Just like Broadway, this major is not for the faint of heart. FSC's BFA in Musical Theatre is an intensive conservatory program that will push your voice, your movement, and your craft every single day, and put you on stage from your very first semester.
Musical theatre is among the most demanding performance disciplines. It requires you to act with honesty, sing with power, and dance with precision—all at once, eight shows a week, for the run of the show.
FSC’s BFA in Musical Theatre is designed for this reality. The program offers intensive conservatory training in acting, vocal technique, and dance, balanced with rigorous academics that build the analytical foundation every professional needs. You’ll learn current industry vocal techniques and styles, develop confident and emotional lyric interpretation, and train in diverse dance forms starting your first year. Faculty who are both accomplished scholars and working professionals mentor you directly—in class, rehearsal, and on stage.
Unlike FSC’s BFA in Theatre Performance, which focuses on acting and stage performance, the Musical Theatre BFA prepares students for careers in the musical theatre industry. Its curriculum, production season, and NYC Industry Showcase are all tailored to this professional path.
In a conservatory-style program, personal attention is not a perk — it is the whole point. With a 14:1 student-faculty ratio, faculty-artists know your strengths, your growth areas, and how to push you further, preparing graduates for regional theatre, national tours, and Broadway.
Four annual productions, including two musicals, span comedy, classical theatre, and contemporary drama, plus a second-stage lab production. BFA students can audition for lead roles starting their first year.
Every musical theatre student gets private voice instruction each semester from faculty who specialize in musical theatre and contemporary commercial music (CCM), plus ongoing audition coaching.
The BFA program ends with a New York City showcase that puts graduating seniors in front of national agents, casting directors, and industry professionals.
Florida Southern is the only school in Florida recognized by The Princeton Review for Best College Theater, reflecting the quality of our productions and performers.
An intensive four-year conservatory training program where the classroom, the rehearsal hall, and the main stage are all part of your education, and where you begin performing in front of real audiences from the moment you arrive.
All freshman applicants to Florida Southern Colleges full-time degree programs must submit the following information:
Applying to Florida Southern as a transfer student is easy. Submit:
If transferring fewer than 24 credits, also include your official high school transcript and SAT/ACT scores.
Learn More about transfer admissionsFlorida Southern participates in the Musical Theater Common Prescreen. Once materials are reviewed, students will be invited to audition. For the BFA in Musical Theatre audition, students will need to prepare two songs of contrasting style. All BFA audition candidates are automatically considered for theatre scholarship eligibility.
See Submission Details and Deadlines
FSC also offers a BFA in Theatre Performance for students focused exclusively on acting, a BFA in Technical Theatre and Design for students drawn to the design and production side, and a BA in Theatre Arts (non-audition) for students seeking a broader interdisciplinary theatre education without an audition requirement.
FSC's Musical Theatre curriculum delivers what the industry calls triple-threat training — intensive, sequential development in acting, singing, and dancing, delivered simultaneously across four years of conservatory study.
Acting Musical Theatre students complete the same rigorous acting sequence as Theatre Performance BFA students — from foundational technique through advanced acting topics — while adding musical theatre-specific acting coursework, including Musical Theatre Scene Study, Musical Theatre Audition technique, and the integration of song and character.
Vocal Training The curriculum includes Vocal Technique Master Class, Applied Voice for the Theatre across all four years, Aural Skills I and II, and Introduction to Music Theory — building both the technical foundation and the musicianship that the industry demands. You will learn current vocal techniques and styles required by the industry, and develop your ability to interpret lyrics with confidence and emotional specificity.
Dance Musical Theatre students complete training in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern dance, with coursework calibrated to each student's existing skill set and advanced sequentially across the four years. Musical Theatre Choreography and Musical Theatre Dance round out the movement curriculum.
Production and Performance Production Practicum is embedded across all six semesters, placing students inside the department's full production season from their first year. The program culminates in a Senior Project in Musical Theatre and the NYC Industry Showcase.
All programs are structured in four-year formats. Students intending to pursue the BFA in Musical Theatre should consult with the department about appropriate courses for their very first semester.
The BFA in Musical Theatre is a 124-credit-hour degree with 78 hours of major requirements — the most intensive of FSC's theatre degree options, reflecting the breadth of triple-threat training required.
Core Coursework Production Practicum I-VI, Vocal Technique Master Class, Acting I, Stage Movement or Voice and Dialect, Applied Voice for the Theatre, Improvisation and Creative Expression, Stagecraft and Production Practice, Acting II, Musical Theatre Audition, Musical Theatre Scene Study, Musical Theatre History and Literature, Senior Project: Musical Theatre, Acting IV: Advanced Acting Topics, Theatre History and Literature, Musical Theatre Dance or Musical Theatre Choreography, Introduction to Music Theory, Aural Skills I and II.
