Broadway stars who did NOT go to College... (2024)

luvliza89

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Broadway LegendJoined: 12/14/04

#26re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 8/6/06 at 10:13pm

No college for Barbra Streisand either.

Blair

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Broadway StarJoined: 11/4/03

#28re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 8/6/06 at 10:16pm

Sutton was in the ensemble of The Will Rogers Follies while she was still in high school. When she graduated she attended Carnegie Mellon for a short time, and then left, immediately getting work. I'd have to look it up, but she might have done a Grease tour before she did Les Mis.

EDIT: Yeah, she did a Grease tour and then was cast as a replacement Sandy on Broadway, and then a few more Broadway shows before Les Mis.
Updated On: 8/6/06 at 10:16 PM

kaboodles041

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Featured ActorJoined: 3/29/06

#30re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 8/6/06 at 10:45pm

[Quote]: "He said 'College is for people who don't know what they want to do. I knew what I wanted to do.'"
Lol! Love it. Wish my parents agreed with it too.

Arghh! Grammar pet peeve #1: your vs you're. "Your" is a possessive pronoun. "You're" is the contraction of "you are."<<

The Distinctive Baritone

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Broadway LegendJoined: 8/28/04

#31re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 8/6/06 at 11:33pm

However, if you can go to college it's a good idea for two reasons: a) Having a B.A. will enable you to get a better day job (i.e. not waiting tables), and b) although we all hate to hear this, there's a good chance you may not be in show biz one day, whether it be a few years from now or when you're 50. It's a good thing to have as it will open up your options when necessary.

Becoz_i_knew_you21

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Broadway LegendJoined: 4/29/06

#32re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 8/6/06 at 11:48pm

Sherie went to the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater in NYC. Would you call that college because it is only a 2 year program?

EDIT: Oh yeah and on the site they spelled Sherie's name wrong.
Updated On: 8/6/06 at 11:48 PM

TLKfan

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Broadway StarJoined: 11/2/05

#33re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:13am

Not a star I guess, but Candice Marie Woods went to NYC right out of High school to Hairspray.

2008 European Tour
London: Les Mis, Lion King, Sound of Music, Joseph, Hairspray, Billy Elliot
France: Le Roi Lion, Cabaret
Germany: Der Konig der Lowen
Holland: Tarzan & Les Mis

xoangel2789xo

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Broadway StarJoined: 11/3/07

#34re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/11/08 at 9:19pm

Lea Michele was accepted to NYU but decided to continue w/ Broadway.
And I think Jonathan Groff got into Carnegie Mellon but didn't go
and Michael Arden attended Juilliard and then left to do Big River I think...

shh282

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Broadway LegendJoined: 3/7/08

#35re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/11/08 at 9:58pm

becoziknewyou

did she get her associate's or something?

alex2155

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Leading ActorJoined: 5/16/07

#36re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/11/08 at 10:17pm

Laura Bell Bundy did not go to college.

KrissySim

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Broadway LegendJoined: 4/10/08

#37re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/11/08 at 11:48pm

'He said "College is for people who don't know what they want to do. I knew what I wanted to do." '

So someone who knows they want to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a research geneticist... should just skip college and start practice? Riiiiight!

I can understand someone leaving school if a good opportunity shows up to perform professionally. But in today's world a Bachelor's degree is so basic it's almost essential in understanding the world we live in. I would hope that people who leave school to perform would continue their studies sometime later on, not to mention the fact that nothing is certain in show business. Knowledge of managing money is a very good skill to have. A star today may be on the streets looking for work ten years from now.

Anyone planning a career in theatre or film should have a back-up plan and an education is an essential element of that. Likewise, not going to college is something like not learning to read or write in a former era. OK, I'll get off my soap box, but that is my honest opinion.

mc1227

Broadway LegendJoined: 7/29/07

#38re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/11/08 at 11:53pm

I think Nathan didn't go to college because when he got to St. Joseph's college in Philly, he didn't have enough money so he turned around and came home. Then he realized he wanted to be an actor and didn't need college for that. That was a long time ago, obviously things are alot different now.

