Program Overview
Credits: BFA Performance: 125 credit hours; BFA Design and Production: 133 credit hours; BFA Theatre Specialization: 133 credit hours
As one of the oldest professional theatre training programs in the region, we are well-known for preparing you for careers that can take you anywhere from Broadway to Hollywood. Our unique curriculum fuses a conservatory approach to theatre training with a liberal arts education. You’ll engage with an intense schedule and disciplined focus on academic coursework and practical production experience.
Since 1964, our NU Theatre department has proudly educated and entertained audiences through a variety of annual productions, giving you an artistic playground for growth and development and a passion for performance. Personalized mentorship with theatre faculty will help you find your confidence, both on- and off-stage, through every step of our experiential learning process.
Upcoming Auditions
BFA Audition/Interviews + National Auditions
For prospective and transfer students seeking entry into any of our BFA programs, applicants are required to attend one of our events, typically held each Spring, to complete either an audition or an interview for their respective programs.
Feb. 2 and Feb. 23, 2025
Schedule your audition or interview for
admission into our 2025 BFA program
NU Theatre Season
In our 7th decade of entertaining audiences, NU Theatre offers a wide variety of productions at a professional level, both on and off stage.
2025 Senior Showcase
Buffalo – March 3rd
NYC – May 6th
Production Experience
Our on-campus theatre hosts eight student productions each season, providing you with more opportunities to apply the knowledge, skills, and techniques you explore in the classroom.
Mentorship and Networking
Under the guidance of our faculty and staff or working professionals, you’ll receive hands-on individualized training in all aspects of theatre. You’ll also engage with our alumni network of artists from Broadway, shows, TV, film, and radio.
Study Opportunities
We offer study abroad opportunities in London, Florence, and Rome, one full-tuition scholarship and board to the Powerhouse Theatre program at Vassar College, and advice for other industry-related summer apprenticeships and performances.
I fell in love with Niagara’s theatre department for what it meant. There is a purity that I find extremely inspiring. There is an attitude here about theatre that corresponds so closely with my own. It’s about love.John Kander Tony/Emmy/Academy Award winning composer of Broadway musical hits Chicago, Cabaret, Curtains and more
Discovery Awaits
What You’ll Study at Niagara University
A vital component to our BFA curriculum are required practicums to be completed each semester. These are opportunities for you to gain experience through build, run, and design assignments or work in crew positions for multiple departmental productions. You can also work alongside faculty directors and designers, or engage with an independent study experience. Our BFA Theatre program has three unique tracks to suit your career interests:
BFA Performance: You’ll not only take classes in acting, voice, and dance/movement every semester, but you’ll engage with specialized performance courses in commedia dell arte, dialects, directing, physical theatre, speech, stage combat, and much more. Performance students will also complement their studies with courses in the history and theory of theatre, production, dramatic criticism, and more.
BFA Design and Production: You’ll combine studio and classroom coursework with practical and individualized training in all aspects of theatre design, including costumes, lighting, scenery, and sound. You’ll also complete two practicums each semester, where theory is put into practice in key positions of NU Theatre productions.
BFA Theatre Specialization: If you’re interested in career paths outside of performance or design and production, we’ll work with you in this specialization program that’s tailored to your interests. You’ll spend your first two years as a BFA Performance student then spend your junior and senior years with focused coursework, including a two-semester Senior Seminar project.
Find Your Best Self
Knowledge, Experience, and Skill Development
- Acting and performance
- Voice, speech, and dialects
- Physical theatre, stage combat, dance, and movement
- Commedia dell arte
- Directing
- Theatre design, costumes, lighting, scenery, and sound
Explore This Minor!
View Coursework
Pursuing a minor can enhance your academic experience and broaden your expertise beyond your major field of study. The minor coursework is designed to provide foundational knowledge and specialized skills to diversity your academic credentials and future opportunities.
Niagara by the Numbers
Prepare to Soar
Academic, Experiential, and Career Pathways
Opportunities
- NU Theatre productions
- Study abroad opportunities
- NU Players student club
Careers
- Regional theatre productions
- Film
- Television
- Broadway shows and tours
- Cruise ship and theme park entertainment
- Master of Fine Arts programs
Ready to Apply?
Filling out an application is easy!
NU offers rolling admissions, which means that you can apply at any time for the upcoming semester. Applications are reviewed as they come in, and students are typically notified of an admission decision in 3-4 weeks. What’s stopping you?
Apply Now