Jun 10, 2025  
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Acting for Stage and Screen - Major (BFA)


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The B.F.A. in Acting for Stage and Screen is a professional acting training program in a liberal arts setting. Training at Nazareth takes place in small studio classes with individual attention and faculty mentoring to make students ready for the rigorous world of professional performance. This program accelerates your acting training through immersion in both stage and screen acting techniques, starting in your first year.  In this professional acting training program, you’ll learn how to meet the expectations of contemporary casting directors and create professional relationships in the field.

Students in the major study acting each semester.  During the four years of study, majors take courses in improvisation, auditioning, voice, movement, Shakespeare, directing and design. In addition, 2 semesters of dance and singing lessons are required.  

Each semester Acting for Stage and Screen majors audition for the department season and accept the role assigned, or if not cast, accept a production assignment. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 within their major and are evaluated annually to ensure that they are making meaningful progress. In the summer of their junior year, students are required to participate in a theater internship to help facilitate the transition into the profession. 

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Demonstrate competent skills in movement, voice and acting to support a performance in stage and screen
  • Demonstrate research and analytical skills in well-written and cogent documents relating to stage and screen texts, performance evaluations and character development.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of how stage and screen productions are created and produced
  • Demonstrate accountability, collaboration and professionalism in various stage and screen endeavors
  • Demonstrate skills and knowledge of the business of acting required to succeed in a stage and screen career

Core Curriculum Requirements


All Nazareth students complete Core Curriculum coursework as part of their degree requirements. The Core provides a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences while guiding students to pose and explore their own intellectual questions. See Academic Policies and Procedures  for specific core curriculum requirements. 

Theatre and Dance Department Forum


Acting


Design and Technical Theatre


Design Elective


Production


  • Credits: 3

  • Plus the following labs:

  • Credits: 0 (fulfills one production lab requirement)
  • Theatre Production Labs (THL*LAB) - students take 5 credits of production labs from four different areas: 3 Mainstage performances can be counted toward your lab credits at least 2 must be in the technical theatre area.

Sample Program for Acting for Stage and Screen Major


Freshman Year

Fall Spring
THA 001 Theatre & Dance Department Forum   0 THA 001 Theatre & Dance Department Forum   0
THA 140 Acting I   3 MTHA 122 Introduction to Contemporary Dance   or
DAN 213 Special Topics in Contemporary Dance Technique  
1.5-2
THA 220 Movement for the Actor   3 THA 216 Improvisation for Actors    3
MTHA 1A Primary Voice Lessons   .5 THA 221 Voice for the Actor   3
THA 090 New Student Spotlight   .5 MTHA 1A Primary Voice Lessons   .5
THA.Q 120 Introduction to Theatre  - FYS/PEQ #1 3 THA 150 Technical Theatre I   3
ENGW 101 Exposition   3 THA 150L Technical Theatre I Lab   0
ACS 101 Academic and College Success   1 ENGW 102 Argument and Research   3
    PEQ #2 3
Total Credits 14 Total Credits 17-18
 

Sophomore Year

Fall Spring
THA 001 Theatre & Dance Department Forum   0 THA 001 Theatre & Dance Department Forum   0
THL - Theatre Production Lab 1 THL - Theatre Production Lab 1
THA 275 History of the Theatre I   3 DAN 310 Dance Theory and Improvisation   3
THA 103 Page to Stage   .5 THA 351 Dramatic Literature and Play Analysis   3
THA 245 Auditioning for Stage and Screen   3 THA 240 Acting II   3
THA 321 Movement for Actors II   3 THA 320 Dialects and Accents   3
PEQ #3 3 PEQ #5 - Science with Lab 4
PEQ #4 3    
Total Credits 16.5 Total Credits 17
 

Junior Year

Fall Spring
THA 001 Theatre & Dance Department Forum   0 THA 001 Theatre & Dance Department Forum   0
THL - Theatre Production Lab 1 THL - Theatre Production Lab 1
THA 103 Page to Stage   .5 THA 352 Acting for Camera II   3
THA 342 Acting for Camera   3 MTHA 1A Primary Voice Lessons   .5
THA 341 Acting in Shakespeare   3 THA 403 Special Topics in Theatre - Theatre Business  3
Integrative Studies (IS) #1/DEIB designated course 3 THA 340 Acting III   3
PEQ #6 3 THA 235 Stage Makeup   3
PEQ #7 3 PEQ #8 3
Total Credits 16.5 Total Credits 16.5
 

Summer Between Junior and Senior Year

THA 483 Internship in Theatre   1
 

Senior Year

Fall Spring
THA 001 Theatre & Dance Department Forum   0 THA 001 Theatre & Dance Department Forum   0
THL - Theatre Production Lab 1 THL - Theatre Production Lab 1
THA 442 Acting for Camera III   .5 ENGW 387 Creative Writing: Screenwriting   3
Theatre Design Elective 3 THA 440 Acting IV   3
THA 322 The Art of Film   3 THA 454 Theatre Arts Senior Showcase   3
THA 452 Senior Seminar in Theatre   3 THA 375 Directing for the Stage    3
THA 499 Theatre Arts Senior Comprehensive   0 THA 377 Playwriting   3
Integrative Studies (IS) #2  3 CME 050 Core Milestone Experience   0
Integrative Studies (IS) #3 3    
Total Credits 16.5 Total Credits 16

 

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