University of Guelph to launch only uni-level music theatre degree in Ontario

The University of Guelph is launching the only university-level music theatre degree in Ontario next September.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts – Music Theatre, the university’s first BFA program, is now accepting applications for students to start in fall 2027.

The program will teach skills from stage design and prop building to pit band and on-stage performance.

“Traditionally in music theatre post-secondary education, you’re going to focus exclusively on performance. Our students will be performing, but also researching and creating. They will try everything,” says Prof. Robert Allan, one of the lead faculty for the program.

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Students applying to the BFA-MT will not have to undergo an audition.

By eliminating the audition, Dr. Kimberly Francis, director of the School of Fine Art and Music, says programs across the university have a thriving, diverse group of students and genres.

“Music theatre has historically had problems with representation. We want to be a program that creates a space to imagine a different and better way together,” says Francis.

Samantha Brennan, dean of the College of Arts, points to the career value of such a degree beyond the stage, saying it will teach students how to work as part of a team under real pressure.

“Those are skills employers are looking for in every sector, and our graduates will carry them into whatever they do next,” says Brennan.

There are four theatres available for students interested in the BFA-MT, including spaces in the newly renovated Arts Research Centre.

Anyone interested can learn more on the program’s website.