Theatre Arts
Students receive individualized, focused training from professional faculty to prepare for lifelong careers in diverse areas of the entertainment industry.
Theatre Arts Program Overview
Do you want to build your skills as a theatre artist? Do you want to turn your passion into a profession?
Study in the concentration that’s right for you. Our program is designed to give you the skills you need to build a career in the theatre arts. Explore the concentrations below.
Acting: The acting concentration is built to prepare students for work both onstage and on camera. Students receive rigorous acting training with industry-veteran faculty and guest artists and then test their skills in our robust production season.
Entertainment Design and Production: When studying entertainment design and production, students work in fully equipped shops and studios. Focus areas include scenic design, scenic painting, properties, scenic construction, costume design, costume construction, and lighting design and electrics. Students engage in professional-quality production work supporting mainstage and studio productions in the state-of-the-art McGinnis Theatre and the flexible Burnette Studio Theatre.
Musical Theatre: The musical theatre concentration prepares students for careers on the musical stage. Students build professional-level skills in acting, voice and dance, and they put those skills to practice in a wide variety of musical, nonmusical and dance productions.
ECU Advantage
ECU has a history of training students who work at the highest levels in the entertainment industry. Sandra Bullock, the Oscar and Golden Globe Award-winning actor, studied at ECU. Before Howell Binkley won Tony and Olivier Awards for lighting Broadway shows including Hamilton and Jersey Boys, he was refining his skills in ECU’s McGinnis Theatre. Kevin Williamson (Dawson’s Creek and Scream) started his career at ECU. Our Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in theatre arts allows you to study in a program that produces national- and international-level talent.
What You Will Study
Program Coordinators by Concentrations:
- Acting Concentration: Austin Jones (202-D Messick Theatre Arts Center; 252-328-6333; jonesmatt23@ecu.edu)
- Entertainment Design and Production Concentration: Courtney Rasor (109 Messick Theatre Arts Center; 252-328-2905; rasorc19@ecu.edu)
- Musical Theatre Concentration: Jessica Doyle-Mekkes (214 Messick Theatre Arts Center; 252-737-2441; doylemekkesj17@ecu.edu)
Admission to the acting, entertainment design and production, and musical theatre concentrations is by adjudication. Please refer to the School of Theatre and Dance website for details.
Theatre arts majors must attain a minimum grade of C- in all required theatre courses. All theatre (THEA) courses are restricted to declared theatre arts majors. Enrollment by other majors requires consent of the instructor.
The degree requires a minimum of 120 s.h. as follows:
Core Requirements:
1. General education requirements including those listed below - 40 s.h.
(For information about courses that carry general education credit see General Education Program.)
a. Acting concentration:
- THEA 2001 - Theatre Technology
- THEA 2002 - Theatre Design
- THEA 2015 - Introduction to Voice and Speech
b. Entertainment design and production concentration:
- THEA 1010 - Introduction to Acting I
- THEA 2001 - Theatre Technology
- THEA 2002 - Theatre Design
c. Musical theatre concentration:
- THEA 2001 - Theatre Technology
- THEA 2002 - Theatre Design
- THEA 2015 - Introduction to Voice and Speech
2. Core - 9 s.h.
- THEA 1050 - Collaboration and the Theatre Journey
- THEA 2011 - Theatre Technology Lab
- THEA 2012 - Theatre Design Lab
- THEA 2035 - Theatre History-Literature I
- THEA 2075 - Script Analysis
3. Concentrations - 64-71 s.h.
Choose one of the following concentrations:
a. Acting concentration - 71 s.h.
Admission to the acting concentration is by adjudication. Please refer to the School of Theatre and Dance website for details.
Production lab (2 s.h.)
- THEA 2013 - Theatre Production Lab (Repeat twice)
Theatre theory and practice (52 s.h.)
