Musical Theatre
Practice your craft onstage and off with a musical theatre bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire. Our program is unique, in that the music, theatre, and dance programs are all housed in a single department, providing excellent opportunities for collaboration across the performing arts. As a musical theatre student, you’ll take theatre and dance classes, but also voice lessons. With musical productions every season and an opera every other year, our program will provide you with opportunities for artistic growth and freedom of expression.
Take the Stage
With more than five theatre productions and 200 performance opportunities each year, there is no shortage of experiential learning. Rigorous music classes and voice lessons will cultivate your vocal skills, helping you to stand out from the crowd. You'll also learn from some of the best. Faculty have deep experience both on and off stage, and they use that expertise to guide and mentor you.
As one of only a few programs in the region to house music, theatre, and dance in the same department, you'll have the unique and beneficial opportunity to collaborate with all three disciplines. Small class sizes allow you to receive one-on-one attention and master best practices and professional techniques. And one of the highlights of our program is the ability to connect, network, and work with others who are just as passionate about music and theatre as you are. No matter your path, our musical theatre bachelor’s degree program will support you and help make your dreams a reality.
Program Details
Study abroad opportunities and the National Student Exchange program are available to all UWEC students. And faculty-led immersion programs open even more doors to travel and performance opportunities. For example, each spring break, music and theatre arts students have the opportunity to visit New York City. There, they attend plays, musicals, masterclasses, and other artistic events, while also shadowing working professionals and meeting various actors and musicians to learn more about their specific trade.
The Music and Theatre Arts Department offers four mainstage productions, plus a Theatre for Young Audiences touring production, student-directed Short Play Festivals, and a dance concert. Each of our productions take place in facilities with state-of-the-art equipment and acoustics. In addition, you’ll have the chance to be a part of Opera on Wheels, where you can perform at different elementary schools and teach kids the fundamentals of opera.
From the professors who teach you to the students who work alongside you, a love for music is not hard to find when you’re at UWEC. And that love isn't just isolated to our campus. The city of Eau Claire is nationally recognized for its abundance of music festivals, events, and venues.
There are numerous art- and music-focused student organizations to help connect you with peers, faculty, local professionals, and potential mentors. Join student orgs like the UWEC Theatre Collective to get the chance to create student-led productions, or become a member of Concert Dance Company to express your love for dance.
Blugold Stories
The voice is a powerful tool. At UW-Eau Claire, our world-renowned music and theatre arts faculty are ready to set you up for success through interactive learning and professional experiences. Whether it be student teaching a choir class at an area high school or singing on stage for a production, students leave UW-Eau Claire prepared to inspire others and cultivate future talent.
What sets UW-Eau Claire apart is the opportunities; you get to do everything.
Throughout our music and theatre arts department, you’ll find camaraderie, experienced and enthusiastic professors and your chance to step into the spotlight. Countless opportunities are available to you as early as your first year, whether you choose to take center stage with a lead role or manage the production behind the scenes.
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Where can the musical theatre program lead me after graduation?
Graduates of the musical theatre program leave with a well-rounded skill set and an impressive resume. Because of the broad nature of the program, our alumni go on to pursue a variety of artistic and creative careers all over the country. From touring with Cirque du Soleil to performing on cruise ships to working in the film and television industry, the possibilities are endless.
Students have also found paid internships and summer work at places like the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Glimmerglass Theatre Festival, Santa Fe Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, American Repertory Theater, Iowa Shakespeare Festival, and Pablo Center.
Example Careers
- Broadway performer
- Actor
- Theatre stage manager
- Dancer
- Professor
- Theatre director
Recent Graduates
Associate Artistic Director
Illinois
Actor and Television Personality
California
Comedian, Actor, and Writer
California
Stage and Film Actress
New York
There is no role too small, and after completing our theatre arts program, you’ll be able to do them all! Learn how to sing in a variety of genres, design costumes, direct productions, and work lights and sound. A variety of experiential learning opportunities offer leadership roles on stage, backstage, and in the planning and production process, preparing you well for a variety of roles upon graduation.
A unique partnership with Pablo Center at the Confluence allows our students to learn in state-of-the-art facilities, including two theaters, a recording studio, a music recital space and an art gallery. There, students also gain real-world experience using the industry's most up-to-date equipment and software.
Here are a few courses in Musical Theatre at UW-Eau Claire.
THEA 320
American Musical Theatre
The history and development of contemporary musical theatre, including the study of major productions and collaborators.
THEA 223
Voice and Diction
Study of voice and articulation for actors and other performers. Exercises designed for the development of relaxed, controlled, and articulate speech for performance.
THEA 239
Stage Movement
Introduction to basics of stage movement aimed primarily at developing skill and expressiveness in acting. Follows an active, learning-through-participation approach.
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