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

    Contact

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Program Highlights

    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.
    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.
    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.

    Careers and Outcomes

    Marymount Manhattan College theatre alumni are working on Broadway, off-Broadway, in television, in film, at regional theaters, and everywhere in between. Many of our students also go on to graduate schools across the country and the world.

    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

    THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA Scenic Design

    Start your journey today.

    Learn more about the application and audition process, take a virtual tour, and chat with current students right from the comfort of your home.

    Visit OpportunitiesSTART YOUR APPLICATION PROSPECTIVE FAQS