Performing Arts: Theatre

Majors & Minors
Performing Arts: Theatre

Performing Arts: Theatre

University of �鶹��ý at Lafayette acting student Imani Lecoq stands next to a costume she created for the theatre program

“Weigh your options. Take your time. Don’t stress. If you think you want to go to college, and pursuing something as outlandish as theatre is what you want to do, then do it. Don’t let anyone stop you. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

How theatre student Imani LeCoq has made the most of her time on stage and off

You should study theatre at �鶹��ý Lafayette if:

You want to work in professional theatre, television and film, or arts administration.
You were involved in drama club, speech and debate, show choir, plays, or musicals.
You enjoy hands-on activities like woodworking, sculpting, sewing, painting, or other forms of art.
You’re eager to get on stage, perform, and learn all of the inner workings of the theatre.

In �鶹��ý Lafayette's theatre program, you’ll get experience in all aspects of the industry — from acting, directing, and designing to the business of theatre. Choose to specialize in one of our three concentrations:

Acting
Directing
Design/technology

Theatre at �鶹��ý Lafayette

What's Performing Arts: Theatre Like?

Rehearsals & performances
Group work & collaboration
Writing
Internships
Student leadership
Research

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Life as a Theatre Major

Two �鶹��ý Lafayette theatre majors performing on stage during a Shakespeare production

Immersion from the Start

Perform or work on productions during your first semester as a theatre student. For each production, all acting students audition, directing students interview for production roles, and design/technology students go through in a portfolio review — giving you valuable experience that will prepare you for the professional world.

A Vibrant Arts Culture

Our regional hub for art and culture, the , gives students interested in design and technology the opportunity to get hands-on experience through working on and assisting with performances throughout the year.

Student-Driven Performances

Through Second Stage, our annual student-driven performance project, theatre students propose and perform their own works.

Every spring, theatre students take part in the Festival of the Arts. During the week’s signature event, ArTech Fusion, students create and perform pieces that unite art and technology.

Travel & Conferences

Our theatre students are recognized for their work in performance, design, and technology at conferences and festivals such as the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc., the Southeastern Theatre Conference, and the University Resident Theatre Association.

Concentrations in Theatre

University of �鶹��ý at Lafayette theatre majors performing on stage during a performance of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream

Acting Concentration

Prepare for a life on the stage or the screen. In our acting concentration, you’ll take courses in movement, voice, scriptwriting, and theatre production alongside advanced courses in acting.

Two �鶹��ý Lafayette theatre students in a black box theatre rehearsing for a performance

Directing Concentration

We offer the only BFA program with a focus on directing in �鶹��ý. You’ll learn how to run your own productions and prepare plays for performance. Courses cover text analysis, staging, and stage management.

Theatre majors at the University of �鶹��ý at Lafayette performing a production of Metamorphosis on a stage designed by students

Design/Technology Concentration

In our design/technology concentration, make the theatre come to life with courses in costume technology, stage makeup, set design, and lighting design.

Theatre Courses According to Students

Freshman Year Sophomore Year Junior Year Senior Year

THEA 262 Acting I for Majors

“They really teach us how to get into our characters’ mindset and understand things like, who is your character? How do you break down a character? How do you make them your own? That class really focuses on using our own experiences and what we’ve been through, and then bring that into our work. It's about how to be vulnerable and show who you are.”

Jessica Duncan, theatre student

THEA 253 Stage Make-up

“I am already a person who loves makeup and different looks I can do with makeup. So, to do that on a theatrical level was so cool to me. I got to make myself look old. I also learned how to make my face look like I got into a fight with techniques on how to make bruises and scars.”

Haili Declouet, theatre student

THEA 364 Directing I

“This class is eye-opening. You don’t realize how much goes into directing until you have to direct a silent scene for two minutes. It’s fun to see your vision come to life, of what you have in your head. And it’s really helpful, not just from a directing side, but also from the acting and auditioning side.”

Theresa Rudesill, theatre student

THEA 475 Senior Capstone

“This class is where you get to showcase all you have learned in your past years as a theatre major. Everyone decides what they would like their senior project to be, and you are on your own to complete that project. It sometimes can be working with your fellow graduates to complete a project or working by yourself to complete a passion project.”

Maggie Martin, theatre alum

Careers in Theatre

Bryce Romero

“Before �鶹��ý Lafayette, I had never trained as an actor. I had barely even done it. �鶹��ý Lafayette gave me a space and a group of people that allowed me to try something new. It gave me a place to challenge myself. It gave me a place to kind of fall flat on my face at times, but to realize that that was okay and that I could learn from those ‘failures.’

"It’s okay to fail, as long as you keep going. And it’s better to go out on a limb and really go for something and risk failing than to just play it safe.”

Theatre '15

Professional actor with roles in “Logan,” “The Maze Runner,” “FBI” and “Law & Order: SVU”

More about Bryce

Jobs in Theatre

Professional Actor
Costume Wardrobe Designer
Head Audio Engineer
Assistant Technical Director/Lighting Supervisor
Fundraiser for the Arts
Stage Manager

Program Requirements

Admissions Requirements

To study theatre at �鶹��ý Lafayette, you must meet the University's admissions requirements.

See the full admission requirements.

Graduation Requirements

All students who are admitted to the University and want to concentrate in acting will need to audition and interview for admission to the program at the end of your first full semester. Your formal admission to the acting track will be based on your audition, your work in class, and your work on production assignments in your first semester.

As a theatre student, you’re required to audition for the mainstage productions each semester and accept any roles in which you are cast.

You will be expected to attend all studio classes and satisfactorily complete any production roles you are assigned, including working in the scene or costume shops, filling a backstage production role, or other duties assigned by faculty overseeing the production.

Admissions Requirements

To study theatre at �鶹��ý Lafayette, you must meet the University's admissions requirements.

See the full admission requirements.

Graduation Requirements

All students who are admitted to the University and want to concentrate in directing will need to audition and interview for admission to the program at the end of your first full semester. Your formal admission to the directing track will be based on your interview, your work in class, and your work on production assignments in your first semester.

You’re also required to interview for a production role in the mainstage productions each semester and accept any positions you receive.

Admissions Requirements

To study theatre at �鶹��ý Lafayette, you must meet the University's admissions requirements.

See the full admission requirements.

Graduation Requirements

All students who have been admitted to the University and want to concentrate in design/technology will need to interview and complete a portfolio for admission to the program at the end of your first full semester. Your formal admission to the design/technology track will be based on your interview and portfolio review, your work in class, and your work on production assignments in your first semester.

Design/technology students are required to complete a portfolio review ahead of each production to determine what backstage roles or opportunities you’ll be assigned.

You are also expected to complete one internship before graduation.

If your interests for a major lie elsewhere in the University’s wide array of program offerings, but you have a real interest and passion for theatre, you can declare a theatre minor.

Anyone can pursue a theatre minor. The most common majors we see in the theatre minor are from areas like English, communications, moving image arts, and education. A theatre minor is also useful in areas where your public speaking skills are necessary, like business.

Theatre minors are welcome to audition for any of the theatre stage productions and performances during the academic year but are not required to do so.

You need to complete 18 credit hours of the select theatre courses, with a minimum of 6 credit hours being at the 300 or 400 levels.

Resources

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Performing Arts: Theatre

How theatre student Imani LeCoq has made the most of her time on stage and off