Acting for the Theatre (BFA)
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Why study Acting for the Theatre?
Develop a clear sense of your own theatrical identity as you train to become an adaptable performer, grounded in a full range of acting for contemporary theatre. Our program offers room to be artistically daring as you create your own work.
First, you’ll acquire a broad theatre base, building a creative vocabulary for collaborative projects. Then, you’ll take courses in movement, voice, and character. As you progress and your skill base grows, you’ll focus on specialty performance and advanced techniques, such as Elizabethan text, Chinese opera, or stage combat.
Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to gain performance experience. Many students elect to complete a supervised internship in the field.
By the end of the program, you will be at ease with multiple theatrical styles, with profound knowledge of theatre performance that you can apply directly to the stage.
Program details
A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree takes a minimum of three or four years (90 – 120 credits) of full-time study, depending on your academic background.
Program option:
- Specialization in Acting for the Theatre (60 credits)
This program is only available for Fall admission
Annual Capacity: 64 (all Theatre programs)
Cegep Profile: No specific courses are required beyond a DEC. However, following a profile in the arts may help applicants build a successful portfolio.
- Letter of Intent and photograph
- Audition/Interview
It is your responsibility to book an interview. When preparing your application, please remember:
- Audition/interview booking deadline: March 1
- Check program availability for the Fall, as late applications will continue to be accepted for certain programs for an undetermined amount of time
- Applicants must apply online before booking an audition/interview
Minimum cut-off averages
Minimum Cut-off Averages should be used as indicators. Data may change depending on the quality of the application pool. Admission to the Faculty of Fine Arts is very competitive. Applicants who meet the stated minimum requirements are not guaranteed admission to these programs.
- Quebec Cegep (CRC): DEC CRC 18.0
- Canadian High Schools: 70%
- U.S. High Schools: C+
- University Transfers (internal/external): C
Admission to most programs is based on portfolio/audition evaluations as well as academic grades. Applicants selected for admission have normally achieved grades that exceed minimum requirements.
- International Bacc. (IB): A minimum total of 26 points. Admission to competitive programs is based on strong portfolio/auditions and, normally, above-average grades.
- Bacc. Français: A minimum grade of 11 for students who have completed their Bacc. Français outside of Quebec. Admission is competitive and based on strong portfolio/auditions and, normally, above-average grades.
(excluding diplôme professionnelle)
Make sure you also meet Concordia’s minimum admission requirements.
We consider complete applications year round and we give priority to applicants who apply by official deadlines. Late applications will be considered if places are still available for the fall term only.
| You've sent your application from: | Fall term deadline | Winter term deadline |
| Inside Canada | March 1 Certain programs have extended their deadlines. Please check program availability. |
N/A Admission to this program is only available for the Fall Term. |
| Outside Canada (International) |
February 1 | N/A |
We reserve the right to close admission to a program at any time after the official deadline without prior notice.
Acting for the Theatre students begin by taking core theatre courses with all theatre students. As you progress and your skill base grows, you will take classes in specialty performance areas and advanced techniques.
Sample classes
- Acting
- Character and Text
- Theatre Movement
- Voice and Speech
You may also choose from courses that cover all practical aspects of theatre, including stage management, production, and dramaturgy.
See a complete list of current courses in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Either recently created or completely renovated, our performance spaces encourage creativity. You will rehearse in smart rooms that look out over the city, perform in theatres with beautiful acoustics and great sightlines, and build sets and props in incredible workshops. It’s hard to imagine what we can't do in these facilities:
- Multiple performance spaces, from the large, refurbished D.B. Clarke Theatre and Loyola’s F.C. Smith Auditorium, to the Cazalet Studio, our intimate black box space
- Four acting studios with sprung floors and contemporary projection and integrated sound systems (two also have lighting grids)
- Two design classrooms and a lighting lab
- A costume shop, plus costume storage space and a dye lab
- A fully equipped scene construction shop and prop storage
Visit our facilities page for more information on our studios, resources and venues.
Throughout your degree, you will participate in class projects, departmental productions, and student-led shows. You may also take advantage of professional and extracurricular opportunities where you might apply your talents. You could be involved in:
- Most theatre classes have performance elements, and acting students often audition for scenes in the Directing class
- Four main stage department shows
- Cabaret nights hosted by the Concordia Association of Students in Theatre (CAST)
- Short works theatre festival: as part of a Student Initiated Production Assignment (SIPA), five teams of students produce a 20 to 40 minute play
When is our next theatre performance? Visit our news and events page to find out.
At the end of the program, you will be at ease with multiple theatrical styles and will have gained profound knowledge of theatre you can apply directly to the stage. This program also serves as an excellent basis for advanced studies at the graduate level or in specialized schools. The program encourages the development of autonomous thinkers and theatre-makers, with the ability to create their own work, and many students go on to form their own theatre companies.
Studying acting at Concordia gives you training in a wide range of communication and collaborative skills, which are sought after in many work environments outside of traditional theatre practice.
Our graduates possess an excellent foundation for any career in which communication and collaboration are integral, including:
- Actor
- Producer or director
- Running a theatre company
- Acting instructor
- Artistic director
- Performance curator