Dance Sequence: Students complete 2 hours each in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern dance, with course selection calibrated to the student's existing skill set and advancing progressively over the four years.
Music Elective: Two hours selected from Opera Theatre, Concert Choir, or other vocal ensemble, or Voice.
Electives: 12 hours of elective study complete the degree.
Musical Theatre students are part of one of the most vibrant performing arts communities in the region. Get involved with:
Musical Theatre students perform in the department's full main stage season — four productions each year, including two musicals and a second-stage lab production — in three distinct performance venues. The Vagabonds also produce student cabarets that give Musical Theatre students additional performance opportunities outside the main season.
Triple-threat training is not a selling point at FSC, it is a daily reality. From your first semester, you are in acting class, vocal technique, and dance simultaneously, building each discipline in sequence while learning to integrate all three in performance.
You will take a rigorous schedule of acting and dance classes while also learning current vocal techniques and styles required by the industry. You will develop your ability to interpret lyrics with confidence and emotion. You will train in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern dance, with course selection calibrated to your existing skill set and advancing progressively as you grow.
FSC's location in Lakeland puts you at the center of one of the most active performance markets in the country. Theme parks, regional theatres, dinner theatres, and the cruise ship industry are all within reach, offering audition and performance opportunities that surpass those of other programs.
But Central Florida is just the beginning. Junior Journey trips offer direct industry exposure in New York City. Faculty-led study abroad programs in England and France immerse you in some of the world’s most storied musical theatre traditions. Back on campus, the department hosts guest artists every semester—working professionals who bring real-world experience straight to you.
The BFA in Musical Theatre culminates in the New York City Industry Showcase putting graduating students directly in front of the national agents, casting directors, and industry professionals who shape musical theatre careers.
Performing in the NYC showcase alongside programs from across the country is the moment four years of triple-threat training builds toward. It is FSC's most direct bridge between the conservatory and the professional world, and it is built into every Musical Theatre student's four-year plan.
FSC Musical Theatre graduates are working professionals — on national tours, in regional productions, and in the broader entertainment industry. Florida ranks fourth in the U.S. in actor employment, and FSC's Central Florida location gives graduates immediate access to one of the country's most active performance markets.
The path most Musical Theatre BFA graduates are training for. FSC's NYC Industry Showcase puts you in the room with the agents and casting directors who cast national tours, Off-Broadway productions, and Broadway itself. Mister Fitzgerald '16 starred opposite Audra McDonald on Broadway in Ohio State Murders. Jonathon Timpanelli '16 performed as Dewey in the School of Rock National Tour.
Regional theatre is the backbone of the professional musical theatre industry — and it is where most careers are built. FSC graduates are working in regional productions across the country, drawing on the technical versatility and performance depth that four years of conservatory training provides.
Central Florida's theme park industry and the cruise ship performance circuit are significant employers of trained musical theatre performers, and FSC's location makes both accessible during and after the degree. These are professional performance contracts that require exactly the triple-threat skills the FSC curriculum develops.
Martin Long | Stage to Sea, FSC '17 Alum
For students who want to deepen their craft or move into directing, choreography, or musical theatre education, FSC's conservatory-level training provides a strong foundation for MFA programs and other graduate study in performing arts.
Musical Theatre graduates bring an unusually broad set of skills to education — acting technique, vocal training, movement, and production experience. Many FSC graduates build careers teaching musical theatre, voice, and performing arts at the secondary and post-secondary levels.
"I appreciate the time, attention, and care that the faculty gave to each student. I felt like I left the department with people that believed in me and knew who I was as an artist, and that reflected in the way they taught me. That was a luxury."
"My training at Florida Southern College gave me the confidence, discipline, and foundation to enter the industry with purpose. The faculty consistently challenged me to grow not only as a performer, but also as an individual. Through their mentorship and the support of my peers, I developed the skills and resilience needed to navigate a competitive industry."
"My time at Florida Southern College provided me with a space to discover the best version of myself. I was given tools that set me up for success once I transitioned into professional working environments."
"Your performance training is one aspect of what you do here at Florida Southern, but it is also important to focus on all the other parts that will help you get the job. Never stop believing in yourself!"
From first-semester main stage productions and guest artist masterclasses with Broadway veterans and Disney Live casting directors to Junior Journey trips to New York City and the culminating NYC Industry Showcase, FSC Musical Theatre students are always in the work. Every performance, every class, and every masterclass builds toward a professional career.
