Theatre Arts
Hit Your Mark with a Degree in Theatre Arts and a Concentration in Stage & Screen Acting/Directing
The BA in Theatre Arts with a Concentration in Stage & Screen Acting/Directing trains students for a career in multiple entertainment and the arts industries, and graduates are prepared to produce, direct, act and create their own work. Vanguard offers Stage and Screen students a stand-out section of performance-based courses. The program’s highlight is our three-tiered program in Acting, Acting/Directing for the Camera, and Directing for the Stage. Character Acting for Comedy focuses on acting styles for sitcoms while Playing Shakespeare focuses on the classical. Voice and Speech, Stage Combat, Industry Insiders and many other comprehensive theatre courses contribute to a well-rounded theatre major.
Performance Opportunities
You will have opportunity to participate in a variety of performance opportunities. Vanguard Theatre Arts produces 5 mainstage productions, senior showcases, and student directed one-acts annually. Students can also audition for the improvisation team, Popular Demand. You can also write, direct, act in, or edit an original one-act film and develop both a live theatre reel as well as a film reel. The department owns quality camera equipment for student use and for department film projects.
Integrated Internships
You can fulfill your internship requirement with Vanguard University partners, American Coast Theater Company and Musical Theatre Mayhem in the summer. Each year, eleven interns are selected from the pool of theatre majors at Vanguard University, and they receive work study and internship course credit. These interns are trained to manage and operate all the production areas, and they are given the title of associate producers to mount and run each production.
National Competition
Each year, 2-3 shows are entered in the prestigious Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. These shows are adjudicated to determine the show’s potential competition in the regional festival, and for individual student talent as candidates to compete for the Irene Ryan award, which is the highest national acting scholarship award for college students. Student designers and stage managers are also considered for top KCACTF awards.