Theatre Undergraduate Program: What is the difference between the BA and the BFA?
Each designer's talent and experience affect his or her advisor's decision. Tech students usually gain experience in positions of responsibility on running crews and in the production shops. Many students who commit to the program design fully supported productions in their sophomore year. Your advisor will work with you to help prepare you for all the different design opportunities available. What is the advantage of a large university? Diversity and training. In theatre, the department has eight design/tech faculty and nine performance/history faculty. In the dance division, several of the eight faculty are involved in the design and production areas. Unlike small schools, there are multiple role models in each area. For example, since there are four faculty members who regularly teach lighting classes, odds are that you will have two different instructors (and two different approaches) for lighting design. A small department with a large faculty increases the opportunity for personal attention. Also, like most major programs, our department has a professional outreach program: the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. CSF brings students and artists from around the country for different production opportunities. Design/tech students are hired regularly in the company. Won't I be overwhelmed in a large school? Theatre & Dance is a small program with around 100-150 students. The average class size in the department is 20 students. The average class size in design/tech classes is 8. Generally, the department has about 20 design students in costume/lighting/sound/scenic combined. Seven major season shows plus workshops adds up to a large number of design assignments at many levels. What about graduate students? Graduate students study texts, criticism, directing, and acting. There are no graduate students to compete with in design. . |
