BFA in Acting for the Stage and Screen

APU’s BFA in Acting for the Stage and Screen prepares students for professional acting careers, as well as graduate studies in performance.

63 units

APU’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting for the Stage and Screen program, located just 26 miles from Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world, is an innovative acting degree program providing real-world connections, professional on-camera credits, and an industry showcase of film and live performances for seniors. It is also one of the first programs in the country to train actors for equal excellence in on-camera and stage acting.

Program Policies

  • If students are involved in other campus clubs, athletics, choirs, etc., they must understand that BFA expectations for courses and production responsibilities take priority over other commitments.
  • Students must attend all scheduled rehearsals and tech days for productions in which they are cast or are crewing.
  • Students must receive written approval from the College of the Arts to participate in the Industry Showcase if they become part-time students during their senior year.
  • The BFA in Acting for the Stage and Screen is a sequential four-year cohort. Courses must be taken in sequence and progress cannot be expedited to allow for early graduation.
  • Freshmen and sophomore BFA students must attend warm-ups (see the APU Student Handbook), and all BFA students must follow the standards listed in the Student Handbook or risk being put on probation, as per handbook policy.

Requirements

63 units

The BFA in Acting for the Stage and Screen is a four-year cohort degree program. All acting, voice, and movement courses have prerequisites, and students must take courses with their cohort in sequence.

Students must earn a 2.0 in each of their major courses and meet policies outlined in the Department of Theater Arts handbook. Failure to do so can result in probation.

Film and Theater History Courses
CINE 285History of Film 13
THTR 225History of Theater to the Nineteenth Century 23
THTR 226History of Theater: 19th Century to the Present3
Technical Theater Courses (6 units)
THTR 223Theatrical Makeup3
THTR 217Technical Theater Practicum 32
THTR 218Production Crew 41
Theater Electives
Select two of the following:6
Theatrical Sets and Properties
Theatrical Lighting and Sound
Introduction to Stage Management
Theater for Social Change 5
Writing 3: Playwriting 6
Directing
Musical Theater Workshop
Voice and Movement Courses
THTR 200Beginning Voice for the Actor 72
THTR 201Beginning Movement for the Actor2
THTR 250Intermediate Voice for the Actor 72
THTR 251Intermediate Movement for the Actor2
THTR 260Advanced Voice for the Actor2
THTR 301Advanced Movement for the Actor2
Acting Courses
THTR 171Acting Fundamentals for the Stage3
THTR 173Improvisation for the Actor3
THTR 271Intermediate Acting for the Stage3
THTR 273Acting Shakespeare 13
THTR 361Acting Fundamentals for the Screen3
THTR 371Intermediate On-Camera Scene Study3
THTR 471Advanced Acting for the Camera3
THTR 472Business of Acting/Hollywood Showcase 83
Performance Courses6
Performance Cast 9
Total Units63
1

Meets the General Education Humanities: Fine Arts requirement. 

2

Meets the General Education Intercultural Competence requirement. 

3

Freshmen are required to take 1 unit of THTR 217 in the fall AND spring semesters of their freshman year in the program.

4

Sophomores are required to take 1 unit of THTR 218 in EITHER the fall or spring semester of their sophomore year of the program.

5

Meets the General Education Civic Knowledge and Engagement requirement. 

6

Meets the General Education Writing 3 requirement. 

7

Taking THTR 200 and THTR 250 meets the General Education Oral Communication requirement. 

8

Meets the General Education Integrative and Applied Learning requirement.

9

All BFA students are required to take a minimum of 6 units of THTR 216. Students who are cast in a production must be enrolled in THTR 216.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program shall be able to:
  1. Artistry: Integrate the techniques and skills needed to become a professional actor.
  2. Professional Development: Construct professional materials and audition pieces to compete in the business of acting.
  3. Knowledge: Defend the role that acting as an art form plays historically and in contemporary culture.
  4. Analysis: Develop analytical approaches to on-camera and theatrical performance.
  5. Faith Integration: Identify the contribution and impact of Christian faith and practice in performance.