Theater Design and Technology - Bachelor of Fine Arts

Program Total Credits: 124

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theater Design and Technology provides education and broad training in the full range of theatrical design and technical areas followed by more concentrated study and practical work in a chosen area of focus. The program foundation includes art history, theater history, theater studies and script analysis, fine arts classes, and a sampling of acting, stage management, and directing classes. Students are exposed to each of the five core areas: Technical Direction, Set, Costume, Lighting, and Sound Design.

 The choice of focus area affects the production work assignments given and the coursework taken, in the third and fourth years. Upper-level studies include: Realized designs or technical direction assignments; a significant professional-theater internship; and the development of professional-grade display and interview portfolio. Students design for all Brind School production levels, including the main stage. Students frequently work alongside faculty and guest professional artists on productions.  Students completing this program are prepared to enter the theater industry or to pursue further studies at the graduate level.

A graduate of the Theater Design and Technology program will:

• demonstrate the ability to analyze plays to determine essential design and production elements, to identify appropriate, strong, and feasible design opportunities, and to present those effectively to the production team for discussion and evaluation.     
• demonstrate creativity, flexible thinking, and problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate with director and production team.       
• demonstrate knowledge of important artists, movements, practices, and history in art and in theater. 
• know and understand in detail the duties and functions of the director, design team, and all technical support staff, and meet professional expectations for production work done in the area of focus (set design, costume design, lighting design, sound design or technical direction)
• understand that all design and technical elements exist to serve the overall production and to enhance the acting performance; show empathy with performers and work with their performance in mind.
• be able to understand and interpret all theater drawings and specifications including scaled plans, renderings, plots, swatches and other theater documentation, and to produce complete production documents as necessary in the area of focus.
• demonstrate competence as an entry-level professional in the chosen area of focus with documented work in portfolio and resume formats; demonstrates the ability to find entry-level work in theater and related fields (Film, TV, Dance, Music, etc.) through job research, communication skills, and effective self-presentation.