Areas of Study

Minor in Theatre

Information coming soon!

BA in Theatre

The CSUF Bachelor of Arts in Theatre provides a well rounded theatre degree giving students the opportunity to focus on the breadth of theatre studies. The curriculum core requires study in acting, directing, design and production, history, literature, and theatre criticism. Students are required to participate in department production activities, including plays, musicals, dance, and opera. After core requirements are met, students are able to take elective courses in acting, musical theatre, dance, voice & movement, stage management, design, dramaturgy, playwriting, directing, theatre education, theatrical hair/make-up, technical theatre and emerging technology, and more – all based on the interest(s) of the individual student. BA Theatre students with special interest in performing are encouraged to audition for all campus productions. No program audition is required. 

Transfer students: once admitted, you will need a transcript evaluation to determine equivalent courses completed. 

Contact the undergraduate advisor for more information.

BFA in Specialized Studies, Design/Technical Production

Information coming soon!

BFA in Acting

The CSUF BFA Acting concentration prepares students for a professional career in theatre in plays, musicals, television, and film. The program seeks students who exhibit talent, motivation, and commitment, and combines rigorous coursework with ample opportunity to apply the training in performance throughout their four years. Fourth-year students prepare websites, build reels, and meet casting directors and agents in Los Angeles and New York in preparation for an effective transition from college to a professional career in theatre, television, and film. Audition required. 

BFA in Devised Performance & Physical Theatre

The CSUF BFA Devised Performance/Physical Theatre concentration is one of the first of its kind in the United States.  The Devised BFA prepares actors for the creative and professional challenges of the 21st-century – collaborative theatre artists who conceive, design, direct, and perform highly athletic, visually stunning, interdisciplinary projects that shape today’s evolving theatrical landscape. Integrating aspects of theatre, film, design, music, performance art, and emerging technologies, students create original and adapted performance works through intensive and multi-dimensional collaboration. They graduate with specialized skills incorporating the emotional availability, creativity, and transformational capacity of an actor, the athleticism and physical expression of a dancer, a choreographer’s eye for shape, movement, and balance, a director’s sense of conceptualization, collaboration, and leadership, a designer’s vision for sound, place, image, and light, and a writer’s focus on language and story. Audition required. 

BFA in Musical Theatre

The CSUF BFA Musical Theatre concentration prepares students for a professional career in theatre both in plays and musicals, and television and film. The program seeks students who exhibit exceptional talent, motivation, and commitment, and combines rigorous coursework with ample opportunity to apply the training in performance. The program has been newly redesigned to meet the needs of students in the rapidly changing 21st-century entertainment industry; it is a rigorous, 4-year program with a well-balanced curriculum of acting (for both contemporary stage and camera), singing (including foundational music skills and 8 semesters of private voice), and dancing/movement (celebrating all levels of skill and a diversity of styles ranging from ballet, jazz, tap, modern, musical theatre, hip hop, and more). Fourth-year students will have the opportunity to travel to NYC for a capstone showcase performance, as well as industry workshops with Broadway talent, and industry professionals including casting directors and agents. Audition required.

Graduate

MFA in Design and Technical Production

•    Be competent and reflective practitioners of the art of theatre;  

•    Be passionate and confident about their work through the success of their realized designs on stage;    

•    Practice successfully collaboration through production;  

•    Be intellectually curious and decisive in exploring new avenues of expression through design and production;  

•    Exercise professional standards or oral, and written and graphic communication; 

•    Be intellectually, technically, creatively, and technologically prepared to be an artist member of their community;  

•    Demonstrate competence in the unification of design elements in professional production;  

•    Designed a minimum of two full realized productions. 

The MFA in Design and Production accepts a limited number of candidates each year. Selection for these programs is based on production books, portfolios and interviews. Design and Production faculty also attend the URTA National Unified Auditions and Interviews.

