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Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2026-2027

Theatre

School of the Arts

Concentration(s):
Costume Design/Technical Production, Lighting Design/Technical Production, Performance, Performance/Musical Theatre, Scene Design/Technical Production, Stage Management/Technical Production
Program description

The department offers two degree options: a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts. The B.A. is designed for students who want a program with a strong emphasis in theatre combined with a strong liberal arts component and a minor (or other course of directed study). The B.F.A. is designed to educate and train students as theatre professionals in performance, musical theatre performance, costume design/technical production, lighting design/technical, production, scenic design/technical production, or stage management. 


All first-year and transfer students with an interest in the B.F.A. track are initially classified as Theatre Foundation students in one of six concentrations. After completing core theatre courses in an area of emphasis, students go through an assessment process. Upon completing a successful assessment, students will be admitted into the BFA program, typically after the second year of study.

Career opportunities

Theatre VCU prepares students for careers in professional and academic theatre. With 25 faculty and staff and a combined graduate and undergraduate student population averaging 280, Theatre VCU is one of the largest theatre training programs in the southeastern United States. Hundreds of alumni scattered across the United States and Canada now successfully practice what they began as students at VCU. Alumni are acting and working in impressive positions on Broadway, in major films and television, and at top regional theatres.


The faculty of Theatre VCU are first and foremost educators who provide first-rate mentoring and instruction. They also serve as role models, practicing their craft as artists locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. They work on the stage, TV and in films, author books in their disciplines, and hold elected offices in some of the nation’s most prestigious organizations. Collectively, the faculty and staff pride themselves on their ability to help bridge the gap between life as a student and life as a professional beyond VCU.


VCUarts celebrates the accomplishments of theatre alumni online and welcomes your viewership.

Change of major requirements

For the Theatre Foundation program, students are required to submit their application and required portfolio or audition. Students applying for the B.A. are required to submit an application, statement, and resume.


Typical application deadlines are November 1 (for spring applicants) and April 1 (for fall applicants).

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Actor
  • Art Director
  • Costume Designer
  • Director
  • Flight Director
  • Producer
  • Stage Manager
  • Vocal Coach
  • Voice Over Artist
  • Wardrobe Supervisor
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Professional Designer
  • Scene/Costume Shop Manager
  • Theatre Administrator
  • High School/College Teacher
Professional associations and resources
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • Quantitative Foundations requirement only
Science required
  • Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
Transfer Maps

Contact information

Department name:
Department of Theatre
Building/room location:
The W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts
Phone:
(804) 828-1514
Email:
theatre@vcu.edu
https://arts.vcu.edu/academics/departments/theatre/
Campus (where 75% of courses are taken):
Monroe Park
Major map compass icon
Major map

