Reckless (Photo by Gerry Goodstein)
The BFA in Acting major is an intensive program that prepares students for acting careers in the professional theatre both in New York and regionally. This major offers education and training in contemporary realistic acting and period styles, culminating in a year of Shakespeare training. Our BFA in Acting is a unique 60-credit hour BFA program. Most conservatory style BFA programs require 90-credit hours in theatre to receive the degree and thus are not able to offer the kind of liberal arts education that Marymount Manhattan provides to prepare students for the wide range of drama presented in the professional theatre.
BFA in Acting majors are exposed to a wide variety of playwrights and acting styles in the four year-long acting courses:
Acting I: contemporary writers such as Neil LaBute, Tony Kushner, Naomi Wallace, and August Wilson.
Acting II: classic American writers such as Arthur Miller, Cliford Odets, Tennessee Williams, and Lillian Hellman.
Acting III: 19th and 20th Century modern realism writers such as Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov, and the comic styles of Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and Noël Coward.
Acting IV: Shakespeare and Restoration.
The growth and achievement of students is monitored each year through scene work presented to the performance faculty for evaluation.
BFA in Acting students are required to audition for all main stage productions presented in the Theresa Lang Theatre and for student directed Directing Projects.
REQUIREMENTS FOR a BFA in Acting
| THTR 110 Stagecraft |
| THTR 215 Script Analysis |
| THTR 202-203 Voice & Speech for the Actor |
| THTR 211 & 212 Acting I |
| THTR 223-224 Movement for Actors |
| THTR 230-231 Theatre History |
| THTR 341 & 342 Acting II |
| Dramatic Literature Course 300/400 level |
| THTR 305 Elements of Directing |
| THTR 311 Shakespeare |
| THTR 352-353 Acting III |
| THTR 431-432 Acting IV |
| THTR 465 Advanced Studies in Drama & Theatre |
SUGGESTED ELECTIVE COURSES
| THTR 101 Theatre Games & Improvisation |
| THTR 233 Theatrical Make-up |
| THTR 298 Studio Production Workshop |
| THTR 307 Dialects for the Stage |
| THTR 309 Voice & Speech Practicum |
| THTR 314 Special Topics in Theatre: Acting for the Camera |
| THTR 314 Special Topics in Theatre: Clown Technique |
| THTR 314 Special Topics in Theatre: Commedia dell’arte |
| THTR 314 Special Topics in Theatre: Viewpoints |
| THTR 318 Business of Acting/Senior Showcase |
| THTR 334 Audition Techniques |
| THTR 343 Theatre Production Workshop |
| THTR 366 Devising Performance Events |
| THTR 370 Beyond Naturalism |
| THTR 378 Producing Performance |
| THTR 398 Puppetry |
