Musical Theatre

 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre

The following information is for entry into the 2027-28 school year.

Prescreening Requirements

All Musical Theatre applicants must submit prescreen recordings via the JSOM Supplemental Application.

The following pre-screening videos should be submitted, each as individual files.  Each video should be approximately 60-90 seconds.

“Slate” Introduction: A short video (maximum 10 seconds) where you introduce yourself.

Songs:

• One song written before 1970 (musical theater, Golden Age, pop, folk, rock, soul, country, etc.).
• One song written after 1970 (musical theater, pop, hip-hop, folk, rock, rap, soul, country, punk, etc.). This song should contrast the style of the first selection.

Monologue:

• One monologue from a published play or written by a professional writer. (A professional writer is someone whose plays have been produced, but may not have been professionally published.)

Dance:

• Your best version of choreographed dancing or moving. Please include at least one turn, one jump and one kick (or other suitable rotation, elevation, and extension that works for your body).

In addition, the JSOM Supplemental Application will ask you to upload a one-page essay, answering the following question:

• What work of literature, piece of art, real-life event or person, or movie do you think would make a good original musical, and what might this new musical have to say? What role might you see yourself playing in this production?

For this essay, please observe the following guidelines:

• Must be a minimum of one page, double-spaced
• If choosing a film to musicalize, the film may not be:
  • An existing musical (nor may any soundtrack music be used in the “new musical” version)
  • An animated movie featuring any songs that forward the story (Disney, etc.)
• Be creative!
• Expect to be asked questions about your essay during your individual audition. 

For additional information about naming files, as well as tips about content and framing, please visit the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen

Audition Requirements

Select applicants will be invited to a live audition based on prescreening review.

If you are invited, you will be scheduled for one of the following audition dates and will receive your schedule by email 3-4 weeks prior to your audition:

• November 14, 2026 (Early Action, only. Prescreening due by November 1).
• January 29, 2027
• February 5, 2027
• February 26, 2027

Application for admittance into Indiana University is separate from the audition. Students applying for the B.F.A. should submit an application to the Indiana University Office of Admissions concurrently with the application to the B.F.A. program in Musical Theatre. While acceptance into the B.F.A. ultimately depends upon acceptance to the university, auditions may occur while your application is still pending. To reiterate, you may audition for us even though you are still waiting to hear from the Office of Admissions about the status of your university application. Acceptance into the program is contingent upon acceptance into the university. When prompted to declare a major on the Common App or Apply IU, please enter Musical Theatre BFA from the list of majors. Be sure to submit the General Admissions Application by November 1 for the best merit scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

Questions? Please reach out to Scott Hogsed, Musical Theatre Audition Liaison, at shogsed@iu.edu