BACHELOR of FINE ARTS
THEATRE PRODUCTION MAJOR
Get ready for a dynamic career in theatre production. Our stages are waiting for you.
The theatre production major prepares you to work in live and recorded entertainment sectors as a technician, artisan, craftsperson and manager. Through hands-on work experience, you produce the entire MacEwan University theatre season. Trained in the fundamental areas of theatre production, you learn to apply those skills as a member of a variety of creative teams: stage and production management, costuming, scenic painting, scenic construction, lighting, video, properties and audio.
Guided by instructors with years of experience in the field, you tackle the the challenges of a production season—and reap the rewards.
What to expect
From your first term until the final year of your degree, you are a member of a variety of creative teams: stage and production management, costume, scenic painting, scenic construction, lighting, video, properties and audio. The theory you learn in class is immediately put into practice through hands-on activities.
In the first two years, you complete required foundational courses. In the third and fourth years, you have the opportunity to focus on a specific area of theatre production and to enhance your learning with courses from other disciplines.
Production experience
Prior to the opening nights of the four major productions and two workshop performances in the MacEwan University Theatre Season, you close the classroom door behind you and spend your time fulfilling practicum requirements.
To begin, you apply to your preferred areas of production. Your schedule varies, depending on the role you're assigned. The carpentry crew, for example, begins hammering about two months before opening night and taps in that last nail about a week before the audience enters the theatre. The stage management crew, on the other hand, puts in the longest hours during the production, calling the cues during the performance, assisting other crews in scene changes, prop hand-offs, and costume changes, as well as attending rehearsals and liaising with the artistic, technical and production teams.
Each year, you take on increasingly complex responsibilities during productions.