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 be taught by award-winning Equity actors and industry professionals. You’ll cultivate professional relationships by collaborating with other students on films and student-directed theater. You’ll have the chance to perform in our yearly production season. And once you graduate, you’ll join a vibrant community of UArts alumni working in Philadelphia’s vibrant theater scene, and working professionally in theater and film across the country.

There are ample study abroad opportunities, both in the US and abroad, for students who wish to extend their training beyond Philadelphia.

And there are endless opportunities for you to extend your artistry and performance in the direction you’d like to see it go: whether it’s extensive training in Shakespeare and Classical Performance, devising and creating original work, or preparing for a career in film, TV and voiceover.

Careers & Alumni

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

Career Paths

A traditional performance path on stage or screen is only one of many career options that a BFA in Acting prepares you for, such as:

• Performer (Theater, Film/TV, Voiceover)
• Stage Combat & Movement Choreographer
• Teaching Artist & Theater Educator
• Voice/Dialect Coach
• Casting Associate

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, 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.

• The Arts Bank Theater is a unique, state-of-the-art performance space on Philly’s famed South Street. The building houses a 220-seat main stage, a rehearsal and dance studio, and the intimate 60-seat Laurie Beechman Cabaret Theater on the first floor.
• The Ellen and Ronald Caplan Center for the Performing Arts is located on the 16th and 17th floors of Terra Hall, overlooking the Avenue of the Arts. It includes the Caplan Recital Hall, a 200-seat space equipped with a green room and dressing room space and recording equipment, and the Caplan Studio Theater, a 90-seat black box theater.
• The Elaine C. Levitt Auditorium is located in historic Gershman Hall. It houses 700 seats and is perfect for large concerts and performances.

Brind School facilities include

• six full-sized acting studios;
• four 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.

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

• UProgress is a student run theater club that seeks to create performance opportunities for Brind School students, primarily for the students of color, and to give them a voice and the necessary space to create art that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
• 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, our students’ interests and artistic pursuits are as varied as the opportunities and curriculum we offer. They thrive in collaborative spaces, and often express their artistry not only through theater but by pursuing training in one of the many additional arts programs offered by the Brind School of Theater and by the University at large.

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 and beyond.

See More Faculty

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