Roosevelt University: The Theatre Conservatory at the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA)
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Take the stage at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts!
Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, CCPA is just steps away from Chicago's bustling theatre district and the Tony Award-winning Goodman, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatres – and our students have graced the stages of them all.
Please note that all applicants to our programs must first complete a Roosevelt University online application, available here. Students who apply through GetAcceptd but do not complete Roosevelt University's online application can not be considered for admission.
Studying Theatre at CCPA
The Chicago College of Performing Arts offers three pre-professional BFA degrees (Acting, Musical Theatre, and Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration), designed with a rigorous schedule to prepare you for a career in performance. Students looking for a more flexible theatre degree that allows them to include additional disciplines outside of theatre may be interested in our BA Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies degree! While our BFA programs require a pre-screen and an audition in addition to their Roosevelt application to be considered for admission, our BA ITS program only requires an application to Roosevelt.
You can be considered for multiple different programs by completing a single application! Please only submit ONE GetAcceptd application.
BFA Acting
The BFA in Acting is designed to develop a strong foundation in the skills required for a career as an actor on stage and in film and television. The program provides students with intensive training in several acting techniques, including but not limited to: period styles, on-camera acting, circus arts, stage combat, movement, and voice work. Acting majors also receive training in dance and voice lessons as part of their curriculum. Acting students are eligible for casting in both plays and musicals on the mainstage as well as in our blackbox productions.
BFA Musical Theatre
The BFA in Musical Theatre is designed to develop a strong foundation in the skills required for a career as a musical theatre performer, focusing particularly on vocal performance and acting technique. The program blends intensive musical training (including music theory, piano skills and weekly voice lessons) with a high level of acting technique coursework (scene study, on-camera acting, movement, voice work and period styles). Students also take a full course load of dance classes, receiving training in ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theatre styles. Musical Theatre students are eligible for casting in both plays and musicals on the mainstage as well as in our blackbox productions.
BFA Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration
The BFA in Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration is designed to develop a strong foundation in the skills required for a career as a musical theatre performer, focusing particularly on the discipline of dance. The dance concentration program is a unique blend of musical theatre disciplines for the dancer with training in acting, voice, and dance. Students receive intensive dance studies in ballet, jazz, modern, tap and musical theatre dance styles. Students in the Dance Concentration program also receive specialized training in dance pedagogy, kinesiology and injury prevention. Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration students are eligible for casting in both plays and musicals on the mainstage as well as in our blackbox productions.
BA Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies
The BA program in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies is designed to provide students with a flexible, broad-based education in theatre. Students in this program have the option to pursue a particular specialization within the study of theatre, such as stage management, design, directing or dramaturgy, or can couple their study of theatre with a non-theatrical discipline such as business, social justice, psychology or art. The course of study for a student enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies Program can be customized to the student’s particular interests and career goals, and may include classes taken alongside the BFA performance majors. BA Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies students are eligible for casting in both plays and musicals on the mainstage as well as in our blackbox productions. **Admission to this program alone does not require a pre-screen application or an audition!
APPLICATION DEADLINES
EARLY ACTION DEADLINES
Students who are invited to our live audition round will be granted access to the audition schedule once they receive their results. This means that the sooner you submit your application, the more likely it is that you will be able to choose your ideal audition time!
2025-26 Audition Dates:
On-Campus Auditions: TBD
Virtual Auditions: TBD
NYC Unifieds: January 24-25, 2026
Chicago Unifieds: February 2-5, 2026
LA Unifieds: February 7-8, 2026
Dates/ times are subject to change.
Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, CCPA is just steps away from Chicago's bustling theatre district and the Tony Award-winning Goodman, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatres – and our students have graced the stages of them all.
Please note that all applicants to our programs must first complete a Roosevelt University online application, available here. Students who apply through GetAcceptd but do not complete Roosevelt University's online application can not be considered for admission.
