Get Ready to Perform, Design, and Construct Your Next Performance
At Webster University’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts, the faculty and staff execute a professional training program for acting, musical theatre, directing, theatre studies and dramaturgy, design, technical theatre, and stage management.
Plus, our Conservatory is associated with professional theatre companies, two of which are on campus: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Explore below to learn more about our sequential and intensive program for training artists for theatre.

Conservatory Season

Given the current global health crisis, the 2020-2021 season promises to be a challenge that we’re eager to embrace (safely) together. Our venues, dates, and ways of reaching audiences will adapt to changing conditions.
Fall 2020
Canfield Drive – Written and gathered by Kristen Adele Calhoun and Michael Thomas Walker
The Living – By Anthony Clarvoe
Deadly – Book and lyrics by Vanessa Claire Stewart, music by Ryan Thomas Johnson
Undergraduate Majors and Minors
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Costume Construction
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Costume Design
Bachelor of Arts in Directing
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Lighting Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Scene Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Scene Painting
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sound Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage Management
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Technical Direction
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies and Dramaturgy
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Wig and Makeup Design
Explore Our Premier Programs
Discover more about our relevant and hands-on curriculum across a variety of fields and disciplines.
How to Apply
Students seeking an audition for Acting, Directing, or Musical Theatre will be required to submit pre-screen materials through Acceptd. The faculty will review all submissions weekly. Once reviewed, students will be notified if they are invited to request an audition date with Webster University. We will open the application in Acceptd on October 1, 2020.
The submission deadline for Acceptd is January 30, 2021. (Please check with Patti Baygents at pbaygents80@webster.edu if you need to submit pre-screen materials after this date.)
Once you have received an invitation to audition, the first step is to apply to Webster University. Application may be made either through our website at webster.edu/apply or through Common App.
After completing your application, you will receive an email with a link to submit an Audition Request Form and a $30 fee in order to select an audition date. You will be contacted by Patti Baygents, Audition Coordinator for the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts, to schedule a time for your audition.
Students seeking a portfolio review and/or interview for Costume Construction, Costume Design, Lighting Design, Scene Design, Scene Painting, Sound Design, Stage Management, Technical Direction, or Wig and Makeup Design are not required to upload to Acceptd. However, if students do submit through Acceptd, their materials will be reviewed by faculty.
The first step for Production majors is to apply to Webster University. Application may be made either through our website at webster.edu/apply or through Common App.
After completing your application, you will receive an email with a link to submit your Audition Request Form and $30 fee. You will be contacted by Patti Baygents, Audition Coordinator for the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts, with next step information regarding how to schedule a date and time for your review or interview.
If you have any questions regarding the Conservatory or the audition or review process, please contact Patti Baygents, Audition Coordinator, at pbaygents80@webster.edu or 314.246.4216.