Bachelor of Fine Arts - Theatre - Musical Theatre

University of Minnesota Duluth's (UMD) Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree program provides intensive preparation for professional careers on stage or behind the scenes. Mentored by faculty who represent the highest caliber training and professional experience, students are given the necessary tools to turn their passions for theatre into success on the professional stage.

Students in the BFA program are admitted by audition only (see Requirements below) and may specialize in one of the following emphases: Acting, Costume Design, Design & Production, Lighting Design, Musical Theatre, Scene Design, Stage Management, Technical Theatre.

Musical Theatre:

The musical theatre emphasis is for students seeking professional training or an intensive course of study and practical application in the area of musical theatre.

Why UMD?

Theater students at UMD connect with faculty on a level that is unprecedented in higher education. Not having to compete with graduate students for production opportunities, graduates leave UMD with portfolios and resumes far more extensive than the average undergraduate student. UMD is dedicated to the training of excellent theater artists and productions that are acclaimed nationally and internationally.

The UMD Department of Theatre is actively involved in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Since 1985, five UMD productions (two of those written by UMD students) have been chosen to perform at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of KCACTF, making UMD one of the most successful theatre departments in the nation. In seven of the last fifteen years, UMD actors have won the regional Irene Ryan acting scholarship and have gone on to perform in Washington, DC. In addition, KCACTF has also recognized a number of UMD student playwrights and designers for their artistic achievements with invitations to participate in the national festival.

At UMD, students will:

• explore practical training in various aspects of the performing arts while defining their own path towards a career within or beyond the professional theatre
• have the flexibility to take advanced academic courses across the university, to pursue interdisciplinary projects, and to explore study abroad opportunities
• enjoy a rich liberal arts approach to theatre as a fine art and cultural expression, as well as a business, which will prepare students for innumerable careers as well as graduate work in programs like arts management, dramaturgy, playwriting, directing, and education

Acquired Skills

Unique to a Theatre degree, students develop a vast variety of skills including:

• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Public speaking
• Improving with feedback
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Project management
• Marketing
• Business/Entrepreneurism
• Research
• Teaching
• Technology
• Writing 

Career Possibilities

An education in Theatre shows employers students have creativity, communication skills, self-awareness, confidence, discipline, teamwork, experience, a cultivation of empathy -- skills that make theatre graduates a strong candidate in ANY field!

Theatre students go on to careers as varied as Actor, Arts Administrator, Author, Dance Teacher, Director Entrepreneur, Exhibit Designer, Fashion Designer, Lighting Designer, Producer, Scenic Designer, Stage Manager, and Sound Editor, just to name a few!