Matthew Broderick went to Walden Prep School but did not attend college either.

The only review of a show that matters is your own.

Mythus

Broadway LegendJoined: 8/16/04

#39re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 12:15am

This thread...is so old.

winter_sky

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Broadway StarJoined: 8/6/07

#40re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 2:10am

John Gallagher has not gone to college.

alsal

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SwingJoined: 10/21/07

#41re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 2:28am

John Gallagher didn't finish high school.

TooDarnHot

Broadway LegendJoined: 4/7/08

#42re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 3:17am

xoangel - Groff got accepted into Carnegie Mellon and Penn State. He chose Penn State!

He was ready to attend in the fall (2004), but booked a national tour right before the school year.

he never looked back and the rest is history...

Invito Al Cielo

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Chorus MemberJoined: 10/19/07

#43re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 7:45am

"John Gallagher didn't finish high school."

He dropped out his senior year.

nygrl23

Broadway StarJoined: 4/18/07

#44re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 9:42am

>>"He said 'College is for people who don't know what they want to do. I knew what I wanted to do.'"

College is also for people who need to get a degree in order to do what they want to do.

Knowing what you want to do and actually getting to do it is based on a lot of luck and happenstance. Showbiz is pretty happenstancey.

TooDarnHot

Broadway LegendJoined: 4/7/08

#45re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 11:59am

receiving a BFA or BA or BM, in musical theatre/theatre arts/vocal performance/dance/acting, has been proven to increase your chances in auditions.

the casting team likes to see that you put in the $$ and time and effort to get proper training. Of course if you're phenominal it won't matter but getting a College education only helps.

There are many people who skip College and head straight to Broadway... some are lucky but the majority fail.

Now a days, the popular thing is to get a BFA in musical theatre. That wasn't the trend 15 or 20 years ago.

The Distinctive Baritone

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Broadway LegendJoined: 8/28/04

#46re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 2:27pm

Good training (and I mean GOOD training) can only help you. You don't necessarily have to have a degree in it, but if you want to be a professional actor and/or singer I STRONGLY suggest taking AT LEAST one year of classes/lessons. Raw talent is great, but it will only get you so far. Seriously.

SporkGoddess

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Broadway LegendJoined: 7/27/05

#47re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 5:12pm

I agree with KrissySim. For what I want to do (not in showbusiness, granted) a bachelors isn't even enough.

Jimmy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 PM!

SDav 10495

Broadway StarJoined: 7/21/06

#48re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 5:18pm

Groff got accepted into Carnegie Mellon and Penn State. He chose Penn State!

He was ready to attend in the fall (2004), but booked a national tour right before the school year.

he never looked back and the rest is history...

What show?

I'd heard about Carnegie Mellon, but not Penn State...also didn't know he'd actually chosen a school before changing his mind.

"If there is going to be a restoration fee, there should also be a Renaissance fee, a Middle Ages fee and a Dark Ages fee. Someone must have men in the back room making up names, euphemisms for profit."(Emanuel Azenberg)

Juliash

Broadway StarJoined: 3/6/07

#49re: Broadway stars who did NOT go to College...

Posted: 4/12/08 at 5:26pm

Andrea Burns was at NYU for like a month but she got cast in a European Tour of West Side Story and dropped out, she was going to go back when it was over but she got cast in Songs for a New World when she got back to the US.

Broadway stars who did NOT go to College... (2024)

FAQs

Where did most Broadway performers go to college? ›

Of the schools represented on their list, NYU came in first above University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon University with the highest number of alumni performing on Broadway in the 2022-2023 season. Tisch graduates comprised 93 of the 115 NYU alumni on the Broadway stage in 2022-2023.

Can you be on Broadway without a degree? ›

The answer is no, it is definitely not mandatory to have a college degree to make it on Broadway or in touring companies. Although, you are right, it does help.