Most undergraduate theatre programs give you one stage. At FSC, you perform in three professional-grade venues. Each requires a different set of skills, and each gives you a different kind of experience.
An intimate 336-seat thrust stage outfitted with three full-stage hydraulic lifts and high-end lighting and sound equipment. The thrust configuration places the audience on three sides of the action — training you in a performance style that regional theatres across the country use for their main stage work.
The only collegiate Frank Lloyd Wright-designed theatre-in-the-round in existence. With the audience surrounding the stage on all sides, this entirely student-run lab theatre demands a command of space, sightlines, and presence that no other undergraduate setting can replicate.
is a 1,800-seat proscenium theatre that hosts FSC's Festival of Fine Arts, bringing world-class professional productions and concerts to campus. Performing in, and watching professionals perform in, a venue of this scale is an experience that prepares you for the stages your career will take you to.
FSC's Musical Theatre faculty are working theatre artists with industry recognition, including a Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival award, a finalist spot in the BBC's Voice of Musical Theatre International Competition, and multiple Orlando International Fringe Festival awards for scenic design and theatre technology.
They bring their craft, networks, and industry knowledge to every class and rehearsal.
Professor of Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre Program Coordinator
Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre
Assistant Professor of Theatre, Theatre Performance Program Coordinator
Associate Professor of Theatre Arts
The BFA in Musical Theatre at Florida Southern College is an intensive, audition-based conservatory degree that provides triple-threat training in acting, singing, and dancing across four years of sequential study. The program is designed for students pursuing professional careers in musical theatre and culminates in a New York City Industry Showcase before national agents and casting directors.
FSC participates in the Musical Theater Common Prescreen. After submitting prescreen materials and receiving an invitation, students audition by preparing two songs of contrasting style. For current submission details and deadlines, visit flsouthern.edu/theatre-auditions. All BFA audition candidates are automatically considered for theatre scholarship eligibility.
The BFA in Musical Theatre is specifically designed for students pursuing a career in musical theatre — with intensive training in all three disciplines of acting, singing, and dancing simultaneously, plus musical theatre-specific coursework in audition technique, scene study, history, and choreography. The BFA in Theatre Performance focuses exclusively on acting and stage performance, without the vocal and dance training required by the musical theatre curriculum. Both programs are conservatory-style, audition-based, and culminate in a NYC Industry Showcase.
Musical Theatre students complete training in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern dance across all four years, with course selection calibrated to each student's existing skill set and advancing progressively as they develop. Musical Theatre Choreography and Musical Theatre Dance are also included in the curriculum.
Musical Theatre students perform in the department's full main stage season, four productions each year, including two musicals, from their first semester. Productions are performed in the Loca Lee Buckner Theatre, the Frank Lloyd Wright Theatre-in-the-Round, and Branscomb Auditorium. The Vagabonds student organization produces additional lab productions and student cabarets, and Studio Box provides improv performance opportunities.
The NYC Industry Showcase is FSC's capstone experience for graduating Musical Theatre BFA students. Students perform in New York City in front of national agents, casting directors, and industry professionals, a direct bridge between four years of conservatory training and the professional musical theatre world.
FSC is located in Lakeland, Florida — between Tampa and Orlando — putting students within reach of one of the most active performance markets in the country. Theme parks, regional theatres, dinner theatres, and the cruise ship industry all recruit trained performers in Central Florida. The department also offers Junior Journey trips to New York City and faculty-led study abroad to England and France, broadening students' exposure to the global performance industry.
FSC Musical Theatre graduates are working in national tours, regional productions, theme parks, and the broader entertainment industry. Notable alumni include Mister Fitzgerald ‘16, who appeared in Ohio State Murders on Broadway opposite six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Jonathon Timpanelli '16, who performed as Dewey in the School of Rock First National Tour, Laura McKenna ‘21, who performed as Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime at American Stage, Shane Boucher ‘25, who performed at Tokyo Disney Resort, Grace Villegas ‘25, who is a lead vocalist for Oceania Cruises.
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Read the latest from FSC's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, from main stage production announcements and casting news to student achievements and faculty recognition.
Ready to audition? Our team is here to answer your questions about the BFA in Musical Theatre, the Musical Theater Common Prescreen process, and what life in FSC's musical theatre program looks like.
Professor of Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre Program Coordinator
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A career in musical theatre takes dedication, discipline, and the right training. Take your next step toward a BFA in Musical Theatre at Florida Southern College.
