Find your passion and expand your creative abilities through the Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts.
Major Roadmap
Explore your options — classes, internships, research and study abroad. Find what interests you, discover what you love, and create a major experience that jumpstarts your future.
Learn every aspect of the craft — acting, directing, design, administration — and graduate prepared to work in any part of a theater organization.
You’ll have the option to focus on design and technology: lighting, costumes, hair and makeup, props and scenic design. Or specialize in management, coordinating the logistical aspects of a show and the business side of a theater. Or be a part of the next generation storytellers and chose our new Emerging Forms track.
No matter what you choose, you’ll learn from working alongside professional artists. You’ll also have the chance to earn your membership in Actor’s Equity, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
Write and direct your own play. Design a costume, from drawing to finished product. Make your friends laugh until they cry in a show with your improv troupe. Learn music, dance and theater history. And work on four productions a year at the intimate Mary Moody Northern Theatre, which consistently receives awards from Austin critics.
What do our graduates do?
Theater Arts majors go on to a variety of careers and graduate schools from St. Edward’s. Here’s a sample.
- Production manager for the Broadway production house of Juniper Street in New York City
- Assistant production manager for Hudson Scenic Shop, a commercial scenery construction shop
- Head of wardrobe for Cirque de Soleil’s LUZIA tour
- Development associate for Theatre for a New Audience, in New York City
- MFA in Design from Yale University
For more information about the Theater Arts major, please contact Assistant Professor Kathryn Eader. The Theater Arts major is part of the Department of Performing Arts.
The Classroom and Beyond
Guest Artists
Guest artists from the world of professional theater, film and television work with faculty and students in production. Students will also have the opportunity to engage in hands-on work in acting, writing, design and directing.
Learn in a City Thriving on Artistic Culture and Creative Expression
In addition, students in the Theater Arts major are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the variety of arts supported by the vibrant culture of Austin. While studying at St. Edward's, you will be connected to the pulse of a cosmopolitan city. Austin is home to a community of people who appreciate the beauty of human expression. Engaging with the local culture will feed your soul. It's also an epicenter to creativity and attracts world class events. Your immersion in such a colorful art scene will enrich your educational experience and connect you to people who share your passion.
Scholarship Audition Weekend
Interested in our program? Join us for a unique preview of what it is like to be a theater student at St. Edward's. Prospective theater students who have applied for university admission and been accepted to St Edward’s are invited to join us in February for a weekend of theater program activities. You'll have opportunities to sit in on classes, tour the campus, dine with current students, audition for a theater scholarship, see a show, meet the cast and crew and take workshops with university faculty. Scholarship Audition Weekend is a perfect way to test your 'fit' with the theater program as you are making that all-important college decision. Learn more about Scholarship Audition Weekend.
Voices of the Massacre Generation
Theater Arts major Kit Taylor ’19 reflects on the era of mass shootings in a solo performance for her Performing Nonfiction class.
Degree Plan
1. Emerging Forms
Emerging Forms establishes an interdisciplinary approach to theater studies by including courses from the writing, video-game design and digital content creation, offering students a unique opportunity to become the story-tellers. Students in this track will ...
- Become the content creators of tomorrow
- Engage students in hybridism of live performance and digital media
- Develop the skill to collaborate through the creative process of production to develop a new story
- Learn new methods to help build a better community through theatrical storytelling techniques
Upon completion of the freshman year, students will choose whether to continue with the Emerging Forms emphasis or, shift their focus to Theater Design/Technology or Theater Management, or audition for the BFA in Acting.
Major Requirements: 28 hours of Theater Core major courses and 25 hours of Emerging Forms Specialization courses.
Electives: 28 hours of elective options
General Education Requirements: 39 hours of general education courses plus major courses and electives.
View and download the full degree plan for Theater Arts with General Theatre Specialization (PDF).
2. Theater Design and Technology
Theater Design and Technology students will master skills to produce costumes and set pieces as well as lighting at a professional caliber. In this track, you will ...
- Develop strong knowledge in technology for all areas: costume, lighting, sound, projection, wig building, make-up, and scenery construction.
- Understand the design language and how to apply it to the stage
- Develop strong collaborative and creative problem solving skills
- Specialize in one area of their choosing (costumes, lighting, scenery, Hair & Make-up, Sound Design, and Technical Direction) for opportunities to create projects for their portfolios
- Have the ability to work alongside professionals in your chosen field in addition to your professors
Theater Design and Technology can take their skills and work not only stage productions, but also in film and television, corporate events, museums, or even in advertising. The skills these students learn are widely applicable within and outside the world of Theater.
Major Requirements: 28 hours of Theater Core major courses and 37 hours of Theater Design/Technology Specialization courses.
Electives: 16 hours or elective options
General Education Requirements: 39 hours of general education courses plus major courses and electives.
View and download the full degree plan for Theater Arts with Design/Technology Specialization (PDF).
3. Theater & Stage Management
The Theater & Stage Management specialization will bestow students with the leadership and communication skills necessary to be successful in this field. In this track, you will ...
- Take on leadership roles on a regular basis
- Analyze interpersonal relationships within productions
- Learn the ethical precautions in running a show
- Gain knowledge applicable to all forms of management in or out of theater
- Earn the necessary professional production credit to join the Actor's Equity Association upon graduation, if desired.
This track is unique to St. Edward's University as we are one of a few undergraduate theater programs that offer a specialization in Theater Management.
Major Requirements: 28 hours of Theater Core major courses and 24 hours of Theater Management Specialization courses.
General Education Requirements: 22 hours of general education courses plus major courses and electives.
Electives: 29 hours of electives
View and download the full degree plan for Theater Arts with Management Specialization (PDF).
Faculty and Support Services
– Kathryn A. Eader, Associate Professor of Theater Arts, Design & Chair of the Performing Arts Department
– Sheila M. Gordon, Associate Professor of Theater Arts & Head of the BFA Acting Program
-Susan Branch Towne, Visiting Assistant Professor of Design & Head of the Design/Technology Emphasis
Internships
Many Hilltoppers find internships with local arts agencies during the year or pursue summer programs both in Austin and around the country. Students have interned with:
- ZACH Theatre
- Austin Opera
- Ballet Austin
- The Long Center
- The Rude Mechanicals
- Austin Film Festival
- Zilker Theatre Productions
- Barrington Stage Company
- Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
- Williamstown Theater Festival
- The Bay Area Playwright's Festival
Theatre Arts Minor
Would you like to major in something else, but still keep the theater as a core part of your university experience? Consider minoring in Theater Arts. The minor requires 24 hours of coursework.
Required Courses:
- Theatre Skills I: Stagecraft and Lighting
- Theatre Skills II: Costume and Makeup
- Acting for Non-Majors
- Design for Performance
- Theater History I or Theater History II
- Theater Management I
- Private or Voice Classes (2 hrs.)
- Dance (1 hr.)
- Electives
Are you a current student? Contact your advisor for next steps on declaring your major or minor.
Student performers
Student performers
Student performers
Student performers
SEU To You
Adjunct Theater Arts instructor Cara Firestone and university accompanist Susan Finnigan are partnering to teach Musical Theater Showcase this spring, an upper-level course that's part of the Musical Theater minor — perfect for anyone considering a career in it or just has a passion for musicals.