Dolly!, Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde, The Lion King, Les Miserables, Mean Girls, Memphis, Miss Saigon, Newsies, Ragtime, Sister Act, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Spamalot, Spring Awakening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, West Side Story, and Wicked, among many others.
TV & Film: Recent Television & Film credits include “90210,” “Arrow”, “Blue Bloods”, “The Carrie Diaries”, “CSI: Miami”, “Containment”, “The Flash”, “Deception”, “Fosse/Verdon”, “Girls”. “Glee”, “Jersey Boys”, “The Last O.G.”, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, “Modern Family”, “Rise”, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, and “The Vampire Diaries”, among others.
Off-Broadway: Recent Off-Broadway productions include Bare, Carrie, Cirque Du Soleil, Enter Laughing, Fiorello!, Found, Heathers, Rent, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Whorl Inside a Loop, among others.
Alumni also work around the country regionally in cities like Chicago and Las Vegas, tour internationally on cruise lines, perform in theme parks such as Disneyland and Disney World, or continue their education at prestigious graduate schools such as Yale School of Drama, The Julliard School and Manhattan School of Music.