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Apply to be a Division of Student Affairs peer leader.
  • Attend one career event sponsored by Career Services.
  • Complete and activate your Handshake profile and opt-in to industry email lists.
  • Consider applying for a federal work-study job on- or off-campus in Handshake.
  • Learn more about potential careers by using Forage in the Navigate 360 app.
  • Review your Career Works 4 year career planning tool and start working on your milestones.
  • Seek research opportunities by checking out the Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry webpage.
  • Attend guest workshops.
  • Consider attending SETC and KCACTF workshops, portfolio reviews, or auditions.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Access your free credit report and begin making responsible credit choices to prepare for your future.
  • Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
  • Connect with the Student Alumni Council to connect to VCU alumni.
  • Make a 4-year affordability plan with your financial counselor.
  • Attend departmental workshops and familiarize yourself with Artsearch and other industry resources.
  • Research local theatre companies like Virginia Rep, Richmond Triangle Players, SPARC, or the Firehouse Theatre or future internships.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide.
  • Schedule an appointment with your major advisor to explore minors, certificates, and plan your required REAL experience.
  • Register for UNIV 200 to meet the prerequisite for THEA 307-308.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Discuss personal and professional interests with faculty.
  • Investigate globally-focused courses in your major by pursuing language coursework or setting language proficiency goals with advisors and faculty and apply for the Critical Languages Scholarship.
  • Take a service-learning class to get involved with local organizations while earning credit.
  • Volunteer to address a social issue and check out Hands on Greater Richmond for opportunities.
  • Consider attending the SETC to interview for summer stock jobs.
  • Identify theaters you like in Richmond and DC and research how to get involved there.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Attend career and internship fairs and other professional development events.
  • Build a professional resume and upload it to Handshake.
  • Complete a gap analysis with your career advisor to identify key skills required for your professional field.
  • Pursue a digital badge to highlight the knowledge, skills, and experiences employers and graduate schools value.
  • Seek out practical experience through independent skill-building, internships, shadowing, or part-time work.
  • Continue to attend all visiting artist and guest lectures as applicable to your concentration every semester.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Ask a faculty or staff member to be your academic and professional mentor and to provide future letters of recommendation.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of professional interest.
  • Connect with alumni on VCULink for career advice, industry contacts, and meaningful professional relationships.
  • Meet with a coach at the Financial Success Center to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Enhance your business, software, technology, and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Meet with your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood association, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Build language proficiency and cultural competence by carrying out your plans for study abroad, internships, and service-learning.
  • Design a community-engaged research project.
  • Explore new cultures at one of Richmond’s wide array of festivals.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities.
  • Motivate your peers by presenting at Leaders Unleashed: Student Leadership Conference or at TEDxVCU.
  • Read American Theatre and reviews in the Washington Post and the New York Times.
  • Update your resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Interview for productions at Virginia Rep, other local theaters, Theatre VCU, and SALT productions, but even if you don’t get cast you should still volunteer for other company production roles.
  • See as much live theater as you possibly can! Keep a journal noting your reactions.
  • Apply for a Fulbright or other post-graduate international fellowship program through VCU’s National Scholarship Office
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Take advantage of mock interview opportunities through Big Interview or meeting with a career advisor.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • Request letters of recommendation from faculty.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed by Career Services or the Writing Center.
  • Make a plan with your academic, career, and faculty advisors for applying to graduate school or land a micro-internship.
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Study for and complete any standardized exams required for graduate school the summer before senior year. 
  • Draft your professional resume
  • Build your online brand and ensure that your professional website and all of your social media reflect who you are.

Excel
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Apply to graduate for your undergraduate degree.
  • Choose REAL electives to diversify your skillset and round out your degree.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor the semester before you graduate to ensure that all graduation requirements will be met.
  • Meet with your faculty mentor to discuss the possibility of graduate work.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Attend professional association conferences that offer student rates or scholarships.
  • Carry out globally-oriented research projects with multilingual faculty and international partners.
  • Read scholarly articles about internationalization in your field.
  • Serve in a leadership role on campus in a local community organization.
  • Continue to build on your theater literacy and, if you are thinking about relocating to a new region as a potential place to begin your career, begin reading the local newspaper, familiarize yourself with the region’s area theater scene, and consult faculty members who are familiar.
  • Use networks established at previous companies and through Theatre VCU to leverage potential role leads.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Connect with the Office of VCU Alumni Relations at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and the VCULink Industry Network or alumni chapter.
  • Fill out VCU’s First Destination Survey.
  • Prepare for graduation by making a plan to complete licensing exams, applications, and self-marketing activities.
  • Single out prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Build your professional resume with theater and film work.
  • Research prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2026-2027

