Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, Emphasis in Acting
The emphasis in acting prepares students with the necessary skills to work as professional actors. The BFA in theatre requires:
- An audition for entrance into the BFA program. Auditions are held in early December, January and February. In addition, Theatre TCU students participate in the National Unified Auditions in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, drawing a student body from around the nation.
- A yearly jury with the performance faculty. No cuts are made; the jury is a time to assess growth and create a plan for further development.
- Common core theatre courses, including design, stagecraft, acting, lighting, costuming, makeup, script analysis, theatre history and directing.
Auditions for all TCU Productions
Casting is based on who is right for the role, not on class rank, emphasis or major. First-year students are eligible and often cast in their first semester.
Acting emphasis students are frequently cast in musicals; musical theatre emphasis students are frequently cast in plays.
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View the BFA in theatre with an emphasis in acting degree plan, course offerings and descriptions.
BFA performance classes average 12 students. Those in the acting and musical theatre emphases train together in fundamental performance courses such as acting, stage movement, and voice and speech.
BFA acting emphasis students also take several courses in realism, period styles, non-realism, acting Shakespeare, stage combat, advanced stage movement, advanced voice & speech and more.
When you graduate, you’ll join an impressive network of Theatre TCU alumni who work across the nation in professional and academic theatre, including graduates who have garnered roles as actors and choreographers on national tours, as voiceover actors for animated series, and as theatre educators.
Theatre TCU graduates work in major theatre markets such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and locally in Dallas-Fort Worth. Some choose to attend graduate school in disciplines such as acting and directing or acquire teaching certificates to teach theatre.
The department encourages Theatre TCU students to audition for local Dallas-Fort Worth theatres while at TCU, if their semester schedule and TCU commitments allow time for outside work. Students also have the opportunity to audition for our bi-annual co-productions with local theatres.
Each spring, senior BFA performance students (acting or musical theatre) present an annual showcase in New York, where graduating students can present their best work to professional agents and casting directors.