BFA in Theatre (Acting Specialisation)
Southern Methodist University — Dallas, TX
About this program
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a highly selective private research university in Dallas, Texas, enrolling approximately 12,000 students with an undergraduate acceptance rate of approximately 47%. The Meadows School of the Arts is SMU's world-class performing and visual arts school within the broader liberal arts university — offering conservatory-level training within a rigorous academic and research environment. Dallas is the heart of one of the country's most vibrant arts markets, and students benefit from its position as a top-five national media market, home to the largest urban arts district in the nation. Critically, all performing arts degrees at Meadows operate under a Dual Admit process: students must be admitted both to SMU and, separately, to the Meadows School of the Arts via audition or portfolio. Over 80% of Meadows students pursue a double major or minor, and the university's test-optional policy extends to Meadows applicants. Average artistic scholarship for admitted Theatre applicants is $15,036; average total scholarship and aid package is $46,126 on a $67,038 annual tuition. SMU is double-major friendly and specifically encourages Meadows students to pursue cross-disciplinary study in engineering, English, business, and other fields. The Meadows Division of Theatre offers three BFA specialisations: Acting, Theatre Studies, and Musical Theatre (the newest — launched through the G. Marlyne Sexton Institute for Musical Theatre, endowed with a $15 million gift from philanthropist and Broadway producer G. Marlyne Sexton). The Acting specialisation uses Viewpoints, Suzuki, movement modalities, and Stanislavsky-based text work; the Theatre Studies specialisation prepares directors, playwrights, stage managers, and producers; the Musical Theatre specialisation (directed by Joel Ferrell — former AD of Dallas Theatre Centre and Casa Manana) provides conservatory training in acting, voice, and movement with a commitment to developing future-facing musical theatre forms. The division collaborates regularly with the Tony Award-winning Dallas Theatre Centre.
Audition & application overview
- Requires a live or recorded audition
- Requires a monologue
- Requires a dance audition
- Requires an essay
In Person and Virtual
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