Josh Appointed Head of Musical Theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University
Rebuilding the Brand: Reframing a Musical Theatre Program
When I stepped into the role of Head of Musical Theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University, I saw an opportunity not just to refine curriculum, but to clarify identity.
A program is more than its course list. It is a philosophy. It is a promise. It is a brand.
Over the past semester, I have worked to reshape the focus, language, and curricular arc of the Musical Theatre BFA to better reflect the demands of the contemporary industry. That has included:
• Streamlining the training sequence for clarity and momentum
• Elevating storytelling as the central through-line of performance training
• Integrating professional standards of rehearsal, communication, and artistic rigor
• Strengthening cross-disciplinary collaboration within the School of the Arts
• Reframing the program’s outward-facing identity to align with where musical theatre is headed, not where it has been
The goal has not been reinvention for its own sake, but refinement. Alignment. Precision.
Musical theatre training today must produce artists who are technically grounded, emotionally literate, stylistically versatile, and entrepreneurially aware. The program now reflects that standard more clearly in both structure and messaging.
You can view the updated program framework here:
https://arts.vcu.edu/program/theatre-musical-bfa/
Institutional transformation is rarely loud. It is architectural. It happens in systems, sequencing, and standards. I am proud of the clarity the program now carries, and excited about the artists it will continue to produce.