Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama at UNC Greensboro offers a full range of liberal arts and professional degree programs that prepare undergraduate students for a variety of career opportunities in theatre. The degrees provide students with a vital mix of coursework that combines theory and practice and encourages the development of skills and talents.

BAchelor of Fine Arts in Drama Program Distinctions

UNCG’s School of Theatre is highly regarded for its intensive, selective conservatory-style training within a broader university setting. Known as an “unsung” powerhouse, it features highly competitive BFA programs, distinguished alumni, and a massive community impact through the North Carolina Theatre for Young People (NCTYP).

There are four concentrations within the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama—Acting, Design and Technical Production, Theatre Education, and Musical Theatre.

The School of Theatre is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and affiliations include:

• Southeastern Theatre Conference
• United States Institute for Theatre Technology Inc.
• North Carolina Theatre Conference
• Theatre Communications Group

The BFA in Drama Student Experience

BFA and BA degree options allow you to pursue your theatrical studies with a range of depth. BA students are interdisciplinary artists studying several areas of theatre and at least one other discipline which informs their theatre practice. BFA students engage in an intensive program of study specializing in one area of theatre to hone their craft.

• Are you interested in technical theatre? Benefit from collaborations with other departments throughout the University, including Art, Media Studies, Interior Architecture, and Communication Studies. Graduates go on to careers in design, technical direction, costuming, or work as a master electrician, sound engineer, or stage manager.
• Students who audition and are chosen for the rigorous BFA Acting and Musical Theatre programs arrive their freshman year and immediately begin a range of intensive classes in acting, voice, movement, acting for the camera, stage combat, and Shakespeare, along with courses in theatre history, technical theatre, and general liberal arts courses.
•  BFA Theatre Education students work in tandem with the School of Education throughout their academic trajectory towards teacher licensure.
• A rich cohort of visiting artists works directly with students each year and includes actors, casting directors, playwrights, agents, producers, designers, stage managers, teaching artists, choreographers, and faculty from other universities.

Our Alumni

Alumni have pursued careers on Broadway, Off-Broadway, streaming sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, film and broadcast television, and major regional theatres. Graduates include Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winners; Broadway stage managers; produced playwrights; working directors, actors, designers, and technicians; and faculty and staff at many colleges and universities. 

Notable alumni from UNC Greensboro’s bachelor of fine arts in drama include:

• Bonnie Becker: Production Stage Manager (“School of Rock,” “Billy Elliot,” “Legally Blonde”)
• Jonathan Bohun Brady: Artistic Director, Bartlett Theater in Durham, N.C.
• David Byrd: Managing Director, Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk, Va.
• Chris Chalk: Stage and Screen Actor (“Fences,” “Detroit,” “12 Years a Slave”)
• Julie DeVore: Assistant Production Manager (“School of Rock”)
• Joseph Forbes: Broadway Scene Designer (“The Producers,” “Hairspray,” “Book of Mormon”)
• Marcy Bethel Frank: Costume Design (“In the Next Room,” “American Idiot”)
• Hugh Hysell: Producer and Actor (“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”)
• Beth Leavel: Actress and Tony Award winner (“The Prom,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Bandstand,” “Mama Mia”)
• Anne Pitoniak: Actress (“’night, Mother”)

After Graduating with your BFA in Drama

Graduates with a BFA in Drama have many career options in theatre including:

Alumni also make careers in film and television or transfer their theatre skills to other areas including event planning, fashion, therapy, radio, non-profit management, and life coaching. Graduates of UNCG Theatre have also continued their education with master’s and doctoral degrees at schools including Yale School of Drama, Florida State University, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and Carnegie Mellon University.