Theatre Degrees

CMU’s Acting/Directing Bachelor of Fine Arts program offers rigorous, conservatory-style training within a well-rounded liberal arts education at an affordable public school price. The program is designed to prepare young theatre artists for the fast-paced, challenging and ever-changing world of stage, television and film. The program is led by a dynamic faculty composed of current and former artistic directors, actors, singers, designers and dancers with connections to top industry professionals from coast to coast. Acting/Directing students can expect a full sequence of Stanislavski-based acting classes, in addition to training in Shakespeare, and training in voice, speech, acting for the camera, script analysis, movement, stage combat, make-up, dance and more. Upon completion of the program, students with a BFA from CMU will have the skills, knowledge and confidence necessary to either gain admittance to top graduate programs or to directly enter the profession.

At Colorado Mesa University, we cultivate daring artistic and scholarly pioneers poised to be the luminaries our industry demands. CMU strives to promote an environment where students exist as an ensemble of artists, who create work together and are active supporters of each other. This is an intimate and rigorous program. We give personalized attention to students with a specific focus on making students the best version of themselves. The program accentuates absolute involvement and immersion in our seasons. This deep involvement within a production process prepares students for the rigors and demands of producing theatre well beyond the walls of CMU. Facilities in the Moss Performing Arts Center are state-of-the-art. We have a multi-level costume construction and design facility, a spacious scenic construction area, a robust and fully rigged proscenium space and an experimental black-box style theatre.

CMU’s Music Theatre Bachelor of Fine Arts program offers rigorous conservatory-style training within a well-rounded liberal arts education at an affordable public school price. The program is designed to prepare triple threats in acting, singing of multiple styles of music and movement in multiple styles of dance. The program is led by a dynamic faculty composed of current and former artistic directors, actors, singers, designers and dancers with connections to top industry professionals from coast to coast. Music Theatre students develop all disciplines of performance in an intimate setting. Individuality and versatility are at the heart of all acting courses (from contemporary to Shakespeare), vocal studies (including jazz, pop and rock) and dance classes (jazz, tap and hip hop).

The Department of Theatre Arts offers one of the most successful theatre training degree programs in Colorado. Theatre arts majors choose from two distinct concentrations in the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts (Acting/Directing or Music Theatre), two concentrations of the BA (Theatre Arts or Design/Technology) or the BFA in Dance and acquire a sound understanding of the performing arts in state-of-the-art facilities. The goal of this program is to encourage general theatre studies for students who may be interested in theatrical careers outside of performance or design/technology, such as producing, arts administration, teaching, dramaturgy or playwriting. Beginning with the first semester, students follow a curriculum that offers a grounding in the fundamentals while allowing the flexibility to focus or move between dance, theatre, musical theatre or design/technical theatre options.

The communication studies minor offers a broad range of courses focusing on human communication behaviors and is designed to complement any major. The coursework is designed to improve oral message sending and relational communication skills. In a global survey of industries, companies and public organizations, communication skills ranked FIRST among the personal qualities of college graduates sought by employers. A communication studies minor gives graduates communication credibility and opens many doors. It also enhances interpersonal relationships — students gain valuable conflict resolution and leadership skills, learn to win arguments, discover the power of persuasion, speak out publicly, use nonverbal and visual communication more effectively and are able to do it all in an increasingly connected, diverse global society.

Through the theatre minor, students may choose courses from a broad range of theatrical endeavors including: acting, scenery, costumes, theatre history, the teaching of theatre, arts management and dramatic literature. Students will also have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the creation of shows in the CMU theatre season.