Studying Theatre at CCPA
The Chicago College of Performing Arts offers three pre-professional BFA degrees (Acting, Musical Theatre, and Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration), designed with a rigorous schedule to prepare you for a career in performance. Students looking for a more flexible theatre degree that allows them to include additional disciplines outside of theatre may be interested in our BA Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies degree! While our BFA programs require a pre-screen and an audition in addition to their Roosevelt application to be considered for admission, our BA ITS program only requires an application to Roosevelt.
You can be considered for multiple different programs by completing a single application! Please only submit ONE GetAcceptd application.
- The BFA Acting application will ask you if you would also like to be considered for BA Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies.
- The BFA Musical Theatre application will ask you if you would also like to be considered for BFA Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration, BFA Acting, and/or BA Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies.
- The BFA Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration application will as you if you would also like to be considered for BFA Musical Theatre, BFA Acting, and/or BA Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies.
BFA Acting
The BFA in Acting is designed to develop a strong foundation in the skills required for a career as an actor on stage and in film and television. The program provides students with intensive training in several acting techniques, including but not limited to: period styles, on-camera acting, circus arts, stage combat, movement, and voice work. Acting majors also receive training in dance and voice lessons as part of their curriculum. Acting students are eligible for casting in both plays and musicals on the mainstage as well as in our blackbox productions.
BFA Musical Theatre
The BFA in Musical Theatre is designed to develop a strong foundation in the skills required for a career as a musical theatre performer, focusing particularly on vocal performance and acting technique. The program blends intensive musical training (including music theory, piano skills and weekly voice lessons) with a high level of acting technique coursework (scene study, on-camera acting, movement, voice work and period styles). Students also take a full course load of dance classes, receiving training in ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theatre styles. Musical Theatre students are eligible for casting in both plays and musicals on the mainstage as well as in our blackbox productions.
BFA Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration
The BFA in Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration is designed to develop a strong foundation in the skills required for a career as a musical theatre performer, focusing particularly on the discipline of dance. The dance concentration program is a unique blend of musical theatre disciplines for the dancer with training in acting, voice, and dance. Students receive intensive dance studies in ballet, jazz, modern, tap and musical theatre dance styles. Students in the Dance Concentration program also receive specialized training in dance pedagogy, kinesiology and injury prevention. Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration students are eligible for casting in both plays and musicals on the mainstage as well as in our blackbox productions.
BA Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies
The BA program in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies is designed to provide students with a flexible, broad-based education in theatre. Students in this program have the option to pursue a particular specialization within the study of theatre, such as stage management, design, directing or dramaturgy, or can couple their study of theatre with a non-theatrical discipline such as business, social justice, psychology or art. The course of study for a student enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies Program can be customized to the student’s particular interests and career goals, and may include classes taken alongside the BFA performance majors. BA Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies students are eligible for casting in both plays and musicals on the mainstage as well as in our blackbox productions. **Admission to this program alone does not require a pre-screen application or an audition!
APPLICATION DEADLINES
- All BFA Musical Theatre applications must be submitted by 11:59pm Central Time on December 1st, 2025.
All BFA Acting and BFA Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration applications must be submitted by January 15th, 2026.
EARLY ACTION DEADLINES
Students who are invited to our live audition round will be granted access to the audition schedule once they receive their results. This means that the sooner you submit your application, the more likely it is that you will be able to choose your ideal audition time!
- Applicants who submit by October 1st, 2025 will receive results by October 15th, 2025.
- Applicants who submit by November 1st, 2025 will receive results by November 15th, 2025.
- Applicants who submit by December 1st, 2025 (final deadline for BFA Musical Theatre) will receive results by December 15th, 2025.
- BFA Acting and BFA Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration applicants who submit by their final deadline of January 15th, 2026 will receive results by January 30th, 2026.
2025-26 Audition Dates:
On-Campus Auditions: TBD
Virtual Auditions: TBD
NYC Unifieds: January 24-25, 2026
Chicago Unifieds: February 2-5, 2026
LA Unifieds: February 7-8, 2026
Dates/ times are subject to change.
Questions? Contact us!
Thank you for your interest in the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) at Roosevelt University! If you have any application and/or audition questions, please reach out to Theatre Counselor Parker Morley, at pmorley01@roosevelt.edu!
For technical questions, please visit the Acceptd Help Desk.