- THEA 1100 - Acting Foundations I
- THEA 1200 - Acting Foundations II
- THEA 2017 - Movement for Actors
- THEA 2018 - Stage Combat: Unarmed
- THEA 2106 - Fundamentals of Stage Make-Up
- THEA 2300 - Scene Study I
- THEA 2400 - Scene Study II
- THEA 3018 - Movement for Actors II: Physical Characterization
- THEA 3025 - Voice and Speech for the Actor
- THEA 3035 - Theatre History-Literature II
- THEA 3500 - Styles in Heightened Language
- THEA 3600 - Styles in Performance
- THEA 4031 - Dialects for the Actor
- THEA 4040 - Directing I
- THEA 4080 - Professional Preparation and the Business of Acting
- THEA 4081 - Audition Techniques and Professional Preparation Laboratory
- THEA 4095 - Showcase Capstone
- THEA 4700 - Acting On-Camera I
- THEA 4800 - Acting On-Camera II
Theatre and dance electives (17 s.h.)
Choose 17 s.h. of THEA or DNCE courses.
b. Entertainment design and production concentration - 64 s.h.
Annual portfolio evaluation and semi-annual student reviews are required to maintain enrollment in the entertainment design and production concentration.
Theatre theory and practice (33 s.h.)
- THEA 2004 - Introduction to Theatrical Properties
- THEA 2006 - Exploration of Stage Make-up
- THEA 2099 - Career Preparation
- THEA 2164 - Stage Management I
- THEA 2165 - Stage Management Lab
- THEA 3002 - Advanced Theatrical Drafting
- THEA 3003 - Stage Lighting I
- THEA 3004 - Scenery Design I
- THEA 3006 - Sound Design for the Stage
- THEA 3007 - Costume Design I
- THEA 3011 - Creative Collaboration
- THEA 3035 - Theatre History-Literature II
- THEA 4099 - Design and Production Portfolio
Choose one of the following discipline-specific course sequences (15 s.h.)
Design and Production
- THEA 2003 - Scene Painting
- THEA 2009 - Decor and Ornament for the Stage
- THEA 3005 - Scenery Design II
- THEA 3008 - Costume Design II
- THEA 4003 - Stage Lighting II
Stage Management
- THEA 3001 - Stage Management Seminar Repeat
- THEA 3164 - Stage Management II
- THEA 4040 - Directing I
- THEA 4066 - Theatre Management
- THEA 4164 - Stage Management III
Production practicum (16 s.h.)
- Take each of the following courses twice:
- THEA 1111 - Apprentice Level Production
- THEA 2222 - Intern Level Production
- THEA 3333 - Journeyman Level Production
- Take the following course once:
- THEA 4444 - Master Level Production
c. Musical theatre concentration - 68 s.h.
Admission to the musical theatre concentration is by adjudication. Please refer to the School of Theatre and Dance website for details.
Production lab (2 s.h.)
- THEA 2013 - Theatre Production Lab (Repeat for a total of 2 s.h.)
Theatre theory and practice (45 s.h.)
- THEA 1027 - Musical Theatre Fundamentals I
- THEA 1037 - Musical Theatre Fundamentals II
- THEA 1061 - Musical Theatre Private Voice (Repeat for a total of 4 s.h.)
- THEA 1100 - Acting Foundations I
- THEA 1108 - Introduction to Musical Theatre Voice I
- THEA 1118 - Introduction to Musical Theatre Voice II
- THEA 1200 - Acting Foundations II
- THEA 2106 - Fundamentals of Stage Make-Up
- THEA 2300 - Scene Study I
- THEA 2400 - Scene Study II
- THEA 3025 - Voice and Speech for the Actor
- THEA 3090 - Acting the Song
- THEA 3095 - Musical Theatre Styles
- THEA 3500 - Styles in Heightened Language
- THEA 4031 - Dialects for the Actor
- THEA 4080 - Professional Preparation and the Business of Acting
- THEA 4081 - Audition Techniques and Professional Preparation Laboratory
- THEA 4090 - Musical Theatre Scene Study
- THEA 4095 - Showcase Capstone
Dance coursework (12 s.h.)
Students must complete a minimum of two courses in tap, two courses in ballet, and two courses in jazz for a total of 12 semester hours.
Theatre and dance electives (9 s.h.)
4. Electives to complete requirements for graduation
For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.
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