Theatre

School of the Arts

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Apply to be a Division of Student Affairs peer leader.
  • Attend one career event sponsored by Career Services.
  • Complete and activate your Handshake profile and opt-in to industry email lists.
  • Consider applying for a federal work-study job on- or off-campus in Handshake.
  • Learn more about potential careers by using Forage in the Navigate 360 app.
  • Review your Career Works 4 year career planning tool and start working on your milestones.
  • Seek research opportunities by checking out the Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry webpage.
  • Attend guest workshops.
  • Consider attending SETC and KCACTF workshops, portfolio reviews, or auditions.
  • Access your free credit report and begin making responsible credit choices to prepare for your future.
  • Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
  • Connect with the Student Alumni Council to connect to VCU alumni.
  • Make a 4-year affordability plan with your financial counselor.
  • Attend departmental workshops and familiarize yourself with Artsearch and other industry resources.
  • Research local theatre companies like Virginia Rep, Richmond Triangle Players, SPARC, or the Firehouse Theatre or future internships.
Experience Year 2
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide.
  • Schedule an appointment with your major advisor to explore minors, certificates, and plan your required REAL experience.
  • Register for UNIV 200 to meet the prerequisite for THEA 307-308.
  • Discuss personal and professional interests with faculty.
  • Investigate globally-focused courses in your major by pursuing language coursework or setting language proficiency goals with advisors and faculty and apply for the Critical Languages Scholarship.
  • Take a service-learning class to get involved with local organizations while earning credit.
  • Volunteer to address a social issue and check out Hands on Greater Richmond for opportunities.
  • Consider attending the SETC to interview for summer stock jobs.
  • Identify theaters you like in Richmond and DC and research how to get involved there.
  • Attend career and internship fairs and other professional development events.
  • Build a professional resume and upload it to Handshake.
  • Complete a gap analysis with your career advisor to identify key skills required for your professional field.
  • Pursue a digital badge to highlight the knowledge, skills, and experiences employers and graduate schools value.
  • Seek out practical experience through independent skill-building, internships, shadowing, or part-time work.
  • Continue to attend all visiting artist and guest lectures as applicable to your concentration every semester.
  • Ask a faculty or staff member to be your academic and professional mentor and to provide future letters of recommendation.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of professional interest.
  • Connect with alumni on VCULink for career advice, industry contacts, and meaningful professional relationships.
  • Meet with a coach at the Financial Success Center to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.
Year 3
  • Enhance your business, software, technology, and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Meet with your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood association, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Build language proficiency and cultural competence by carrying out your plans for study abroad, internships, and service-learning.
  • Design a community-engaged research project.
  • Explore new cultures at one of Richmond’s wide array of festivals.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities.
  • Motivate your peers by presenting at Leaders Unleashed: Student Leadership Conference or at TEDxVCU.
  • Read American Theatre and reviews in the Washington Post and the New York Times.
  • Update your resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Interview for productions at Virginia Rep, other local theaters, Theatre VCU, and SALT productions, but even if you don’t get cast you should still volunteer for other company production roles.
  • See as much live theater as you possibly can! Keep a journal noting your reactions.
  • Apply for a Fulbright or other post-graduate international fellowship program through VCU’s National Scholarship Office
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Take advantage of mock interview opportunities through Big Interview or meeting with a career advisor.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • Request letters of recommendation from faculty.
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed by Career Services or the Writing Center.
  • Make a plan with your academic, career, and faculty advisors for applying to graduate school or land a micro-internship.
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Study for and complete any standardized exams required for graduate school the summer before senior year. 
  • Draft your professional resume
  • Build your online brand and ensure that your professional website and all of your social media reflect who you are.
Excel Year 4
  • Apply to graduate for your undergraduate degree.
  • Choose REAL electives to diversify your skillset and round out your degree.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor the semester before you graduate to ensure that all graduation requirements will be met.
  • Meet with your faculty mentor to discuss the possibility of graduate work.
  • Attend professional association conferences that offer student rates or scholarships.
  • Carry out globally-oriented research projects with multilingual faculty and international partners.
  • Read scholarly articles about internationalization in your field.
  • Serve in a leadership role on campus in a local community organization.
  • Continue to build on your theater literacy and, if you are thinking about relocating to a new region as a potential place to begin your career, begin reading the local newspaper, familiarize yourself with the region’s area theater scene, and consult faculty members who are familiar.
  • Use networks established at previous companies and through Theatre VCU to leverage potential role leads.
  • Connect with the Office of VCU Alumni Relations at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and the VCULink Industry Network or alumni chapter.
  • Fill out VCU’s First Destination Survey.
  • Prepare for graduation by making a plan to complete licensing exams, applications, and self-marketing activities.
  • Single out prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Build your professional resume with theater and film work.
  • Research prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.