Drama, B.F.A.

The School of Theatre offers a full range of liberal arts and professional degree programs that prepare undergraduate students for a variety of career opportunities in theatre. The degrees provide you with a vital mix of coursework that combines theory and practice and encourages the development of skills and talents.

Program Distinctions

• Our notable alumni include:
  • Bonnie Becker: Production Stage Manager (“School of Rock,” “Billy Elliot,” “Legally Blonde”)
  • Jonathan Bohun Brady: Artistic Director, Bartlett Theater in Durham, N.C.
  • David Byrd: Managing Director, Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk, Va.
  • Chris Chalk: Stage and Screen Actor (“Fences,” “Detroit,” “12 Years a Slave”)
  • Julie DeVore: Assistant Production Manager (“School of Rock”)
  • Joseph Forbes: Broadway Scene Designer (“The Producers,” “Hairspray,” “Book of Mormon”)
  • Marcy Bethel Frank: Costume Design (“In the Next Room,” “American Idiot”)
  • Hugh Hysell: Producer and Actor (“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”)
  • Beth Leavel: Actress and Tony Award winner (“The Prom,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Bandstand,” “Mama Mia”)
  • Anne Pitoniak: Actress (“’night, Mother”)
• Accreditations and affiliations include: 
  • National Association of Schools of Theatre
  • Southeastern Theatre Conference
  • United States Institute for Theatre Technology Inc.
  • North Carolina Theatre Conference
  • Theatre Communications Group

The Student Experience

• BFA and BA degree options allow you to pursue your theatrical studies with a range of depth. BA students are interdisciplinary artists studying several areas of theatre and at least one other discipline which informs their theatre practice. BFA students engage in an intensive program of study specializing in one area of theatre to hone their craft.
• BA Drama students minor in a range of areas including Women and Gender Studies, African American Studies, Arts Administration, Interdisciplinary Studies, Psychology, Studio Art, and more. Study abroad is highly encouraged.
• Are you interested in technical theatre? Benefit from collaborations with other departments throughout the University, including Art, Media Studies, Interior Architecture, and Communication Studies. Graduates go on to careers in design, technical direction, costuming, or work as a master electrician, sound engineer, or stage manager.
• Students who audition and are chosen for the rigorous BFA Acting and Musical Theatre programs arrive their freshman year and immediately begin a range of intensive classes in acting, voice, movement, acting for the camera, stage combat, and Shakespeare, along with courses in theatre history, technical theatre, and general liberal arts courses.
•  BFA Theatre Education students work in tandem with the School of Education throughout their academic trajectory towards teacher licensure.
• A rich cohort of visiting artists works directly with you each year and includes actors, casting directors, playwrights, agents, producers, designers, stage managers, teaching artists, choreographers, and faculty from other universities.

After Graduation

• Alumni have pursued careers on Broadway, Off-Broadway, streaming sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, film and broadcast television, and major regional theatres. 
• Many graduates continue their education with master’s and doctoral degrees at schools including Yale School of Drama, Florida State University, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and Carnegie Mellon University.
• Alumni include Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winners; Broadway stage managers; produced playwrights; working directors, actors, designers, and technicians; and faculty and staff at many colleges and universities. 
• Some alums transfer their theatre skills to other areas including event planning, fashion, therapy, radio, non-profit management, and life coaching.
•  Potential careers include:
  • Actor
  • Community Arts Administrator
  • Master Electrician
  • Technical Director
  • Costumer
  • Drama Therapist
  • Theatre Director
  • Sound Engineer
  • Stage Manager
  • Teaching Artist
  • Dramaturg
  • Playwright