Musical Theatre Program
Fiscal Year 2023-2024
Dear Donor,
Operating since 1981, our program is now the only Master of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre in the United States. Almost 200 students have graduated, and they are teaching at universities, directing musicals, choreographing, music directing, producing, composing, and serving as arts ambassadors all over the world. Our goal is to give people the tools and skills to pass down this great art form to the next generation of musical theatre performers, creative artists, and audiences.
The Fall of 2023 marked our frst performance in the newly renovated Main Stage Theatre; a large-scale performance of Stephen Schwartz’s Children of Eden as a co-production with the SDSU Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus. This spring brought the joyous production of the world premiere new musical, In a Sunshine State
Thanks to the ongoing support of our wonderful donors, the SDSU MFA Musical Theatre class of 2024 is ready to make an impact on the feld and afect countless lives in their careers.
Robert Mefe, MM Professor Head of MFA Musical Theatre Program
Changing Lives through Program Support
The Julia R. Brown New Musical Initiative Fund
The Julia R. Brown New Musical Initiative Fund fully supported the SDSU New Musical Initiative which will span over two years. During this time, MFA students will rehearse and develop to full production a new work of musical theatre under the guidance of faculty director Stephen Brotebeck and Robert Mefe, faculty music director and Head of the MFA Program.
Over 160 submissions were vetted, and the selection committee chose In a Sunshine State by T.C. Lind, Phoebe Kreutz, and Derek Gregor. The fund provided travel support for these New York artists, advertising, production support, and the creation of a professional video recording of the full production.
James Silberrad Brown Foundation Excellence in Musical Theatre Fund
A grant supporting the James Silberrad Brown Foundation Excellence in Musical Theatre Fund has been a lifeline for the MFA Musical Theatre Program. It supports the musical theatre archive (including the salaries of two MFA archive assistants), production funds, advertising, and the addition of crucial recent technology. A notable example of this technology is the purchase of professional equipment to create a self-tape video lab for student use.
Since before the pandemic, and accelerated by the restrictions, casting directors and producers are more than ever using video audition submissions to cast their productions. Actors are expected to create these videos themselves, and our new studio has been instrumental in providing direct experience working with lighting, backdrops, sound, and audio to produce professional-level quality to their work.
Living the Aztec Experience
Justin Brill, Class of 2024
Class Level: Master's Candidate
College: Professional Studies and Fine Arts
Major: Musical Theatre
SDSU has been an incredibly impactful experience for me. My intentions for joining the program were to grow in my teaching and directing practice while continuing to be involved in performance projects.
The curriculum and collaborative experiences that the program ofers have refned my skills and artistic approach. Rob and Stephen are incredible mentors and guides regarding the preparation and navigation of a future career path in academia. The opportunity to be in a community with other emerging educators and theater artists as part of a cohort working together is an experience that I will cherish forever. It has fundamentally shaped my approach to theatermaking and education.
I leave SDSU ready to take on the next step of my journey as the Head of the Musical Theater program at Illinois Wesleyan University.
All of this would not have been possible without the generous support of my scholarship donors. Being able to have a solid foundation fnancially as I navigate grad school has allowed me to be more fully immersed in the learning experience that SDSU and the MFA in Musical Theater program ofers. I'm grateful for the people who have helped to support this journey.
“
Being able to have a solid foundation fnancially as I navigate grad school has allowed me to be more fully immersed in the experience...
Sarah Salonga, Class of 2024
Class Level: Master's Candidate College: Professional Studies and Fine Arts
Major: Musical Theatre
After two years in the MFA Musical Theatre Program at SDSU, I have gained many new skills and tools for a career in the performing arts as a performer, educator, and creator. It was inspiring to see the growth of the students I taught and gain valuable experience as an arts educator.
I studied musical theatre history, script and score analysis, writing, dance, directing, and choreography. These courses and the support of the faculty gave me the tools and courage to realize my dream of creating a Filipino/a/x-inspired jukebox musical, One Past Midnight - The OPM Musical, for which I wrote the book and lyrics, produced and directed a workshop performance as part of my capstone project. I plan to continue teaching theatre and creating new works as a writer, lyricist, director, and producer. I’m interested in telling stories from and about underrepresented cultures.
I am forever grateful for the scholarships received which allowed me to focus on my studies and reduced the fnancial burden on my family, being a mother of two. Donor support provides the theatre arts a much-needed foundation to play and produce, and to tell stories our society needs to see, hear, and feel.
I am forever grateful for the scholarships I received that allowed me to focus on my studies...
Celebrating Shared Success
Statistics of Interest
In just this past year, we have had graduates of our programs perform and contribute to productions at all of the major theatres in San Diego, including The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Cygnet Theatre, San Diego Music Theatre, Moonlight Amphitheatre, the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, and many more. Nationally they have performed on Broadway, of-Broadway, national tours, and major regional houses.
Three members of the graduating class of 2024 have already secured full-time teaching positions at Illinois Wesleyan University, the University of San Diego, and Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Recent Highlights
The class of 2024 is the frst class in the program's history to ofcially graduate with a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre, previously named a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Musical Theatre. This degree of specialization makes our program unique among Master of Fine Arts programs in the country.
SDSU undergraduate students can now graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre. This new degree ofers students a top-rated musical theatre education while providing a fexible curriculum to study and refne a wider variety of coursework.
Class of 2024
New Degree
First class in the history of the program to ofcially graduate with a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre.
Undergraduate students are now able to graduate from SDSU with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre.
Helping to Build a Brighter Future
Robert Mefe, MM
Title: Professor, Head of MFA Musical Theatre Program
College: Professional Studies and Fine Arts
Achievement: Professor Mefe, pictured right playing the accordion, received a nomination for best musical direction for the production of CABARET at the Old Globe, directed by Josh Rhodes.
Theatremania writes, “The orchestra…brings heft to the numbers and flls the theater with Kander and Ebb’s beguiling music.“ BroadwayWorld continues, “Even the orchestra is beautiful! Robert Mefe is a triple threat here as the tuxedoclad musical director, conductor, and accordionist. Led by Mefe, and tucked into the corner of the second story is the live orchestra who…bring the John Kander and Fred Ebb score brightly to life and full of character.” Stage and Cinema writes, “The nine musicians situated on a dark balcony above the action sounded like a full-scale symphony orchestra.”
Stephen Brotebeck, MFA
Title: Professor
College: Professional Studies and Fine Arts
Achievement: Professor Brotebeck is completing his one-year appointment as the Interim Artistic Director of the Diversionary Theatre in University Heights, where he produced three main stage shows that garnered multiple nominations and two wins from the San Diego Critics Circle's Craig Noel Awards.
Over the past year, Brotebeck directed a production of See How They Run at the Okoboji Summer Theatre and will be directing the San Diego premiere of the musical, Midnight at the Never Get in the fall of 2024.
Efective July 1st, Professor Brotebeck assumed the role of Interim Director of the School of Theatre, Television, and Film at SDSU.
Thank you for your generous support.