Dean Jutras marks a first year of listening and planning for the...
August 1, 2025
CCM Dean Peter J. Jutras shares a message with the college community ahead of the 2025-26 academic year and performance season.
CCM set the standard for musical theatre training ... literally. CCM Musical Theatre was the first program of its kind in the US, and it continues to be a leader in the industry.
A four-year interdisciplinary bachelor of fine arts (BFA) program, it was used by the National Association of Schools of Theatre in formulating the guidelines for the accreditation of Musical Theatre programs nationwide.
The program provides professional conservatory training designed to help singers, dancers and actors become accomplished musical theatre performers. Students are trained in voice, music, acting and dance. They participate in productions and create a freshman and a senior showcase, the latter functioning as their New York debut for agents and casting directors. In addition, students undertake courses in English, history, psychology, dramatic literature, social and ethical issues and the humanities.
If you are a high school student intent on studying musical theatre, more I cannot wish you than to enroll at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Peter Filichia Theatre Week
What do Christy Altomare, Shoshana Bean, Ashley Brown, Josh Breckenridge, Ryan Breslin, Kristy Cates, Andrew Chappelle, Max Chernin, Max Clayton, Scott Coulter, Nikki Renée Daniels, Julian Decker, Alysha Deslorieux, Mickey Fisher, Mia Gentile, Sara Gettelfinger, Dorian Harewood, Jessica Hendy, Phillip Johnson Richardson, Blaine Krauss, Marcia Lewis, Kevin McCollum, Pamela Myers, Karen Olivo, Faith Prince, Lee Roy Reams, Mikayla Renfrow, Noah Ricketts, John Riddle, Raven Thomas, Tom Viola and Betsy Wolfe—to name just a few—have in common? They all attended CCM!
CCM Musical Theatre graduates are following careers as performers and creative artists in every facet of the entertainment industry. CCM Musical Theatre graduates are working on Broadway and throughout the nation in such productions as Aladdin, Chicago, Hamilton, Waitress, The Book of Mormon, & Juliet, The Notebook, Wicked, Beetlejuice, Les Misérables, The Wiz, Water for Elephants, The Great Gatsby, Six, The Lion King, and Hell’s Kitchen. Students represent CCM in national and international touring productions, in dinner theatres and theme parks, on cruise ships, on television, in talent agencies, as producers and in many of the related entertainment fields.
Musical Theatre training at CCM includes:
CCM's program consistently produces some of the most talented and well-trained collegians in the nation
Scott Cain Talkin' Broadway
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At CCM we are in the business of turning out "Triple Threats" — talented young people who can sing, dance and act with equal accomplishment. Our students contribute positively to the growth of the American musical theatre. We encourage them to explore techniques beyond the spoken word to project dramatic ideas. We make the non-literal an essential part of the creative and interpretive process.
We are extremely proud of our program at CCM and regard our students as members of a large theatrical family. We have a demanding and difficult course of training with intensive class-work and little time for relaxation. However, we provide our graduates with the wherewithal to survive in a highly competitive field.
What does it take to land a Broadway show? Hard work, talent, luck – all backed up by a good education.
Playbill Magazine
Please remember that the training at CCM is rigorous. We are preparing young people for an inordinately difficult and heart-breaking profession. It is not the school for everyone and not everyone is the kind of student for us. Our admission standards are highly competitive — we accept about 5% of those who audition for us annually. We keep our classes small so that individual attention from the faculty can be maintained.
We keep our eye on the future. Our aim is two-fold: to meet the needs of the professional student in preparing for a career in the performing arts and to engage that student in a meaningful educational experience. We see no inconsistency in our dual roles of career builders and educators. For the performer of the future the qualities of critical, analytical and independent thinking so essential in the study of the arts and sciences, also serve as a valuable foundation for creative work. As the boundaries among the performing arts become less clearly defined, a broadly based education becomes an essential tool for the performer.
We nurture aesthetic values in our students by encouraging them to examine their own ideas about quality in the arts — in other words by engaging their critical faculties. We focus on individual ingenuity and examine the nature of artistic communication. We want our students to find their study of the performing arts an enriching experience, one that they can sustain after graduation.
CCM's undergraduate admissions process begins on August 1 for entrance in the following year's fall semester. All application materials must be submitted on or before December 1 to be considered for specific scholarship awards. Visit the CCM Admissions website for additional application instructions.
Applicants must submit the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before December 3 in order to be considered for admissions and invited for an audition.
Please note: If you are not invited to audition for the Musical Theatre program your materials will not be reviewed by the Acting program unless you have also submitted a pre-screening application for Acting. Separate pre-screening submissions, following the instructions for each program, must be submitted if you wish to be considered for both Acting and Musical Theatre.
At CCM, the audition for the Musical Theatre Program is as much to see who you are as how you perform. It is an opportunity for you to show your personality, the strengths and traits that make you a unique performer as well as your accomplishments in the three component areas of the program.
As we audition hundreds of applicants each year for admission to the Musical Theatre Program, please note that neither members of the Admissions Office nor Musical Theatre faculty can undertake to provide feedback or critiques of individual auditions. Thank you for your understanding.
CCM appears to be a great fit for me and I would like nothing more than to be a part of it. The quality and strength of the training, the facilities and the current students blew me away. The alumni list alone is spectacular! I love the fact that the program is so focused and I look forward to taking on the challenge of living and breathing musical theatre with you.
From an unsolicited letter of thanks following program auditions in Cincinnati
The dance call is the most direct part of the audition. It takes no immediate preparation, though several years at the barre are certainly beneficial. It consists of a warm-up (stretching exercises, floor-work, etc.) and a combination from a Broadway musical. The combination is taught to applicants as a group by students in the musical theatre program and is then performed in groups of five.