MFA Intent to Apply application
MFA Frequently Asked Questions

MFA in Theatre Directing

•    Be competent and reflective practioners of the art of theatre;  

•    Be passionate and confident about their work through the success of their productions; 

•    Practice successful collaboration through performances and production;  

•    Be intellectually curious and decisive in exploring new avenues of expressions;  

•    Exercise professional standards through oral, and written communication; 

•    Be intellectually, technically, creatively, and technologically prepared to be an artistic member of their community;  

•    Have an understanding of all the theatre arts and crafts at a sufficient level of knowledge to communicate with other artists and to make critical judgments in all areas of theatre.

The MFA in Directing is also an alternate year program. Only one candidate is selected in this program. 

MFA Intent to Apply application
MFA Frequently Asked Questions

Credential

Theatre Education (Single-Subject Teaching Credential in Theatre)

Do you want to contribute to your community as a theatre artist?

A theatre teacher regularly practices every aspect of the theatrical craft: they coach actors while they direct, design, market, stage manage and produce plays. Furthermore, they translate their knowledge and skill to meaningful, memorable learning experiences that support students’ artistic, academic, and personal development.

In short, theatre teachers do it all, and they do it while inspiring young students and artists.

 

What is a credential?

A credential is the official certification from the state that grants someone authorization to teach a certain grade level or subject area. Earning a Single Subject Credential in Theatre means that you will be authorized to teach theatre at all grade levels from K-12.

• A teaching credential is a logical extension to a bachelor’s degree in Theatre. A B.A. is built to expose students to the breadth of the field of Theatre, including design, directing, acting, management, and dramaturgical techniques as well as the history and theory of the craft, providing a strong foundation for future theatre teachers.
• The teaching credential program is built to add to that strong foundation by providing you with the pedagogical knowledge and skills to guide you in effectively bridging your content area expertise with the needs of a theatre classroom.

The Future Teacher Pathway

To earn a teaching credential, you must demonstrate subject matter competency to the state of California. You can do this by passing the content-appropriate CSET exams, or by earning a bachelor’s degree in the subject you would like to teach.

If you are earning a BA in Theatre and want to become a teacher, you should ensure that you spend time learning acting techniques, directing, stage management, and multiple design areas to prepare you for the do-it-all career of a theatre teacher.

If you are earning a BA in Theatre at CSUF, you should consider taking THTR 402B and 402C as electives; you should also begin working on the credential program prerequisites, which are EDSC 310, 320, 330, and 340.

After earning a BA in Theatre or passing the Theatre CSET exams, you will need to enroll in a credential program like the one offered at CSUF. A credential program is a professional training program which includes one year of coursework in pedagogy (the study of effective teaching) and student teaching. Credential programs take one year to complete and, in the state of California, can begin only after earning an undergraduate degree.

After completing this program, you can become a theatre teacher in the state of California!

What is Student Teaching?

During the credential program, you will be partnered with an experienced theatre educator at a public school. This person will be your Mentor Teacher (MT) for the year. You will begin learning through observation and conversation with your MT, and then you will begin co-teaching alongside them with their support. During the second semester of student teaching, you’ll take more leadership in instruction, but the MT will still be there to support your learning in this early stage of your career.

Theatre teaching candidates are expected to begin by observing and assisting in three classes in the fall and assisting with one extra-curricular production. In the spring, you are expected to be leading instruction in 3 classes and taking on a leadership role with at least one extra-curricular production.

Student teaching placements can be local, but teaching candidates cannot be placed at a school that they previously attended or at a school at which their family members work. All student teaching placements must be within 30 miles of CSUF.

During your student teaching, you will also be supported by a Clinical Coach. Clinical Coaches are expert teachers who will support you through additional one-on-one meetings and observations. Clinical Coaches will conduct visitations, joining you at your placement site three times during the fall and six times during the spring. The Clinical Coach will observe your work, help you process what you are learning, guide you in developing a personal pedagogy and praxis, and assess your planning and teaching of educational material.

What’s Special About Our Program?

CSUF’s Theatre Credential Program focuses on practicing a consent-based, anti-oppressive approach to theatre pedagogy, providing teacher candidates with tools to help establish inclusive and accessible classrooms. Our goal is to arm future theatre teachers with the tools they need to change theatre education for the better.

