Belhaven University

What you'll study

The Drama bachelor’s curriculum balances performance technique, production practice and theatre scholarship. Core areas include acting (scene study, voice and speech, movement), directing, script analysis and playwriting. Students also take courses in theatre history and dramatic literature, stagecraft (scenic design, lighting and sound), costume construction, and stage management.

Training is delivered through a mix of classroom study, studio labs and production practicum. Typical modules and learning experiences include:

• Acting: scene study, audition techniques, improvisation and character development
• Voice and movement: vocal technique, dialect work and physical theatre
• Directing and dramaturgy: text analysis, rehearsal process and production concept
• Design and technical theatre: scenic construction, lighting design, sound design and stagecraft
• Stage management and production practicum: running rehearsals, cueing and show calls
• Playwriting and new work development: creating original material and workshop practices
• Theatre history and criticism: survey courses that situate practice within cultural and historical contexts
• Capstone and senior projects: mounted productions, portfolios or research projects that synthesise training

Students are expected to participate in departmental productions each year; ensembles, touring shows and collaboration with other arts programmes provide additional practical experience. Coursework emphasises collaborative process, audition preparedness and professional presentation.

Entry requirements

Belhaven looks for applicants who demonstrate both academic readiness and theatrical potential. Typical entry requirements include:

• A completed secondary school qualification (for example, a high school diploma or recognised equivalent)
• Official academic transcripts
• An audition or interview with the drama faculty — this normally involves prepared monologues, cold readings or movement/vocal exercises; specific audition requirements are provided by the department
• A personal statement outlining theatrical experience, interests and goals
• One or more letters of recommendation, ideally from teachers or theatre practitioners who can speak to the applicant’s maturity and potential

Transfer applicants may be asked for a portfolio of recent work or evidence of college-level coursework in theatre. International applicants should also meet the university’s English-language proficiency expectations. Prospective students are encouraged to contact the department early to arrange auditions and discuss placement.

Career prospects

Graduates of the Drama programme proceed into a range of careers in the performing arts and related fields. Common pathways include:

• Professional acting in theatre, film, television and commercials
• Directing for stage and screen or working as assistant directors
• Technical careers such as lighting, sound, scenic and costume design
• Stage management and production management roles
• Arts administration, producing and development for theatres and cultural organisations
• Teaching and education roles, including drama teaching in schools or community arts education (often combined with certification or further study)
• Playwrighting, dramaturgy and new-work development
• Further study at conservatories, graduate theatre programmes or MFA/MA courses

Alumni commonly build freelance careers combining performance, production and educational work, or move into related creative industries such as media, event production and communications.

Why study at Belhaven University

Belhaven offers a small, close-knit learning environment where faculty mentorship and frequent performance opportunities are central to training. The drama programme emphasises practical, conservatory-style work within a broad liberal arts education, so students gain both specialised theatre skills and transferable critical-thinking abilities.

The department typically stages multiple productions each year, giving undergraduates regular chances to perform, design and run shows. Students benefit from collaborative projects across the arts, internship and networking opportunities with regional theatres, and personalised advising that supports professional preparation, audition readiness and portfolio development.

Belhaven’s faith-informed campus culture also appeals to students seeking an education shaped by a values-based community, while still preparing graduates for a wide range of professional pathways in the contemporary theatre and creative sectors.