The Division of Theatre offers students the knowledge, skills and critical perspective necessary for building the strongest foundation possible - in body, mind and spirit - for a lifelong engagement with their art and their world. We make and teach theatre that celebrates the human spirit, that is deeply engaged with the larger world, and that represents the very highest standards.
During four years as undergraduates in the Division of Theatre, students have the opportunity to explore their potential as actors, directors, designers, stage managers or playwrights and to go wherever their inspiration and abilities lead them. The study of theatre at SMU is intensive and, within a strong liberal arts context, unique.
If theatre artists are to represent life on stage, they must acquire personal and intellectual experience from the world in which they live. To this end all theatre majors pursue coursework not only in theatre but also in the social and natural sciences, literature, technology, communications and other areas of human experience.
The theatre program at SMU is one of the most highly regarded training programs in the country. Each year between 20 and 25 undergraduate students are admitted from over 300 scheduled auditions across the country. We seek students who represent the very highest standards of excellence and creativity. We seek students who reflect the diversity of our culture. We seek students with intelligence, imagination, talent and passion.
BFA Acting
The B.F.A. in Acting is a unique program of specialized acting study within a liberal arts curriculum, involving intense study and serious commitment. The curriculum explores acting as an art: process, complexity, resonance, responsibilities, power to illuminate human experience and the power to affect it. The B.F.A. in Acting includes four years of acting classes and three years of voice/speech and movement classes. Performance classes are limited to no more than 15 students.
BFA Design and Technology
With an emphasis on the environmental aspects of performance, this degree track focuses on design and technology in scenery, costumes, lighting, properties, sound, stage management and makeup, taught in a series of courses and special projects throughout the four-year curriculum. The flexibility built into the degree requirements allows these students and their advisers to develop individualized programs of study, taking advantage of the variety of offerings in the Meadows School of the Arts. The design and technology B.F.A. degree option provides students with a thorough background in theatrical design, construction, related technology and stage management. The specific topics of study include drafting, stagecraft, costume construction, costume pattern drafting, millinery, tailoring, computer imaging, CAD, scenic painting, rendering and advanced technical theatre as well as design courses in costumes, lighting, scenery and sound.
BFA Theatre Studies
The B.F.A. in Theatre Studies mirrors the actor training program for the first two years of study. In the junior year Theatre Studies majors add one or more areas of study: directing, playwriting, design, stage management and/or critical studies. Theatre Studies majors are able to develop more individualized, flexible degree programs. They often pursue minors or second degrees and take a semester to study abroad. Theatre Studies majors have the same access to performance in our productions as their classmates in Acting.