Our program offers five specialized tracts for BA Theatre Arts students -- Acting, Musical Theatre, Design/Tech, Pre-Teaching and Directing. 

As students progress through the program, the concentration provides coursework designed to broaden a students' skillset and help them find their own path. 

View Program Guides Here:

• B.A. in Theatre Arts, Concentration in Acting 
• B.A. in Theatre Arts, Concentration in Design/Tech
• B.A. in Theatre Arts, Concentration in Directing
• B.A. in Theatre Arts, Concentration in Musical Theatre
• B.A. in Theatre Arts, Concentration in Pre-Teaching

• Ross Beschler
• Dirk Durosette
• Tom Fusco
• Jamie Leigh Grace-Duff
• Dr. Anthony Hostetter 
• Dr. Elizabeth Hostetter 
• Dr. Christopher Roche 
• Lane Savadove

For a full list of department faculty

All new students are required to sign up for an audition day during the Rowan University application process. For more specific audition requirements and instructions. 

The Acting Concentration provides rigorous, inclusive training of the body and voice along with in-depth script analysis and psychological objective-based acting techniques. Acting training is based on the late-Stanislavsky method of Physical Actions. Physical and Vocal practices include Fitzmaurice and Roy Hart Vocal Techniques, Physical Theater and Viewpoints, Dance-Theater, other interdisciplinary and culturally diverse practices. Study of Theatre History and Theory informs and enriches our performance practices. Training in directing and creating original work is core to our practice as we prepare graduates to produce their own work in addition to pursuing a career as a working actor.

Stemming from historical, critical, and performative skills learned in the Theater Dance core, the Concentration in Design and Technology expands the core experiences to include drawing, rendering, and design techniques. Concentration classes are project based with the goal of creating a portfolio of collected work.  Skills are further reinforced through practical application on the department productions. We are committed to providing our students leadership and responsibility in all aspects of the production process; from run crew and stage management through full design opportunities for the Main Stage productions. One-on-one mentorship opportunities and concentrated activities immerse students in the concepts of design and their applications in the entertainment industry, preparing them for individualized career success.

The Directing Concentration creates a strong foundation in all aspects of staging scripted and adapted work through rigorous practical work.  The concentration is often added to an existing acting or musical theater concentration but can also be a stand-alone concentration for which incoming students can audition. In addition to courses in Directing itself, the concentration requires courses in design, theater management, advanced composition, and upper level design or production electives.

The Musical Theatre Concentration trains physically-aware singing actors by offering rigorous acting training, private vocal lessons every semester, a wide-range of intensive dance training and physical theater techniques, the study of performance theory and history, directing, and creating original work. We train well-rounded performers who can have careers in all forms of theater. Our intensive training includes twice-per year vocal juries, voice coaching, lyrical examination, and public performance of musicals and devised cabarets.

There are three distinct options to pursue theatre education at Rowan University.You must audition for the BA Theatre Arts program to be considered for any of these options.

Option I: BA in Theatre with a concentration in Pre-Teaching. This option allows you to complete the BA core program and take advanced courses in theatre education. You do not have to complete the required non-program prerequisites for the College of Education MST program and state certification. The concentration can serve as a second area of study and overlap with the Acting Concentration. You must follow one of the audition guidelines for the Acting, Musical Theatre, Directing, or Design/Tech concentrations.

Option II: BA in Theatre with a concentration in Pre-Teaching, MST Prep. This option allows you to complete the BA core program and the pre-teaching concentration, along with the required general education prerequisites, and prepares you for entrance into the three-semester 33 credit graduate level MST: Theatre Subject Matter program housed in the College of Education. You would complete your BA in theatre with the Pre-Teaching concentration and may later reapply and return to Rowan for the MST. You must follow any one of the audition guidelines for the Acting, Musical Theatre, Directing, or Design/Tech concentrations.

Option III: Accelerated Dual Degree with a BA in Theatre and the MST: Theatre Subject Matter.  This option allows you to complete the BA core program with the pre-teaching concentration, the required general education MST prerequisites, and dual enrollment in the MST: Theatre Subject Matter program housed in the College of Education during your senior year. You would complete your BA in theatre with the Pre-Teaching concentration and the graduate MST: Theatre Subject Matter program in 10 academic semesters with 9.0 dual credits counting toward both degrees. You must follow any one of the audition guidelines for the Acting, Musical Theatre, Directing, or Design/Tech concentrations.