Performance Creation (BFA)
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Why study Performance Creation?
A growing number of theatre professionals no longer see themselves solely as directors, playwrights or dramaturges, but rather as performance creators — artists with multidisciplinary knowledge, training, and expertise. You’ll balance academic study, practical experience and artistic expression as you explore what it means to be a performance creator in the theatre. The program emphasizes collaboration with artists and workers from other fields, disciplines, and sectors.
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 options:
- Specialization in Performance Creation (60 credits)
This program is only available for Fall admission
Annual Capacity: 64 (all Theatre programs)
Cegep Profile: No specific profile required. However, following a profile in the arts may help applicants build a successful portfolio.
Additional Requirements
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
- Canadian High Schools: 65% or C+
- U.S. High Schools: 2.5
- University Transfers: 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 27 points. Admission to competitive programs is based on strong portfolio/auditions and, normally, above-average grades.
- Bacc. Français: A minimum grade of 11/20 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.
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 and outside of 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. |
We reserve the right to close admission to a program at any time after the official deadline without prior notice.
Performance Creation 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
- Playwriting
- Dramaturgy
- Directing
- Performance Studies
- Stage Management and Production
- Socially engaged and activist performance
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.
Performance Creation graduates are well-positioned for graduate-level studies or further training leading to careers in a variety of disciplines including:
- Theatre arts
- Education
- Journalism
- Community work
- Writing, criticism, and publishing
