Theater - Acting (BFA)

Why You Should Earn an Acting BFA at UArts 

In 2021, UArts was named one of the top performing arts colleges in the U.S. by the College Gazette.

In UArts’ Acting program, you’ll collaborate with other UArts students on projects like films and student-directed theater. And you’ll have a chance to gain international inspiration through our student exchange program. Acting majors get both experience and exposure through a variety of performance opportunities–from UArts productions and audition showcases to small, experimental theater and huge Broadway-style productions.

No matter the path you choose, earning a BFA in Acting from UArts prepares you for a creative career, teaching you technique and how to collaborate creatively with other artists—including writers, dancers, musicians, filmmakers and visual artists of all kinds, a skill any artist needs for their career—and providing you with opportunities to learn with working and visiting actors, directors and other theater professionals.

Clubs and Organizations 

UArts is home to nearly 25 clubs and organizations that are just as creative as UArts students.

There’s something for everyone, including visual arts, music, performing arts, advocacy and much more. Our performing arts organizations include

• The Coffee Cup Cabaret, a cabaret troupe dedicated to putting on musical theater cabarets and coffeehouses in a safe and supportive space that is open to students of all majors. 
• The Ignite Dance Collective, which emphasizes the importance of versatility for working artists. By training in commercial dance form, their members focus on authentic expression, accountability and creating a loving and supportive community. 
• The Royals Band Dance Line, which is dedicated to embodying and continuing the principles, traditions and culture of historically Black college and university marching bands.
• The UArts Ballet Ensemble, which offers open membership to all students who are willing to further their experience in the art of ballet. 
• The UArts Gospel Choir, which aims to foster love and compassion through ministry while maintaining an atmosphere that celebrates diversity.
• The Unicorn Ball Club, which provides an open and safe space for community members to participate in ball culture, an artform devised by Black queer artists. 

Learn more about UArts’ clubs and organizations. 

Student Spotlight

In the Acting program, you'll collaborate with other UArts students on projects like films and student-directed theater. And you’ll have a chance to gain international inspiration through our student exchange program with the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in England. Acting majors get both experience and exposure through a variety of performance opportunities–from UArts productions and audition showcases to small, experimental theater and huge Broadway-style productions.

Experience the passion and creativity of young artists on the threshold of professional success. See this season's lineup of shows.

On Stage

Faculty Spotlight

UArts Acting faculty are talented working artists who are dedicated to working closely with students, honing their craft and forming long-term mentoring relationships with Brind School students. Further, our faculty will connect you with the theater community in greater Philadelphia, as well as in New York City.

See More Faculty

Careers & Alumni

The Acting program sets UArts graduates up for success in the world of theater, with a wide selection of possible career paths to pursue and a network of successful, experienced alumni to connect with.

Career Paths

Acting program graduates can pursue careers in many possible professional paths, including:

• Actor
• Talent manager
• Theater critic
• Theater manager
• Educator Producer
• Voice/acting coach
• Broadcast talent
• Marketing/publicity

Alumni Spotlight

UArts Acting alumni have starred in such hit TV shows as Private Practice, Law and Order, and Ugly Betty and can be seen in national and regional theater productions, including the National Black Theater Festival and the prestigious Williamstown Theater Festival.

Other Acting alumni have started their own local theater companies, like Philly’s award-winning 1812 Productions, co-founded by Jennifer Childs BFA ’90 (Acting), who serves as its artistic director.

Graduates from the Acting program at UArts go on to study at places like Yale School of Drama and are the recipients of such prestigious honors as the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship and George C. Wolfe Award in Theater.

Venues and Learning and Practice Spaces 

The Brind School is primarily located in Terra Hall at 211 S. Broad St. Spaces include seminar rooms and classrooms, as well as studios for individual voice, speech, dance, movement and acting instruction. 

We also utilize five public performance venues.

• ArtsBank Theater: 230 seats
• Laurie Beechman Cabaret Theater: 60 seats
• Caplan Recital Hall: 200 seats
• Caplan Studio Theater: 90 seats
• Levitt Auditorium: 700 seats

Brind School facilities include

• six full-sized acting studios;
• five dedicated private voice studios;
• several spacious dance studios;
• one full-sized rehearsal and dance studio in the Arts Bank building, as well as a cabaret-style space;
• a costume shop with state-of-the-art equipment;
• a lighting lab; and
• a fully equipped video editing studio.

Center for Immersive Media 

UArts’ Center for Immersive Media (CIM) is a 5,600-square-foot facility dedicated to exploring the fields of virtual and mixed reality, performance motion-capture, and human-computer interaction. The space includes

• optical motion capture system for full body performance capture and location-based VR applications;
• a four-channel audio system, multiple video projectors and lighting, as well as a control station; 
• 16-station computing classroom with PCs optimized for real-time graphics rendering; and 
• two large project rooms with ceiling grids for development of installations and virtual environments.

Learn more about the Center for Immersive Media.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

UArts recognizes the extraordinary talent of our students through a range of merit-based scholarships. All applicants are automatically considered for such scholarships—no special application is necessary.

Nearly 98 percent of UArts’ undergraduate students enrolled on a full-time basis are eligible for some type of need-based aid. Additionally, some scholarship opportunities take need-based criteria into account. All students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens and are enrolled in a degree program are encouraged to apply by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

About the Brind School

The Ira Brind School of Theater Arts is primed to nourish the individual artistic voice of each student, encouraging the development of advanced skills and an expanded point of view. Graduates of the Brind School can count on their practical experience in a thoroughly equipped and well-connected theater ecosystem to pursue careers in theater as fearless, innovative and adaptable creators. The Brind School imbues students with strong identities as innovators and citizen artists.

The Brind School is tailored for those who want to achieve and excel in performance and stagecraft. The Brind School’s faculty includes 60 instructors, the majority of which are current theater professionals. Alumni regularly return to UArts as educators and hold central positions in Philadelphia’s theater culture, creating a powerful home base for extending students’ creative community far beyond campus.

Learn more about The Brind School of Theater Arts