TCU DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE
THEATRE PROGRAM

Incoming freshmen for the academic year who wish to enroll in the BFA Theatre program, must be accepted through an audition/portfolio review and interview process.  Any student admitted to TCU may enroll in the BA Theatre program, but those who wish to enroll in the BFA Theatre program must audition on the TCU campus one of two on-campus audition dates, usually in early December or mid-February.  The application form for these auditions may be reached by clicking on this link - Admission Audition Application Form

What is the difference between the BFA and BA degrees in Theatre, and the Theatre Minor?

A BFA is a professional training degree, requiring enormous focus and commitment from students on the discipline of Theatre. The BFA requires 83-87 credit hours in Theatre, our of your total of 124 (minimum) for a TCU degree (you must also complete the TCU Core Curriculum) A BFA can easily be completed in 4 years, but to do so will require strict adherence to academic advising. It may also be difficult or impossible to do so if you are attempting to also complete a second major or minor. At TCU, the BFA is available with a generalist curriculum (subtitled Theatre Studies), or with emphases in Acting, Musical Theatre, Design or Production. A student must choose one of these 5 emphases. Students are admitted into the BFA Theatre program only through audition/portfolio review and interview.

A BA is a liberal arts degree in Theatre, with a generalist focus. The BA requires 46 credit hours in Theatre out of your total of 124 (minimum) for a TCU degree (you must also complete the TCU Core Curriculum). It is ideally suited for students who wish to earn a second major, or who combine it with a minor in Education to become certified as a secondary Theatre teacher. The BA degree at TCU requires that students complete a minor, and also successfully complete 2 semesters of sophomore level foreign language (the BFA does not require foreign language study). At TCU, the BA is not available with discipline emphases (such as Acting or Design). Any student who is admitted to TCU may declare a BA Theatre major, without audition or portfolio review.

A Theatre Minor is available to any student who is not a BFA or BA Theatre major. It requires 18 credit hours in Theatre, and is designed to augment other degree plans for those students who are majoring in other disciplines, but who would like to have a formal academic experience in Theatre, as well. Any student who is admitted to TCU may declare a Theatre Minor, without audition or portfolio review.

Auditions for Theatre TCU productions are open to any enrolled TCU student. Auditions are held at the beginning of each semester for ALL of the shows being produced in that semester. Normally, students are cast in only one show per semester. If students are cast, they have the option of enrolling in 1 hour of academic credit to reflect their work on the production.

BFA Theatre majors, with emphases in Acting or Musical Theatre are required to audition each semester. All other Theatre majors and minors are strongly encouraged to audition each semester.

Students who are working on a BFA in Theatre will be required to work on a crew each semester they are here. BA students are required to work on at least 4 crews, and Theatre Minors are required to work on at least 3 crews. Non-majors are welcome to enroll for credit to work on a crew in any semester.

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All BFA students are evaluated annually in a faculty jury (Design/Production emphasis students with the Design/Production faculty; Acting/Musical Theatre emphasis students with the Performance faculty; Theatre Studies emphasis students with their choice of one of the two faculty groups). Juniors and Seniors are evaluated during the end-of-the-semester Study Days in December. Freshmen and Sophomores are evaluated during the end-of-the-semester Study Days in May.

Shortly before the May juries, current TCU students who are not in the BFA Theatre program may petition the Theatre faculty for admission into the BFA program. The ideal time to make such a petition is in May of your freshman year. If you wait any longer, it will likely be impossible for you to graduate with a BFA in Theatre in four years.

After each jury, the Faculty has the option to take these actions:

1. No Action – This action is taken when the faculty believes the student is making satisfactory progress in their current BFA program.
2. Change in Emphasis – This action is taken when the faculty believes the student should remain in the BFA program, but should be working towards a different emphasis (i.e., switching from Musical Theatre to Acting, or from Theatre Studies to Design).
3. Artistic Probation – This action is taken when the faculty believes the student should remain in their current BFA program, but that they must show marked improvement in their artistic work, work ethic, attitude, etc. Artistic Probation usually lasts one semester, after which the probation is lifted or the student is removed from the program. Artistic Probation may or may not include exclusion from Theatre TCU production assignments, at the discretion of the faculty.
4. Academic Probation – This action is taken when the faculty believes the student should remain in their current BFA program, however the past semester and/or cumulative GPA of the student has dropped below 2.5. Academic Probation usually last one semester, after which the probation is lifted or the student is removed from the program, based upon their academic success. Academic Probation may or may not include exclusion from Theatre TCU production assignments, at the discretion of the faculty.
5. Removal from BFA Program – This action is taken when the theatre faculty believes that the student has not demonstrated adequate artistic and/or academic ability to remain successful