Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting for Theatre, Film, and Television
Applicants for this degree program must successfully complete proficiency auditions.
During their course of study, BFA students will complete 8 semesters of courses in acting, movement and voice. These courses in succession will build upon skills obtained in previous semesters giving students a comprehensive education in various acting styles and movement modalities.
Acting Training: In their first year, BFA students will begin with the fundamentals of acting with a primary focus on the Stanislavski system of acting, and scenes and monologues will be composed of contemporary plays. During the second year, students will focus on realism and modernist playwrights and the subsequent acting techniques, such as, Chekhov, Ibsen, Strindberg, Williams, Shaw, Hellman, etc. In the third year, students will tackle heightened language and the classics exploring the works of the Greeks and Romans, as well as Shakespeare and Neoclassical playwrights. In the final year of the program, BFA students will concentrate on acting for the camera in the media of film and television.
Vocal Training: The vocal training for our BFA students will focus on the teachings of Kristin Linklater. The vocal training will rely on the student’s ability to work in various performance venues, from small intimate theatre to large-scale proscenium theatres and even outdoors amphitheaters. The student’s voice progression will closely align with the progression of acting courses.
Movement Training: Over their course of study BFA students will also explore several movement modalities including Neutral Mask, Lecoq, Laban, Viewpoints, Stage Combat, Georgian Mime, Physical Theatre, Broadway Dance, and Yoga. The more advanced of these classes are two credits, requiring creation of new work and not simply conditioning.
All students, at the end of the freshmen and sophomore year jury, will receive a comprehensive review of their progress to determine their acceptability for admission to the next year of study as a BFA Candidate. At sophomore semester juries, students will be provided written improvement requirements if they are not developing as expected. Those not admitted to the next level of BFA course requirements will automatically become BA Drama Majors, or they can seek admission to a degree program in another department.
Students working toward their BFA in Acting are required to earn crew credits. They accrue one crew credit by working satisfactorily for a minimum of 60 hours on one or more mainstage productions or events in the School of Music, Drama, and Art. The work may include set construction, costume construction, light, sound, property, running crews, or other duties as assigned. Students must earn one crew credit for every year (or portion thereof) they are in the department. This amounts to 240 hours of work over four years. Transfer students must earn one crew credit for each year (or portion thereof) that they spend in the Department of Drama.
Complete regulations are available in the student handbook which is available online and in the Main Office. BFA candidates must register for the crew credits prior to completion. Students can audition for area productions outside the University, but must obtain permission from their Faculty to accept such roles. Their first responsibility is to their course of study. All full-time BFA candidates who are in residence are required to audition for each main-stage departmental or school-wide musical production that is announced as part of the regular season, and every student who auditions for a main- stage theatre production agrees to perform as cast in the production. For further details about these policies, the student must refer to the Student Handbook. Students in the program are required to appear in at least two mainstage productions, playing a significant role. In their final year, they are required to prepare and present in an industry showcase in Washington, DC, and New York, NY. Further, in conjunction with their film classes, they must perform in a short film project and submit the film. Also they are expected to generate a short “reel which in the industry means a series of short clips on camera, by which they can market themselves for television.
The requirements for this major can be found at Acting for Theatre, Film, and Television - Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.).
General Studies requirements appear below.
| General Studies |
Credits |
| ENG 101 |
Writing: Logic and Rhetoric (Freshman year)
|
3 |
| ENG XXX |
Explorations in Literature |
3 |
| PHIL 201 |
The Classical Mind (Freshman Year) |
3 |
| PHIL 202 |
The Modern Mind (Freshman Year) |
3 |
| TRS 201 |
Foundations in Theology I: The Scriptures and Jesus Christ (Freshman year) |
3 |
| TRS 202A or TRS 202B |
Foundations in Theology II: The Church and the Human Person |
3 |
| |
Academic (non-drama) Electives |
|
| |
Exploration in Math or Natural Science |
3 |
| |
Exploration in Social Science |
3 |
| |
Academic Elective |
3 |
| |
Academic Elective |
3 |
| |
General Studies Total Credits |
30 |