BA in Theatre Arts (Theatre Performance)
California State University-East Bay — Hayward, CA
About this program
California State University, East Bay offers the BA in Theatre Arts with a Theatre Performance concentration emphasizing Acting and Musical Theatre through the Department of Theatre and Dance. CSUEB's campus is the most diverse in the entire CSU system, and the department has been producing successful theatre and musical theatre productions for over 50 years. Faculty are working Bay Area professionals who provide personal mentoring in an intimate teaching environment. Each fall the department presents a full production of a play drawn from the classics or by an emerging artist, and each spring presents a full production of a musical drawn from either the golden age of theater or contemporary musicals. The department produces approximately 5–8 plays and dance concerts each year. The Theatre Performance concentration emphasizing Acting and Musical Theatre (24 units) is a performance-oriented program. Students are encouraged to audition and perform in productions starting in their first year. The program develops vital singing, acting, and dance techniques through an ensemble approach that provides opportunities for students to perform each year in a main stage musical, dramatic plays, dance concerts, and choirs. Shared BA Core (16 units required of all Theatre Arts majors): Discover Acting, Modern Dance I, Dance Partnering I, Inclusive Interdisciplinary Ensemble, History of Black Theatre, Scenery/Lighting/Sound Design, and Costume and Makeup Design. Shared Core Production and Performance (minimum 8 units, selecting from repeatable courses): Inclusive Interdisciplinary Ensemble Performance, Dance Ensemble Performance, Theatre Performance, Musical Theater Performance, Production Support: Stage/Lights/Sound Shop or Crew, and Production Support: Costume/Makeup Shop or Crew. Capstone (1 unit): Dance Capstone or Theatre Capstone, taken by senior-level students. Theatre Performance Concentration Coursework (24 units): The specific upper-division acting, voice and movement, musical theatre techniques, directing, dramatic literature, and elective coursework for this concentration is outlined in the 4-year degree roadmap available at https://www.csueastbay.edu/theatre/degree-roadmaps.html. The catalog describes the concentration as spanning the full range of performance training including acting, singing, dance technique, voice and movement, stage management, and dramatic literature study, with a strong emphasis on ensemble production experience. Courses include Fundamentals of Acting, Stage Voice and Classical Repertoire, Voice and Movement for Actors, Intermediate Acting, Musical Theatre Techniques, Musical Theatre Rehearsal, History of Musical Theatre, exploration of dramatic literature, and directing — along with production support and performance ensemble units. The department features both a fully-equipped 450-seat proscenium University Theatre and two flexible studio theater spaces, along with a scene shop equipped for traditional carpentry and MIG welding, a full paint frame, a costume shop with ten sewing stations, a sixteen-station design and drafting studio, a separate digital lab, green room, makeup room, and dressing rooms. Sixteen department productions have toured to four European countries; annual domestic tours travel in-state and across the country.
Audition & application overview
- Requires a live or recorded audition
None for admission; casting for productions and ensemble placement occurs within the department after enrollment
See the full requirements and deadlines
Create a free PerformrGO account to see this program's exact deadlines, contacts, prescreen and audition details, and to track your application alongside every other school on your list.
Sign Up Free