Dedication to the craft, leadership and unique opportunities are just some of the features of Elon University Music Theatre, or “MT” program, that faculty and students said make their program award-winning.
As the new school year begins, the Music Theatre program is gearing up for another year of preparing its students for the professional industry, as well as for the fall musical “Come From Away.”
In May 2026, the Music Theatre program was included in a Hollywood Reporter article listing the top 25 drama schools in the world, and in August 2026, Elon was named the top school in the Princeton Review’s “Best College Theater” category.
Professor of music theatre Courtney Liu said she thinks the top rankings come from the dedication students and faculty have for their work and continuing to grow in an ever-evolving industry.
“It is very competitive to get into the program, and what that means is you end up with students who are really committed to the craft of singing, dancing, acting and music theatre,” Liu said. “So, as a teacher, it's very exciting to work with students who are very committed to the same craft that you have committed your whole life to.”
Liu said the students’ passion is what excites her about teaching the craft she has spent her life pursuing at Elon.
“To dedicate your life to something like that, and I'm so inspired by my students, by their level of focus, their level of resilience, their level of talent and hard work,” Liu said. “I like being around people that are operating and thriving at such a high level in their art form. It makes me better, which energizes me.”
Professor of music theatre Jacob Brent said the students’ dedication to the hard work of the program is what keeps him coming back to Elon year after year.
“The students are incredible, and their curiosity and their willingness to dive in and do difficult work, or their wanting to learn, is just a joy to be able to teach every day,” Brent said.
As a program at a liberal arts university, Brent said the Elon MT program seeks to be both a rigorous theater conservatory and create students who have experience in other academic areas.
“I think our MTs are very interesting people outside of being musical theater performers, and very smart and able to bring that into the room,” Brent said. “So people, I think, gravitate toward working with our students.”
Liu said Elon’s program offers students several opportunities they may not have at other musical theater programs, including the possibility to double major, study abroad, be in fellows programs and do research.
Beyond training students in music theatre, senior music theatre and arts administration double major Gavin Miller said the program also allows them to focus on a specific area of musical theatre.
“While there is very much a structured education process like you have to take X, Y, and Z classes — there's no way around it — it's also very much choose your own adventure,” Miller said. “Especially after your sophomore year, it's a lot less of the required classes and more, ‘Here are your options and go explore that.’”
Senior music theatre major Eric Petit said Elon is good at helping students find the individual talents that make them shine in the industry.
“It can be hard in musical theater to feel like you have to put everyone into a little box of what maybe would be most marketable for them for the industry,” Petit said. “I feel like Elon does a great job of finding something authentic to you that you're going to be able to use to find success in this industry.”
Brent said he has also noticed this in the program’s alums, which include several on Broadway as well as ones working in other areas of the theater industry.
“There's people now that are producing, that are choreographing, that are directing,” Brent said. “The scope of our alums has grown immensely, and yes, we have incredible performers, but we also have credible industry people and people that maybe have decided that they want to refocus their passions in other ways.”
In addition to exploring the different areas of musical theatre, Miller said Elon’s program is special in its opportunities for student-led works and leadership.
“I think the biggest thing that is unique about Elon, in my opinion, is how well they set us up for leadership divisions,” Miller said. “I've never seen a program that gives so many opportunities and so much trust in their students, whether it's their first time leading or their 70th.”
Petit said each year music theatre students have the opportunity to direct, music direct and choreograph works for three shows: Collage, performed during family weekend, Elon Cares, a cabaret hosted to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and Grand Night, performed in the spring as a send-off to the senior class.
Miller said he did not have much of an interest in leading until he and Petit worked on a piece together for their sophomore year Grand Night. For the number, Miller said he took a song meant for just one person and wrote it for 16 people to sing together.
“It was scary because I had to lead all these people for the first time, but I was given so much trust and help from the professors, and so much great positive feedback that it somehow worked, and I found this new interest or thing I want to pursue in my career going forward,” Miller said.
Petit said he has worked on a number in every show since his freshman year Elon Cares show. Additionally, Petit spent the summer working with Lui on research that supported his interest in choreography and how it can be used to help the plot of a show.
“I feel like it was a huge growth opportunity for me, and then in addition to that, I also feel like I was able to pair something like choreography, which I feel like people think as not really an academic pursuit necessarily, with the academic offerings at Elon,” Petit said.
As seniors, Petit and Miller said they are also looking forward to the senior casting series Elon puts on every year as part of the year-long senior seminar class. The program brings 10 casting agents from New York down to see the students perform and interact with them.
Miller said Elon is unique in bringing the agents to Elon because most universities will take the seniors to New York to put on a show for agents. Petit said bringing them to Elon allows the students to connect with the agents on a more personal level.
“I feel like that demystifies the process a little bit, where they don't feel like they're these big, scary people from the industry who are here to judge if you're a good performer or not,” Petit said. “They’re just other people who are working in the industry that you're working in, and who want to form a personal relationship with you and want to see you succeed and want to understand what your perspective is on music theater.”
Miller said the seniors will spend the first semester of senior seminar preparing songs and dance combinations for the casting series.