BA in Theatre Arts
California State University - San Bernadino — San Bernardino, CA
About this program
California State University, San Bernardino offers a BA in Theatre Arts through the Department of Theatre Arts in the College of Arts and Letters. Situated in the Inland Empire 60 miles east of Los Angeles, CSUSB prepares students for careers in the entertainment industry, education, and business through a practical liberal arts curriculum. The department is home to award-winning faculty and an award-winning technical theatre program whose design students have placed in regional and national competition at KCACTF and USITT conferences. All theatre majors complete a common core covering performance, production, and history — including Fundamentals of Acting, Fundamentals of Stage Design, lower-division technical crafts, Fundamentals of Directing, Theatre History and Literature I and II, Criticism of Plays in Performance, Dramatic Literature, and practicum work — before selecting one of five concentrations. The five concentrations are: Acting: Advanced training in voice and movement, scene study, styles of acting, improvisation, acting for the camera, and acting in musical theatre. Culminates in the Theatre Applications/Project Preparation and Theatre Arts Capstone professional preparation sequence. Design/Technical: Advanced coursework in scenic, costume, sound, and lighting design and crafts. Students develop professional design skills and technical expertise. Culminates in the professional preparation sequence. Drama Education: Prepares students for careers using theatre in educational and community contexts, including Theatre in the Classroom, Touring Practicum, Drama in Education, Puppetry, and Creative Movement in the Classroom. Culminates in the professional preparation sequence. Musical Theatre: Combines acting, singing, and dance training. Courses include Voice and Movement, Scene Study, Singing and Dancing for Musicals, and dance technique courses in Jazz, Tap, Modern, or Musical Theatre Dance. Culminates in the professional preparation sequence. Note: Musical Theatre is a concentration within the BA — it is not a separate BFA or standalone degree. Theatre for Secondary Education: Prepares students for careers teaching theatre in K-12 settings, combining pre-credential acting, directing/devising, and design coursework with Teaching Theatre in Secondary Schools. This concentration leads to eligibility for the California Single Subject Credential in Theatre. It does not use the standard lower-division technical requirements of the other concentrations. The department also offers a Children's Theatre Certificate and the Single-Subject Theatre Credential pathway (in conjunction with the Theatre for Secondary Education concentration). The student organization Players of the Pear Garden (PPG) produces student-run shows and creates additional performance opportunities for all theatre majors. The department participates annually in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). CSUSB's Performing Arts Center features a 478-seat state-of-the-art stage for theatre and music performances — the first comprehensive performing arts center of its kind in San Bernardino — alongside the existing 150-seat Ronald E. Barnes Theatre and 250-seat Recital Hall in the renovated Performing Arts Building.
Audition & application overview
- Requires a live or recorded audition
None for admission; in-department production casting auditions occur after enrollment and are open to all majors
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