Your passion for theatre deserves a program that cares as much about your training as you do. Learn about performance and directing, design and management, theatre history and literature from committed professional experts in excellent facilities while getting the rigorous production opportunities to apply those skills!
Why Study Theatre?
The choice to study theatre is often associated with following your dreams, but this is also a profession with many practical applications. Studying theatre cannot only take your talent to new heights, it teaches you how to use those talents to captivate audiences and to explore humanity from different angles, creating professionals who can expertly communicate, motivate and empathize.
Theatre education offers essential skills relevant to our fast evolving society in the 21st century: you develop creativity, mental resilience, problem solving, and interpersonal communication skills in collaborative environments.
As a Theatre major, you will learn the tools you need to succeed from our renowned faculty. You'll work on stage and backstage to learn all aspects of live production from page to stage, from dressing room to box office, from orchestra pit to catwalks.
You'll graduate ready to embark on a career in theatre, cinema or television, prepared to pursue graduate studies or primed to apply your skills to any number of fields like education, psychology, and law, as have countless theatre majors.
Why Study Theatre at CSUN?
Live the World of Theatre
Our program options offer a comprehensive theatre education while allowing you to focus on the aspects that you find most interesting and best utilize your individual skill sets. All of our curriculum combines lab courses and production experiences designed to teach and practice the skills for all aspects of crafting a production from start to finish. We cast, rehearse, design and build more full-length productions throughout the year than many other theatre departments. You can audition to perform in the cast or participate on a technical crew for academic credit.
Renowned Faculty
CSUN's theatre program offers a liberal-arts based, well rounded education by dedicated faculty and staff. Located only 20 miles from the heart of the Hollywood entertainment industry, our faculty are professional theatre artists who will connect you to the profession through internships and job opportunities.
Professional Performance Spaces
Our campus boasts the 400-seat Campus Theatre, the 200-seat Little Theatre and the Experimental Theatre, a versatile space located in our wing of The Soraya Complex. You will also have access to rehearsal rooms, scene shops, costume shops, and a lighting design studio.
National Recognition
The Theatre Department is accredited by National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST). Featured alumni include Charles Martin Smith, Teri Garr, and Donald Petrie.
What You'll Learn
Over the course of your studies, you will receive a broad overview of every component of theatre. All students take classes in:
- Acting
- Movement
- Voice
- Directing
- Textual analysis
- Theatre history and literature
- Scenic, costume and lighting design
- Stage management
As an upper-division student, you will study the history of theatre, principles of directing and stage management. Electives include advanced work in production techniques and different theatre traditions.
Our curriculum is designed to give you real-world experience through active participation in different productions. As an upper-division Theatre major, you will be required to participate in four department productions.
Careers & Outcomes
Upon graduation, you will be qualified to find a career in theatre performance or production. Your degree can also open doors in related roles in film, television and other creative industries.
Employers of recent alumni include:
- The Walt Disney Company
- Disneyland
- Universal Studios Hollywood
- IATSE 705 Motion Picture Costume Union
- Center Theatre Group
- LA Opera
- Independent Shakespeare Co.
- Fox Sports
- National Endowment for the Arts
Career paths for graduates include:
- Set, costume or lighting design
- Technical director
- Props artisan or prop master
- Costume technician or skilled craft stitcher
- Lighting director
- Control programmer
- Production stage manager
- Figure finishers
- Imagineers
- Theatrical educator
- Project coordinator
- Artistic director
One program, three venues.
To facilitate full-length productions throughout the year, the Department of Theatre makes use of its three on-campus spaces: the Campus Theatre, Little Theatre and Experimental Theatre. Each has different stage configurations and layouts to adapt to each production.
Theatre Honors Program
Outstanding theatre students can apply for the Theatre Honors Program after their sophomore year. You will participate in honors seminars and complete an honors project or thesis. Find out about the Honors Program requirements.