Applicants should learn the combination quickly and accurately and dance it with verve. Enthusiasm occasionally substitutes for lack of specific training.
Candidates should dress in basic dance wear or rehearsal attire — clothes which allow for ease of movement. Women should wear character shoes, jazz shoes or ballet slippers, leotards, tights, dance skirts or non-bulky warm-up wear. Men should wear jazz or ballet shoes, tights, jazz pants, t-shirts or shorts. No bulky or oversized sweat-pants or sweatshirts are permitted and sneakers are not recommended.
The vocal audition requires the preparation of two selections chosen from the standard musical theatre repertoire. One selection should have a sustained legato line; the second should be "up-tempo" and provide a contrast in rhythm, mood, characterization, style and approach. It may show special skills such as comic timing, dramatic flair, ability with patter, or, for women, the "belt" voice. By selecting songs that are similar in every way, inexperienced auditionees often miss the opportunity to show a range of abilities.
Selections should be no longer than 32 measures each. Long verses or repeated choruses are not recommended. Quality not quantity is the key, and most adjudicators would savor any performer who has the foresight to be succinct. Like Oliver, the adjudicators can always ask for more.
The entire audition should be memorized.
In Cincinnati, an accompanist will be provided. Auditionees should bring sheet music in the correct key with all cuts or repetitions clearly marked. Music should be placed in a binder for the benefit of the accompanist. Taped accompaniment is not acceptable in Cincinnati.
At auditions in all other cities (New York and Chicago) auditionees should provide recorded accompaniment on an I-Pod or CD (no cassette tapes, please.) Sound equipment will be provided, though auditionees may elect to use their own.
For the acting audition, auditionees should prepare a comic or dramatic monologue from a contemporary or classical play. The monologue should be suited to the age of the auditionee and should not be in dialect. The monologue should be no longer than one minute. Longer selections will be cut off by the timekeepers.
Adjudicators may engage applicants in a short question and answer session.
Auditionees must provide a head-shot or recent photograph and a resume listing theatre training and roles played. Scrapbooks, press-clipping and videotapes are not accepted.
The Musical Theatre program at CCM is the oldest in the country. It was established in 1968 by Helen Laird, with Jack Rouse serving as the first Chairman of the program. It served as the model for the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) in creating their guidelines for the accreditation of musical theatre programs in the United States.
The first graduate of the program was Pamela Myers (Class of 1969). In true "showbiz" fashion, she boarded a Greyhound Bus for New York City to seek fame and fortune. Her first Broadway audition was for a new musical written by a young composer and based on a series of one-act plays about life in the Big Apple. She sang a country and western song, "Little Green Apples" and was cast in the role of Marta. The composer was Stephen Sondheim; the musical was Company and nightly Pamela stopped the show singing "Another Hundred People." A year later she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress. More recently, she returned to CCM as a guest artist, playing the role of Jeanette Burmeister in our production of The Full Monty and Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!
Since then, CCM has graduated many students who have made a name for themselves as performers, directors, musical directors, choreographers and producers. And we have continued our association with the Tony Awards, with the coveted statuette going to such names as Faith Prince (Class of 1979) for Guys and Dolls, Michele Pawk (Class of 1985) for Hollywood Arms, Stephen Flaherty for Ragtime, Kevin McCollum (Class of 1984) as producer of the musicals In the Heights, Avenue Q and Rent, Karen Olivo for West Side Story and Tom Viola (Class of 1976), in recognition for his work with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
August 1, 2025
CCM Dean Peter J. Jutras shares a message with the college community ahead of the 2025-26 academic year and performance season.
July 21, 2025
Two projects lead by UC College-Conservatory of Music faculty and staff won Emmy Awards at the 61st Gala, held on July 19 by the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).
July 7, 2025
UC’s College-Conservatory of Music will welcome a variety of new faculty and staff members to its roster of distinguished performing and media arts experts, researchers and educators this fall.
July 1, 2025
Sarah Jessaic Parker recently gave Cincinnati a shoutout during an interview on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast. She talked about theaters she enjoyed visiting — like Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, where her father worked as a stage manager, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. SJP attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts during her elementary school years, and also took classes at CCM Prep.
July 1, 2025
Many CCM alumni, students and faculty members work and perform at The Carnegie Theatre in Covington during the summer. There are 16 CCM stars currently working on "The Color Purple," which runs through July 6, 2025; tickets are on sale through The Carnegie's Box Office.
June 30, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras recently announced the appointment of Maggie Perrino as the college's new Assistant Dean of CCM Prep and Community Engagement. In this role, Perrino will lead a team of faculty and administrative staff at CCM Prep, which offers a wide variety of programs in music, dance and the theatre arts throughout the year for people of all ages and abilities. She will also oversee CCM’s Summer Programs for youth, teens and adults. Perrino's appointment begins on June 30, 2025.
June 4, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras recently announced the appointment of Jessie L. Grant, PhD, as CCM's new Assistant Dean of Student Services. In this role, Grant will coordinate CCM’s academic advising program, connect students with college and university-level resources, and evaluate CCM policies and processes to better serve the college’s undergraduate and graduate students. Grant's appointment officially began on June 2, 2025.
May 13, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music's BFA Musical Theatre program launches its 2025 Senior Showcase website, featuring performance videos available to watch on demand. Explore the website to watch performances and get to know the graduating students: ccm.uc.edu/musicalshowcase
April 22, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music student Erin Morton, a junior pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre, performs a cover of Radiohead's "Creep" and goes viral.