Program Overview

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting degree program at Penn State is a holistic approach to producing well-rounded graduates, preparing them for a career in entertainment while educating them in a variety of subject areas.

Program Details

The program's faculty roster comprises working artists at the top of their game, with a deep understanding of the industry and what it takes to achieve success. The four-year training sequence begins with impulse, play, and moment-to-moment discovery, moving through creation of original pieces and various devising processes into scene work, monologue work, and Shakespeare.

Curriculum

The curriculum includes:

• Meisner-based work
• Michael Chekhov and Jacques Lecoq techniques
• Fitzmaurice work
• Bartinieff and Laban efforts
• Euro Danztheatre
• Hip hop theatre
• Singing training
• Acting in musical theatre training
• Devised Theatre work

Study Abroad

During the spring semester of the third year, students will train with British faculty at Theatre Academy London, offering an opportunity to study original theatre-making, Shakespeare, physical approaches, and scene study.

Performance Opportunities

Students will have extensive opportunities to grow as artists while performing in productions, student films, faculty project productions, graduate student project productions, and one-acts. The journey will culminate with inclusion in a devised piece created for and with the class to serve as its showcase production.

Faculty

The faculty includes working artists with experience on Broadway and beyond, such as Curtis Craig, Head of Sound Design, who has worked on various productions, including Pipeline, Indecent, and The Great Leap.

Alumni

Alumni of the program have gone on to successful careers, with one notable example being Emily Akers, who graduated with a B.A. in Theatre in 2019 and now works as a community coordinator and digital content strategist for a community Ed tech startup.

College Overview

The College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State is committed to artistic and scholarly creativity, research, and the preparation of specialized practitioners in all of the arts and design disciplines, including:

• Architecture
• Art History
• Graphic Design
• Landscape Architecture
• Music
• Theatre
• Visual Arts

Program Benefits

The program takes a holistic approach to producing well-rounded actors, with benefits including:

• Faculty includes working artists at the top of their game
• Program includes a semester at Theatre Academy London
• Penn State and the surrounding community have a thriving theatre scene

Program Accreditation

The program is accredited, with the College of Arts and Architecture committed to providing high-quality education and training in the arts and design disciplines.