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Associate of Fine Arts: Theatre

The department offers a Bachelor of Arts that may be entered into during the third year. All freshman and transfer students entering the Department of Theatre are initially classified as Theatre Foundation students. 

The BA 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) in an area other than theatre.

The BFA is designed to educate and train students as theatre professionals in performance, costume design/technical production, lighting design/technical production, scenic design/technical production, or stage management. Student participation in both credit- and noncredit-bearing department activities is required. Students matriculating in School of the Arts degree programs are bound by the policies and procedures stipulated in this bulletin and in any other current handbook or policy document adopted by the individual programs. Students may choose from a variety of BFA concentrations to further specialize their studies.

Because of the environment that exists in the Department of Theatre, all aspects of theatre as art, craft, business, and education are experienced together. The curriculum immerses students in the practicalities of theatre. Throughout the curriculum, students work with voice, body and imagination; this practical application, combined with a strong liberal arts component and a minor (or course of directed study), offers a wide field of academic and human experience. After successfully completing the first two years of core theatre courses in their foundation areas of emphasis, students apply for admission into a specific degree program (BFA or BA) in theatre.

For more than 67 years, Theatre VCU has prepared students for careers in professional and academic theatre.  Hundreds of alumni scattered across the United States and Canada now successfully practice what they began as students at VCU. 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.

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.