BFA in Acting for the Stage and Screen
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.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Film and Theater History Courses | ||
| CINE 285 | History of Film 1 | 3 |
| THTR 225 | History of Theater to the Nineteenth Century 2 | 3 |
| THTR 226 | History of Theater: 19th Century to the Present | 3 |
| Technical Theater Courses (6 units) | ||
| THTR 223 | Theatrical Makeup | 3 |
| THTR 217 | Technical Theater Practicum 3 | 2 |
| THTR 218 | Production Crew 4 | 1 |
| 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 200 | Beginning Voice for the Actor 7 | 2 |
| THTR 201 | Beginning Movement for the Actor | 2 |
| THTR 250 | Intermediate Voice for the Actor 7 | 2 |
| THTR 251 | Intermediate Movement for the Actor | 2 |
| THTR 260 | Advanced Voice for the Actor | 2 |
| THTR 301 | Advanced Movement for the Actor | 2 |
| Acting Courses | ||
| THTR 171 | Acting Fundamentals for the Stage | 3 |
| THTR 173 | Improvisation for the Actor | 3 |
| THTR 271 | Intermediate Acting for the Stage | 3 |
| THTR 273 | Acting Shakespeare 1 | 3 |
| THTR 361 | Acting Fundamentals for the Screen | 3 |
| THTR 371 | Intermediate On-Camera Scene Study | 3 |
| THTR 471 | Advanced Acting for the Camera | 3 |
| THTR 472 | Business of Acting/Hollywood Showcase 8 | 3 |
| Performance Courses | 6 | |
| Performance Cast 9 | ||
| Total Units | 63 | |
- 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:- Artistry: Integrate the techniques and skills needed to become a professional actor.
- Professional Development: Construct professional materials and audition pieces to compete in the business of acting.
- Knowledge: Defend the role that acting as an art form plays historically and in contemporary culture.
- Analysis: Develop analytical approaches to on-camera and theatrical performance.
- Faith Integration: Identify the contribution and impact of Christian faith and practice in performance.