School of Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies
Theatre Education and PerformanceBFA
In the Theatre Education and Performance BFA program, students master the fundamentals of dramatic arts, and hone their unique artistic voice while also learning to leverage the transformative power of the arts in classrooms and communities. Through hands-on learning, students become well-rounded artists, educators, and community leaders who use theatre to impact audiences, shape society, and change lives.
Program starts in the fall. Review deadlines.
At a Glance
- Choose between the Performance Concentration, for students who want acting training as well as Education courses, or the Classrooms + Communities Concentration, for those who want to focus on using theatre as an educational and community-building tool.
- Emerson Stage’s 8-10 show season puts students at the center of every performance, with hundreds of roles exclusively for Performing Arts students.
- Faculty in the Department of Performing Arts are industry leaders in acting, applied theatre, directing, and more.
- Join student-run theatre organizations, explore student teaching opportunities, and apply for internships with Boston’s numerous theatrical production companies.
- Students can pursue Preliminary Massachusetts State Licensure, leaving Emerson college ready to teach in schools in the region.
From the Stage to the Classroom
Theatre can act as a force for good, from the stage to a classroom or a community. Emerson’s Theatre Education and Performance BFA prepares you to use performance as a tool for learning, connection, and social impact. The program gives you a foundation in acting, education, and applied theatre. You’ll explore how performance works in schools, community organizations, healthcare settings, and professional theatre environments. You’ll choose between two concentrations: Performance or Classrooms + Communities. From there, your coursework will be tailored to those tracks, and you’ll learn the skills needed for a successful career.
As you move through the program, you’ll deepen your knowledge through hands-on teaching, performance, and community-based work. Performance students complete the same two-year Actor Training Core as Acting majors, while building expertise as educators. Classrooms + Communities students focus on arts-based learning and theatre production in schools and community settings. You’ll create teaching projects, develop a professional portfolio, and gain experience both onstage and in the community. By graduation, you’ll have practical experience; a body of work that demonstrates your growth as an artist and educator; and a community of collaborators, mentors, and industry connections ready to support what’s next.
Choose Your Concentration
Students choose between two concentrations within the major during the application process: Performance for those wanting to receive more extensive acting training and Classrooms + Communities for those pursuing a primary focus on teaching and theatre work with youth (in and out of schools) and people of all ages in community settings.
About the Undergraduate Performance Concentration
Our students and faculty believe in the transformative power of theater. Employing the experience of stage performance in the classroom can be a revelation—and the start of a lifelong commitment to enlivening young minds and shaping society’s future.
Upon the foundation of the liberal arts, you’ll build your proficiency in acting and teaching—mastering the fundamentals of dramatic arts in our two-year Actor Training Core alongside students in the BFA Acting program and learning the educational and teaching tools that can be applied in many exciting and fulfilling occupations.
About the Undergraduate Classrooms + Communities Concentration
Most people tend to think of theatre as entertainment, but it is so much more. It teaches, inspires, and transforms not only audiences, but also performers, participants, and communities. From exploring emotions and building confidence to instilling empathy, the theatre encourages personal voice and collective dialogue across diverse communities.
Emerson College’s undergraduate Classrooms + Communities concentration is grounded in the liberal arts and in the fundamentals of the dramatic arts. The program’s experienced faculty provide students with educational and teaching tools that can be applied in many exciting and fulfilling occupations. And, most importantly, students engage young minds and shape society’s next generation, through school-based teaching and empowering multigenerational community members through arts-based practices.
Performance and Production Spaces
Emerson College owns more performance space than any other institution in Boston. These spaces give undergraduate Performing Arts students the opportunity to work on both historic stages and newer, state-of-the-art venues.
Real-World Experience as a Performer, Educator, and Applied Theatre Artist
Theatre Education and Performance majors have ample opportunity to gain real-world learning experience. Here are a few examples:
- Emerson Stage is the producing organization within the Department of Performing Arts. Its 8-10 show season offers more than 120 opportunities for actors, 100 positions for design staff, 70 for production staff, and another 70 for theater management staff and 30 artistic staff—all reserved exclusively for Performing Arts students.
- The Theatre Education and Performance program is connected to over 60 area schools and theater companies in the Greater Boston area. Students work alongside theater teachers in schools through various observation and student teaching opportunities. They also intern at Huntington Theatre Company, Central Square Theater, American Repertory Theater, and Lyric Stage Company, among others.
- Our campus is home to a vibrant student theater scene with 30 student performance organizations, including Kidding Around, Emerson Shakespeare Society, RareWorks Theatre Company, Musical Theatre Against the Grain, and Emerson Urban Dance Theatre.
- Students have the opportunity to hone their skills for the camera by acting in student films produced on real working sets on campus and on location through our School of Film, Television, and Media Arts.
- ArtsEmerson brings industry-leading theater and film from all over the world to the heart of downtown Boston. Through master classes, networking events, discounted tickets, and free student rush, ArtsEmerson gives students the chance to learn from cutting-edge artists.
- Students can study the craft of acting in the hub of the entertainment industry while spending a semester at Emerson Los Angeles. They also intern at a site related to their field, such as a casting or talent agency.
Artistic Direction on the Global Stage: Experiencing Santiago A Mil
Go behind the scenes of one of the world’s premier international performing arts festivals in Santiago, Chile. Students engage with festival organizers, artists, and directors while exploring innovative performances that blend artistic excellence with social and political impact—all while experiencing the energy and culture of a vibrant South American capital.
Kasteel Well, Netherlands: Kristin Linklater Voice Workshop
In addition to the semester-long program at Emerson’s Kasteel Well in the Netherlands, Performance Concentration students have the opportunity to apply for Kasteel Well’s four-week program, where they will learn to hone their voice through the Kristin Linklater Method and the Roy Hart Approach. The program, offered to rising juniors, improves expression, applies these techniques to the works of Shakespeare, and is taught by faculty who have mastered both the Linklater and Hart approaches to acting.
Careers for Theatre Education and Performance Majors
Our Theatre Education and Performance graduates pursue careers in professional theater, community outreach, teaching at all levels, and arts-based work in community settings. Examples of careers include:
- Professional Actor
- Theatre Teacher
- Teaching Artist in Schools, Theaters, Afterschool Programs, and Community Spaces
- Children’s Theater Manager
- Educational Outreach Coordinator
- Acting Coach
Notable Performing Arts Alumni
- Alex Ates, Director of Arts, Kent Denver School
- Daniel Begin, Associate Director of Education and Artistic Associate, Greater Boston Stage Company
- Christopher Brindley, Theatre Arts Teacher and Director, Department Head of Performing Arts, Framingham Public Schools; Vice President, Executive Council Member, Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild
- Marisa McIlrath Jones, Associate Director of Education and Practical Learning, Huntington Theatre Company
- Adam Riccio, LHMC, Expressive Arts Therapist, Dana Group Associates; Adjunct Faculty at Lesley University
- Adaire Robinson, Performing Arts Faculty, Noble and Greenough School
- Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, Playwright, Director, Dean of the Chaddock and Morrow College of Fine Arts at Ohio University
Learn from Industry Professionals
Our Theatre Education and Performance faculty are experts in the fields of theatre education, acting, and applied theatre.
Take a Performing Arts Tour
Explore Emerson’s theatres, rehearsal spaces, and production studios, then stay for an informational session about the Performing Arts programs and Artistic Review process.
Apply to Emerson
If the Theatre Education and Performance BFA program is for you, apply to Emerson today!