We focus on ethical theatre practices that support students’ developmental needs, rather than teaching from a place of control or ego. Graduates of this program will not emulate Will Ferrel’s SNL theatre teacher or the teachers upon whom that stereotype was based; our alumni break that mold, using theatre to teach artistic craft and support students’ social and emotional development.

Our program uses a cohort model and prioritizes a small student to teacher ratio, so that every teacher candidate receives individualized support from faculty who earnestly care about your success as future theatre teachers. Every faculty member in our credential program is a director and theatre educator with ample experience teaching in public schools who understands going through student teaching, as well as understanding the joys and challenges of the job of a theatre teacher. These faculty will observe you in your classroom so that they understand the challenges and situations you are learning from, so that they can give you effective and personalized support.

Furthermore, this program’s Subject Area Coordinator, Dr. Amanda Rose Villarreal, is a leader in the field of ethical performance pedagogy who will share their expertise as they coach you towards success.

What are the qualifications for admission?

Minimum requirements:

• Demonstrate subject area competency by completing one of the following:
  a bachelor’s degree in theatre or
  a bachelor’s degree in any field and passing scores on the CSET exams for theatre
• Attend a program overview session
• Transcripts show a minimum of 2.67 cumulative undergraduate GPA.
• Preferred qualifications:
• Transcripts show a minimum 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA.
• Preference will be given to applicants who have earned a BA in Theatre or who have worked professionally in theatre or theatre education.
• Additional preference will be given to applicants whose transcripts demonstrate successful completion of coursework in theatre education, applied theatre, community-based theatre, or theatre with youth or who have professional experience in these fields.
• See a complete list of admission requirements in the CSUF Catalog.

See more information about Single Subject Credential admissions here.

What are the Prerequisites?

Students must successfully complete EDSC 310, EDSC 320, EDSC 330, and EDSC 340 as well as an Ethnic Studies course prior to beginning the program. These can be completed after acceptance to the program but must be successfully completed prior to beginning. The prerequisites can be taken at any time.

Single-Subject Credential Prerequisites

Program Coursework

See the details of all coursework, including course names and descriptions, in the CSUF Catalog.

EDSC 304 can be taken at any time, even before the credential program. Taking this before the credential will lighten your workload during the credential.

Fall Semester

EDSC 410: This will be a night class and is sometimes hybrid.

EDSC 440S: This will be in-person most Fridays.

EDSC 440F: This will be hybrid, meeting on Fridays.

THTR 449E: This will be at your placement site.

THTR 442: This will be in person one night per week.

Spring Semester

EDSC 460: This will be a hybrid course.

THTR 449I: This will be at your placement site.

THTR 449S: This will be in person one night per week.

How do I Apply?

Interested applicants should complete or enroll in the prerequisite courses, attend an informational session, and submit their application and all required materials via Cal State Apply.

For more details, including deadlines, information sessions, and prerequisites, please see Credential Program Admissions.

For assistance with the application, contact Andrea Pureco

Please note that all applicants will be expected to submit the following materials:

• • Copies of official transcripts from all institutions attended
  • Tuberculosis (TB) Clearance
  • Evidence of having attended an overview session
  • Program Application Fee Receipt
  • CPR Certification
  • Subject Matter Requirement (either your BA transcripts if a theatre major, or certification of passing the Theatre CSET exams)
  • Evidence of US Constitution Completion
  • Evidence of Completion of Prerequisite Coursework
  • Two Letters of Recommendation (these cannot be written by a credential program faculty)
  • Application Essay
  • Theatre Supplementary Authorization

CSUF does offer the Methods course required to add theatre as a supplemental authorization. In order to do this, a candidate should take and pass the CSET exams, email Dr. Amanda Rose Villarreal, and register for THTR 442 through Open University. There is no need to take a full-year credential program, as long as you already hold a valid (CA) single-subject or multiple-subject credential.

For questions or further information, please contact Dr. Amanda Rose Villarreal