Do Broadway actors have degrees? ›

Postsecondary Training

Therefore, it is strongly recommended that aspiring actors complete at least a bachelor's degree program in theater or the dramatic arts. Some actors, especially those who want to teach dramatic arts, continue their education and receive a master of fine arts (M.F.A.) degree.

Why is Broadway so popular? ›

Most Broadway shows are musicals. Historian Martin Shefter argues that "Broadway musicals, culminating in the productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein, became enormously influential forms of American popular culture" and contributed to making New York City the cultural capital of the world.

How hard is it to get into Broadway? ›

Broadway is very competitive–extremely competitive–but it's also wonderful and rewarding and an experience like no other. Do the work now that will get you in the right doors, get you in the right auditions, get you in the right BFA programs, and get you in the right shows. That's what's going to get you on Broadway.

What college did most successful actors go to? ›

Looking back at the higher education paths of these Oscar winners reveals that University of California system, Yale University and the University of Cambridge produced the highest number of Oscar winners.

What education is needed to become a Broadway actor? ›

Although some people succeed in acting without getting a formal education, most actors acquire some formal preparation through a theater company's acting conservatory or a university drama or theater arts program. Students can take college classes in drama or filmmaking to prepare for a career as an actor.

Do people get paid to be on Broadway? ›

How much do Broadway actors usually earn? Generally, the average Broadway salary for non-celebrity actors is between $45,000 and $220,000 per year, depending on the run of the show or their contract length in an ongoing production. The current Equity weekly minimum salary for Broadway actors is $2,439 per week.

Can you be on Broadway and not sing? ›

We need everyone to be able to both sing and dance because the ensemble is where we pull our understudies from.” Dancier shows—particularly those that incorporate ballet and cast with a dance-first focus—don't always require as much vocal experience. Casting directors see potential and a good work ethic in you.

What is the highest salary for a Broadway actor? ›

Broadway Actor Salary
Annual SalaryMonthly Pay
Top Earners$138,000$11,500
75th Percentile$46,000$3,833
Average$56,903$4,741
25th Percentile$30,000$2,500

What is the salary of off Broadway actors? ›

Off-Broadway actors working for a theater with an annual budget over $4.25 million can be paid anywhere from $689 to $1,526 per week, based on the number of seats in their theater. So, an actor performing in a 400-seat theater will make more than an actor performing in a 99-seat theater.

How do I break into Broadway? ›

Beyond your union card, the materials you'll need to get cast on Broadway are a headshot, résumé, and demo reel. All actors use these materials to submit to auditions and book gigs. If you're hoping to break into musicals, specifically, your reel should include musical excerpts alongside your acting clips.

What is the most watched Broadway play? ›

The Lion King is the highest-grossing Broadway show of all time.

How many hours a week do Broadway actors work? ›

Usually work evenings and weekends. Often work long hours. Once a show opens, stage actors usually work about 30 hours a week. Travel when shows are “on the road.”

Is Broadway still struggling? ›

On Broadway, overall attendance is still down about 17 percent: 9.3 million seats have been filled in the current season as of March 3, down from 11.1 million at the same point in 2020. Box office grosses are down, too: Broadway shows have grossed $1.2 billion so far this season, 14 percent below the level in early ...

Which Playbill college has the most graduates on Broadway? ›

Both with our regular Big 10 report and this new, extended report on creative teams, New York University reigned as the most represented college in the 2022—23 Broadway season, with 57 alumni creatives credited on Broadway shows.

Where did the high school musical characters go to college? ›

Darbus reveals that both Kelsi and Ryan have won the Juilliard scholarship, and Troy reveals he has chosen to attend the University of California, Berkeley to be close to Gabriella, play basketball, and perform in theater.

What is the best college for musical theatre? ›

Best Colleges for Musical Theater
  • Carnegie Mellon University.
  • New York University.
  • Yale University.
  • University of Michigan.
  • Northwestern University.
  • Syracuse University.
  • Emerson College.
  • Juilliard School.
Apr 14, 2024

What University is Performers College linked to? ›

Performers College is part of BIMM University and is a specialist higher education school for the Performing Arts.

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