School of Theatre Performance Core
Before officially declaring a BFA major, each first-year student entering the School of Theatre is admitted into a First Year Theatre Core curriculum, in either Performance or Design & Production.
The First Year Core experience helps establish a core vocabulary that will serve as the foundation for a student’s progression into the BFA degree program (Acting or Theatre Arts). In addition, the First Year Core is designed to provide an appropriate context for faculty evaluation of each student’s strengths, interests, and potential for success in the upper years of training.
Performance Core Curriculum
The Performance Core provides the groundwork for future study in either the BFA Acting or BFA Theatre Arts major. This curriculum is carefully designed to establish common vocabulary, instill the School’s core values, encourage students to become aware of and overcome personal obstacles, and explore students’ untapped potentials.
The Performance Core curriculum includes classes in:
- Acting
- Voice & Speech
- Movement
- Alexander Technique
- Theatre Ensemble
- Dramatic Literature
- Stagecraft
- CFA First Year Experience
- Writing Seminars
Learn more on the BU Academic Bulletin
Performance Core – for students who matriculated prior to Fall 2023
Performance Core – for students matriculating in Fall 2023 or later
Major Selection
At the end of the first year of study, each student will declare a BFA major. These decisions are reviewed by members of the faculty before a student is officially enrolled in their BFA program.
Upon completing the Performance Core, students enroll in one of the following (please note, the below links are to requirements for students who matriculated prior to Fall 2023. For Fall 2023 and later matriculants, please find details here):
Average Class Size
- Studio Classes: 12–19
- Dramatic Literature: 75
Unique Opportunities
- Students develop the ability to work and think as an ensemble, providing a community-oriented foundation within each graduating class.
- Through the Performance Core, students acquire tools and practice techniques that sharpen inherent instincts and intellects, encourage creativity, and open them up to broader levels of awareness, imagination, and expression.
For more information, please email us at theatre@bu.edu.