Theatre Arts: Technical Theatre and Design

Build your technical theatre and design craft from the ground up – hands-on, behind the scenes.

While backstage, you will walk the catwalk, construct elaborate theatre sets, and design intricate theatre costumes that will bring theatre performances to another dimension.

Technical management requires a diverse set of skills. The B.F.A. in Technical Theatre/Design sequence of courses focuses first on developing creative expression through acting, improvisation, and script analysis. To assure comprehensive training, once you've built a foundation, you may choose to pursue elective courses that lead to a concentration in scenic, lighting, sound, or costume design, or stage management.

Program Details

Top Reasons

Opportunities for realized production projects on the mainstage

Students in each specialization will have opportunities to create designs and production work that will be fully produced on our mainstage. Student work is the center of our focus, and is featured in multiple productions. We present five shows each year, directed by full-time faculty and professional guest directors, providing multiple opportunities to design, stage manage, and produce quality practical work as part of our Festival of Fine Arts season.

One on One Mentoring

Small class sizes and individual mentoring is a key component of our program. Each student creating projects for the mainstage will have a direct faculty advisor to guide them through their projects from beginning to end. This mentorship ensures that students will not only be able to produce a quality final product, but also that they will grow artistically and scholarly from the process.

Expert Faculty

Study with faculty that include recipients of the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival award as well as design awards from the Orlando International Fringe Festival.

Holistic approach to theatre education.

Students have the opportunity to explore the key elements of the creative process and how they help communicate the story. Elements include: costuming, lighting, scenic, and sound design, as well as acting, directing, and script analysis movement.

Meet Our Mocs

Nour Lofty

The theatre department is hands on! I wanted to go somewhere where I would be working on a show right away. I didn’t want to wait to get that engaged learning because I very much learn by doing. I have worked on every show that has been put on at Florida Southern since being here which has built up my portfolio to the point where I have to pick and choose what to include because there are too many things!

Nour Lofty

Rachel Nickolos

I love theatre in general and I love how through the technical theatre major I get to work on shows and I can have the chance to try multiple positions and get real world experience. I like the student to teacher ratio the most. It makes me feel like I can get more out of my education, and it gives me the ability to be more involved through hands on experiences.

Rachel Nickolos

"...the play's the thing..."

Holistic approach to design and technical training

Our approach to training begins with the final product – the play. We emphasize a collaborative approach to our training, so that the production is the aim of the entire company – not just the scenery, lighting, or acting, but the whole product. Theatre requires the technical/design elements to support the acting and directing. All of these elements are necessary to produce a successful and artistic creation. Our training emphasizes the value of each component of the creative process, rather than concentrate on individual area. We aim to create a mutually supportive ensemble of producing artists, while honing skills in a chosen specialization.

Learn from Award-Winning Faculty

The industry regularly recognizes our faulty for their artistic achievements. They include recognition multiple times for scene designs and theatre technology by Broadway World Orlando, and the Orlando Frings Festival, and a three-time recipient of Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival awards, as well as a finalist in BBC’s Voice of Musical Theatre International Competition.

Clubs And More

is the oldest running student organization on campus and remains active with fundraisers, organizing annual staged readings, producing a biennial ten-minute play festivals, and fully staged studio productions. In addition to the Vagabonds, the college hosts an improv troupe called “Studio Box” who perform regularly for enthusiastic sell-out crowds on campus.

Related Programs

Theatre Arts Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre Theatre Arts: Theatre Performance English Music Performance

Program Details

AVAILABLE IN:

BFA

Admission Requirements

There is a separate portfolio requirement to be accepted into this major.

Students may be accepted into the Theatre Arts: Technical Theatre and Design BFA program only through a submission of a portfolio in their area of expertise.
Scholarships are awarded based on the portfolio and interview by the theatre faculty. BFA auditions will automatically be considered for scholarship eligibility.

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First-Years

All freshman applicants to �Թ��s full-time degree programs must submit the following information:

A completed application form
An official high school transcript
SAT and/or ACT scores (unless applying Test-Optional)
Academic recommendation

Transfers

Applying to Florida Southern as a transfer student is easy.

A completed application form
Personal statement
All official college transcripts
Social standing form

If transferring less than 24 credits, we also need your:

Official high school transcript
SAT and/or ACT scores

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Internationals

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Additional Portfolio Requirement for Technical Theatre and Design

There is a separate portfolio requirement to be accepted into this major.

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Program Contact

James Beck, MFA

Associate Professor of Theatre Arts

Department Chair

Buckner Theatre

863.680.4227

863.680.4457

Office of Admissions

France Admissions Center

863.680.4131

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