Students enrolled in The Abbott MFA in Musical Theater Collaboration Program will be immersed in a wealth of courses with outcomes geared towards their success in the field.

These include:

• In-depth seminars in adaptation, dramaturgy and script and score analysis
• Practical real-world experience in Biz of the Biz covering all facets of the professional field from season planning to grant writing to pitches, etc.
• 6 semesters of craft-based tutelage in a chosen discipline: book writing/play writing, composition, direction and lyric writing
• Relevant pedagogical skills for successful in-class teaching in Teaching in Higher Ed
• A deep exploration of the ever-evolving canon of work in our ever-changing world in American Musical Theater Seminar
• Discovery of multi-faceted modalities of communication across a variety of communicative models in Grad Ensemble Practicum
• Weekly Practicum meetings through 6 semesters to create a variety of collaborative assignments relevant to the creative process and product of the multi-faceted world that is musical theater. Goals for this class include:

Semester 1 – 10-minute musical
Semester 2 – 30-minute musical
Semester 3 – 2 potential thesis “pitches”
Semester 4 – Development of 45 minutes of thesis
Semester 5 – Development of entire musical
Semester 6 – Rehearsal and production of entire musical

Additional elective credits each semester to explore tangential and intersectional fields of study relevant to each student’s field of interest. These may include courses in several of our award-winning departments including Boyer College of Music and Dance, Tyler College of Art & Architecture, and other elements of our School of Theater, Film and Media Arts to name but a few. 

Students will also work in across disciplines in collaboration with our MFA directors, designers and playwrights.

Additionally, there are numerous opportunities to collaborate with our faculty through our main stage seasons and with our highly talented undergraduate cohort of actors in our BA in Theater and BFA in Musical Theater programs.