Theatre, Bachelor of Fine Arts

The BFA in Theatre at Sam Houston State University is an active, hands-on program based on solid theoretical principles.

The Sam Houston State University Department of Theatre and Musical Theatre provides theatre majors with a strong foundation in theatre. You may specialize your degree with an emphasis in acting and directing, design and technology, theatre education, or theatre studies.

The acting emphasis develops your abilities through comprehensive classes across genres and styles in acting, speech, and movement for stage, film, and television. It will prepare you for a career in commercial theatre. The directing emphasis provides a detailed study of the directing process.

The design and technology emphasis concentrates on the concepts and materials of designing scenery, costumes, makeup, properties, lighting, and sound for theatre. We stress the importance of how to use modern technology for theatre applications.

If you wish to pursue theatre education through teacher certification for early childhood through 12th grade (EC-12), you will major in theatre and minor in secondary education.

The Theatre Studies Emphasis provides students with the opportunity to explore more in depth at least two areas of theatre. This emphasis is ideal for the student who wants to partner performance with design/technology, playwriting, stage management, arts management, history and criticism.

Internships

Our relationship with many of the Houston area theatres gives our students the opportunity to work in professional performance and arts administration capacities while still in school. Currently, we have internships with Theatre Under the Stars, Stages Repertory Theatre, The Classical Theatre Company, Main Street Theatre, and Texas Repertory Theatre.

Careers in Theatre

• Act on stage, in television, or in movies
• Director/Producer
• Stage Management
• Set Design/Construction
• Lighting Design
• Sound Design
• Costume Design/Technology
• Make Up/Hair Design
• Special Effects
• Scriptwriting/Playwriting/Screenwriting

Alumni Success

Graduates of SHSU's theatre program

• have appeared in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway productions
• have appeared in television shows and movies
• have designed and directed NYC and regional productions
• have designed costumes for regional productions
• have worked as technical support staff and stage management in regional and NYC theatres

Program Breakdown