BFA in Theatre Design and Technology Major • Academics • Marymount Manhattan College

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MR. BURNS ...

Why Study our BFA in Theatre Design and Technology?

Envision new worlds. Define a moment. Further the story. To study Theatre Design and Technology requires passion, a thirst for collaboration, and absolute imagination. You’ll learn to think critically, expand your creative technique, and design powerful productions that address the current issues in our society.

Why Study BFA in Theatre Design and Technology at MMC?

The BFA in Theatre Design and Technology major is an intensive 60-credit program focusing on classroom theory and practical application. At the same time, you’ll be immersed in an engaging, liberal arts community where academic and creative exploration is untethered. Develop a pre-professional design process that integrates disciplines from across the College while experiencing everything New York City offers as the center of the entertainment industry. Learn from esteemed faculty members who are working professional designers and earn opportunities to study with New York Theatre professionals, design mainstage productions, establish professional contacts, and intern with some of New York’s major theatre designers and theaters.

What You Will Learn

Throughout our design and technology course sequence, you will build a thorough design process and incorporate technical skills, theatre history, and practical experience. This well-rounded approach will prepare you for a variety of careers across the Theatre industry and beyond.
Through coursework and actual production participation, you will study visual and dramatic analysis, practice conceptualization, and gain research skills needed to plan designs and effectively present them to directors and production professionals. Additionally, you will learn the practical skills necessary to execute your designs.
Core to MMC’s emphasis on college-to-career preparation, Design and Technology students regularly study and work with theatre, film, and television professionals in classes, productions, as guest lecturers, and in one-on-one mentorships.

Required Courses

Stagecraft

Theatre Design Foundations

Theatre Histories I and II

History of Period Styles

Design Assistant Practicum

Elements of Directing

Shakespeare, the Stage, andHumanity

Intermediate Design Practicum

Theatre Design Collaboration Seminar

Advanced Studies in Drama and Theatre

Plus Courses in One of the Following Concentrations

Costume Design

Fashion, History, andSociety

Theatrical Makeup

Perspective Drawing and Rendering

Costume Construction

Costume Design I, II, and III

Advanced Costume Construction

Lighting Design I or Scenic Design I

Lighting Design

Introduction to Lighting for Film and Video

Perspective Drawing and Rendering

Vectorworks: CAD Drafting for the Theatre

Drafting anda Model Making

Lighting Mechanics

Lighting Design I, II, and III

Costume Design I or Scenic Design I

Scenic Design

Perspective Drawing and Rendering

Scenic Painting and Treatments

Vectorworks: CAD Drafting for the Theatre

Drafting and Model Making

Scenery and Prop Technology

Scenic Design I, II, and III

Costume Design I or Lighting Design I

Sound Design

Digital Sound Design

Vectorworks: CAD Drafting for the Theatre

Lighting Mechanics

Audio Technology for Performance

Music as Media

Projects in Digital Sound

Integrated Meda for Performance

Independent Study or Internship

Scenic Design I, or Lighting Design I, or Costume Design I

Technical Production

Technical Production

Scenic Painting and Treatments

Vectorworks: CAD Frafting for the Theatre

Lighting Mechanics

Scenery and Prop Technology

Audio Technology for Performance

Production Management

Advanced Technical Projects

Integrated Media for Performance

Theatrical Media Design

Introduction to Lighting for Film and Video

Digital Imaging

Digital Sound Workshop

New Media Workshop

Lighting Mechanics

Audio Technology for Performance

Integrated Media for Performance

Devising Performance Events

History and Theory of New Media in Performance

Concentrations

Costume Design

Develop your technique, skills, and eye as a costume designer, maker, and historian. Learn to curate costume choices through script and character analysis and practice the art and craft of presenting a character’s visual story. Hone your drawing and painting skills to communicate ideas and concept, and develop a professional portfolio for a career in the entertainment industry or for application to graduate school. Student costume designers regularly design the costumes for productions in the Theresa Lang Theatre.

Costume Design Concentration

Lighting Design

Learn to paint with light as a method of storytelling by evoking the ambiance for a production. Train with the technology involved in creating exciting and dynamic shows and prepare your professional portfolio for a career in the entertainment industry or for graduate school applications. Lighting design students are regularly given the opportunity to design the lighting for a show in the Theresa Lang Theatre.

Lighting Design Concentration

Scenic Design

Develop your drawing and painting skills to become fluent in the art of visual storytelling. Explore digital softwares to create designs that can be shared with directors and other members of the production team, which will build a professional portfolio for a career in the entertainment industry or for graduate school applications. Student designers regularly design the sets for productions in the Theresa Lang Theatre.

Scenic Design Concentration

Sound Design

Learn to create and mix soundscapes for staged productions and work with professional sound designers to mix and run sound for musical performances. Train with the latest digital software and equipment needed to provide sound for live productions. Student sound designers often design the sound for Theresa Lang productions and our other venues.

Sound Design Concentration

Technical Production

Learn the crafts and skills needed to support the scenic, lighting, and sound areas of production, as well as the tools and equipment needed to execute designs. You will be given the opportunity to head the crew in your area of study for a production in the Theresa Lang Theatre.

Technical Production Concentration

Theatrical Media

Blend artistic and technology skills to develop the use of media in theatrical productions. Study the latest digital software used to create visual and aural content. Theatrical Media students often design projections and or videos for productions in the Theresa Lang Theatre.

Theatrical Media Concentration

View All Programs

Program Highlights

Exciting NYC Internships

Experience working as an intern in New York theatre, film and television. Design and Technology students have worked at Saturday Night Live art department, New York Public Theatre shops, The Lighting Syndicate, David Korins Studio and other professional designers.

Explore Internships

Equity Through Design Mentorship program

Our students attend panels given by professional designers from United Scenic Artists Professional Design Union for Theatre, Television, and Film discussing their careers and the paths students can take after they graduate. Some of our students are paired with a professional designer in their concentration for a year-long one-on-one mentorship experience.

Learn about the program

Senior Design Showcase

All design students take a senior seminar course where they get to collaborate on large projects and develop digital portfolios to present to potential employers or graduate school applications — giving them the edge on post-graduation career development.

Meet our Alumni

internships

Saturday Night Live
Atlantic Theater Company
Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center
Millbrook Playhouse
The Broadway League
The York Theatre Company
Harbor Pictures, and many more!

careers and graduate studies

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Saturday Night Live
New York Public Theatre
Santa Fe Opera
Julliard School
Yale University Drama School
Carnegie Mellon University Drama School
NYU Tisch School of the Arts

The Theresa Lang Theatre

No matter your major or concentration, Theatre Arts students have the opportunity to learn, design, work, and perform in the College’s 250-seat theatre. From our intimate J. William Bordeau Box Theatre to the Great Hall, MMC has a range of performance spaces serving the Theatre Arts program.

Take a campus tour

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