Director, Music Theatre Program
M.F.A., Northwestern University
BW Puts Students Center Stage
Fall 2024 Updates
Frequently Asked Questions
Next Chapter for BW's Music Theatre Program
Baldwin Wallace University is a premier training ground for the music theatre industry, renowned for the outstanding accomplishments of our music theatre department.
The program's national prominence continues to grow, with alumni gracing Broadway stages, national and international touring companies, regional theatres and participating in the development of new productions. BW stands out among collegiate training programs by offering a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Theatre, providing a distinctive and comprehensive education for aspiring professionals.
For 94 years, Baldwin Wallace University has been a proud member of the National Association of Schools of Music. We are privileged to join more than 630 conservatories, schools of music and community music institutions across the United States in our shared commitment to a high standard of curricular design and delivery. NASM accreditation provides students and their families with the assurance of program excellence, ethical and collegial practices, and a pledge to encourage diversity and equity in the delivery of high quality music programs. Baldwin Wallace University received NASM re-accreditation in 2020.
National acclaim comes from industry pros and media year after year. Recently, two prestigious lists placed BW music theatre among the best of the best.
The Hollywood Reporter's "25 Best Drama Schools in the World" list.
Backstage magazine named BW to its list of the "Top college musical theater programs in the U.S."
The Next Chapter Will be Exciting
We are about to embark on an exciting year of instruction, production and preparation for the next chapter of BWMT. This year, students will have the extraordinary opportunities to meet and work with leading music theatre professionals from around the country as we transition to a new team that will advance and redefine the BWMT brand for the next generation. Students will also engage in formal dialogue sessions with transition team leaders and have a voice in visioning the future of BWMT.
At the end of this academic year, we will bid farewell to Professor Bussert, Assistant Professor Webb and Assistant Professor Welsh Berg. We are grateful for the contributions each has made to our program, and we will build on that foundation for the students who are looking for the education and training to succeed in this field.
The BWMT Experience
Master Classes
Starting their sophomore year, students perform for casting directors/agents that BWMT welcomes to campus every year for its master class series. And by the time our students graduate, they will have participated in multiple master classes, forging valuable connections with New York City’s theatre industry, having received direct feedback from the casting directors who will hire them soon after graduation.
Our Location and Campus Culture Matter to Your Success
The Baldwin Wallace campus is beautiful; the community is intimate and friendly. Located just 20 minutes from downtown Cleveland, the city of Berea, where BW is located, is a real college town — and a wonderful place to call home for four years.
BW's commitment to the performing arts is notable and exceptional. More than 17% of the undergraduate population at BW are students who study at the Conservatory of Performing Arts. The music theatre program prides itself on its diversity: more than 30% of music theatre majors are students of color.
BW's Relationship with Northeast Ohio's Rich Theatre Scene
Central to the BWMT program is our relationship to the rich theatre scene of Northeast Ohio. Students perform at Cleveland's Playhouse Square, known globally as a theatre mecca with the largest community of season ticket holders in North America. Boasting eight resident companies, Playhouse Square is a major presenter of Broadway shows and a leading champion in arts education.
Additional partnerships with the Beck Center for the Arts and Great Lakes Theater translate to an abundance of performance opportunities and venues that support the program throughout the year.
Professional Partnerships
Central to the success of the BWMT program is students’ constant interaction with Broadway agents and casting directors. A master class series is at the heart of these connections. Students have coaching sessions with industry leaders and a star-studded lineup of top professionals. Our students graduate having successfully appeared before sophisticated audiences with high expectations for the performance they’ve come to see.
Mastering Audition Techniques
Audition Technique is taught as part of the Music Theatre Workshop sequence in the sophomore year. In addition to mastering the art of the in-person audition, students learn the finer points of self-taped and Zoom auditions, giving them the ability to make their videos pop out over the competition. Every spring, BWMT welcomes regional/summer stock theatres to campus, giving all students the chance to audition directly for each company. This results in dozens of summer contracts for students every year.
BWMT Students Take Care of Business
Multiple entrepreneurship classes, taken alongside with arts management majors, teach website creation, personal branding, money management and self-care. Our goal is to help students be ready for life as music theatre professionals in the real world. Outside of the classroom, all auditions and rehearsals are run by Actor's Equity Association rules, so students know how these processes work before they venture out into the real world.
Senior Showcase
All senior MTs perform each year in the New York City Showcase at New World Stages. More than 200 industry professionals, including agents, managers, casting directors, modeling agencies and TV/film studios attend each year. For the past decade, the majority of students have obtained representation following the showcase.
The BWMT Legacy is Solid, Strong and Bold
Our program is known for top-notch training; we produce actors who are well-prepared to enter the industry immediately upon graduation. As our plans take shape throughout the coming year, we will announce changes and additions to our music theatre program. We are incredibly excited by what lies ahead for our students, faculty and staff, and we look forward to sharing more details soon.
BW on Broadway
The list of BWMT alumni who have appears on Broadway is impressive and growing. See our grads and what major Broadway productions have featured them.
Why Major in Music Theatre at BW?
Find out details about the music theatre major, courses and student experiences and get a closer look at the BWMT experience.
Previewing the BWMT 2024-25 Season
21-24
Jesus Christ Superstar
7:30 - 9:30 PM • NOV 14-17, 21-24
The fall musical for this season is Jesus Chris Superstar, the renowned rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. View details and show times.
Mar 9
Waitress
6:30 - 8:30 PM • FEB 14 - MAR 9
Regional Premier of Waitress. Beck Center for Performing Arts.
[title of show]
6:30 - 8:30 PM • APR 25-27
Playhouse Square.