Design for the Theatre (BFA)
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Why study Design for the Theatre?
Theatre designers create entire worlds onstage. Discover and develop your own unique artistic voice as you immerse yourself in the imaginative and analytical processes of communicating design ideas. You’ll learn how to conceive of and realize the visual framework of a theatrical production through the creative use of costumes, lighting and props.
With classes in acting and directing, you’ll gain insights into all facets of mounting a theatrical performance and be prepared to make a fundamental contribution to the creative direction of a production.
You’ll benefit from the expertise of faculty members who are professional working theatre designers. Many students take advantage of the opportunity to obtain credit for work completed for a recognized theatre.
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 Design for the Theatre (60 credits)
Annual Capacity: 64 (all Theatre programs. This program is only available for Fall admission.)
Cegep Profile: No specific courses are required beyond a DEC. However, following a profile in the arts may help applicants build a successful portfolio.
Additional Requirements
- Interview (Applicants must bring the portfolio to the interview)
- Letter of Intent
- Portfolio
It is your responsibility to book an interview and submit your portfolio.
When preparing your application, please remember:
- Interview booking deadline: March 1
- Applicants must bring their portfolio to the interview. Please do not submit your portfolio in advance of the interview.
- Check program availabillity for the Fall, as late applications will continue to be accepted for certain programs for an undetermined amount of time.
Portfolio Day: Twice a year, in the fall and in the winter, faculty meet one-on-one with prospective students to give feedback on their portfolios. It’s a chance to share your work with us before you apply. Get ready for the next Portfolio Day.
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.
Design for Theatre courses give you practical and theoretical knowledge of how lighting, costume, and set and props designers engage in a theatrical production.
Sample classes
- Lighting Design Conception
- Costume Accessories Realization
- Scene Painting
- Stage Properties
See a complete list of current courses in the Undergraduate Calendar.
You have the opportunity to participate in a class production and may also take advantage of extracurricular opportunities to 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 production? Visit our news and events page to find out.
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 design 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, prop shop and prop storage
Visit our facilities page for more information on our studios, resources and venues
