Theatre

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Visual and Performing Arts

Join a cast of talented actors, designers, and technicians exploring their passions and learning to lead from the stage. Guided by Longwood's devoted faculty mentors, come discover and develop your talents and skills through a sequence of theory, performance, and technical courses and through main stage and studio theatrical productions.

Career Path

Our graduates have become

  • Actors
  • Directors
  • Stage Managers
  • Theatre Managers
  • Theatre Teachers
  • Scenic Designers
  • Lighting Designers
  • Costume Designers
  • Sound Designers
  • Projections Designers

 

What You'll Study

Major

Committed to providing a cohesive body of knowledge in the various fields of performance art, experience excellence in teaching and training in any of our four concentrations:

Minor in Theatre

Specialist in Performance, Theatre

Cue your future as a professional actor with a degree from Longwood.

Design and Technology, Theatre Concentration

You're creative, and love to work with your hands? This is the perfect place for you. Work closely with theatre design faculty and staff as you explore what it's like to be behind the scenes of a production.

Learn set, lighting, sound, and costume design, technical direction, and theatre management. You’ll get all the practical and applied skills needed to compete in this booming market.”

Generalist, Theatre

Discover theatre in its broadest sense as you explore its history, theory, literature and aesthetics. You'll work closely with your adviser as you discover the basis in theatre arts.

Applied Theatre, Education Licensure

This is a pre-professional degree and is designed to prepare you to teach theatre to future performers, technicians or managers. 

Sample 4-Year Plan

Theatre Education, Teacher Preparation Concentration (pdf)

Minor

Explore your passion for the theatre and enrich your resumé with a minor in 

  • Theatre
  • Technical Production
  • Musical Theatre

Theatre

You'll take seven classes to complete a minor in Theater. You'll learn the history, theory, and fundamentals.

MINOR IN THEATRE

Minor Requirements/20 credit hours from:

THEA 104 Theatre Production/Performance/2 credits

THEA 113 Acting I/3 credits

THEA 240 Technical Theatre/3 credits

THEA 330 History of Theatre I/3 credits

THEA 331 History of Theatre II/3 credits

THEA        ELECTIVES/6 credit

 

Technical Production

Take nine courses to finish this minor and prepare for a life long career in technical production.

MINOR IN TECHNICAL PRODUCTION/23 credits

Minor Requirements (core): 11 credits

THEA 104 Theatre Production/Performance/2 credits

THEA 225 Elements of Theatrical Design/3 credits

THEA 240 Technical Theatre/3 credits

THEA 337 Costume Technology I/3 credits

Choose 4 courses from the following: (12 credits)

THEA 241 Drafting for Theatrical Design/3 credits

THEA 275 Stage Management/3 credits

THEA 306 Stage Properties/3 credits

THEA 338 Costume Technology II/3 credits

THEA 339 Fashion History and Décor/3 credits

THEA 340 Scene Design/3 credits

THEA 342 Lighting Design I/3 credits

THEA 344 Theory and Practice of Scene Painting/3 credits

THEA 345 Costume Design/3 credits

THEA 399 Theatre Management/3 credits

THEA 447 Design and Technology/3 credits

Musical Theatre Minor

Combining courses in music, theatre and dance, the Musical Theatre minor is designed for students who wish to pursue their passion for the performing arts and the excitement of musical theatre.

 

MINOR IN MUSICAL THEATRE/22 credits

Minor Requirements (core): 10 credits

MUSC 113 Theory of Music I / 2 credits
MUSC 115 Sightsinging and Dictation I / 1 credit
MUSC 163 Beginning Piano I / 1 credit
THEA 113 Acting I / 3 credits
THEA 104 Theatre Production/Performance / 2 credits
MUSC 208/408 Opera Workshop / 1 credit

Applied Voice / 2 credits from MUSC 171-172 or 181
Choral Ensemble /2 credits from MUSC 105, 106, 107, 205, 405

Dance / 2 credits from

DANC 128 Beginning Recreational and Social Dance / 1 credit
DANC 130 Beginning Jazz / 1 credit
DANC 131 Beginning Modern / 1 credit
DANC 132 Longwood Company of Dancers (by audition) / 1 credit
DANC 230 Intermediate Jazz (with permission of instructor) / 2 credits
DANC 231 Intermediate Modern (with permission of instructor) / 2 credits

Theatre / 3 credits from

THEA 225 Elements of Theatrical Design / 3 credits
THEA 240 Technical Theatre / 3 credits
THEA 315 Movement I / 3 credits
THEA 316 Acting II / 3 credits

Electives / 3 credits from outside of the student’s major, from MUSC, THEA, or DANC

Courses

Achieve a traditional and holistic view of the world with our broad array of theatre course offerings including Acting, Elements of Theatrical Design, American Drama, Directing and much more. 

See All Theatre Courses

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Theatre Program
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Current Students

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Longwood theatre major working as assistant lighting designer on world premiere musical

Theatre student interning as lighting assistant

In a theater-based class in the first grade, Matthew Brehm was allowed to operate the faders, which dim the lights, on a control board. "I was instantly hooked on theater lighting," he said.

Fifteen years later, the Longwood University theatre major’s passion for lighting design and technology burns as brightly as ever, and his talent soon will shine on the biggest stage of his young career.

Brehm, a senior, will serve as assistant lighting designer for the world premiere of Kris Kringle The Musical, which will run from Dec. 4-13 at the Olmsted Performing Arts Center just outside Cleveland. The New York City-based producers of the play, whose work includes a Tony Award-nominated musical, hope to take the show to Broadway.

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