Theater Design and Technology B.F.A.

About this Program

• Combine classroom and experiential learning.
• Design drama department main stage productions and work collaboratively with faculty directors, designers and the professional staff of Syracuse Stage, a professional theater company that shares a theater complex with the department.
• Intern in Syracuse Stage’s technical production shops if you're an eligible senior.
• Work in our newly expanded and renovated Theater Design Center and the variety of performance spaces in the Syracuse Stage/Drama theater complex.
• Experience immersive learning opportunities in New York City; Los Angeles; London, England (in partnership with Rose Bruford College); and Florence, Italy.
• Collaborate with community members with disabilities to co-create theater in an inclusive environment through All Star C.A.S.T. (Community Actors and Students’ Theater) workshops.
• Benefit from a strong, supportive alumni network.
• Students have the option to join the Design Living Learning Community.

Theater Design and Technology (B.F.A.)

Department of Drama

The bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) degree program in theater design and technology combines classroom and hands-on learning experiences.

If you are interested primarily in design, you can specialize in one or more areas, including set design, costume design, and lighting design. If your interest is in the technical aspects of theater, you can explore scene construction or painting, lighting, properties, costumes, or sound design.

You will have the opportunity to design Department of Drama main stage productions and work collaboratively with faculty directors and designers—and with the professional staff and company of Syracuse Stage — to see your designs realized by a professional production team. You may also observe or act as an assistant to guest designers for Syracuse Stage. As a senior, you may be eligible for an internship in the Syracuse Stage technical production shops.

You will work from our newly expanded and renovated Theater Design Center, which includes three design studios, crafts rooms, a LightBox, CAD lab, and a design library. Our theater complex provides opportunities to work in a variety of performance spaces, including a 500-seat proscenium; a 250-seat theater that can be configured as a proscenium, thrust, or avenue stage; and our intimate Loft Theater.

Study abroad opportunities to deepen your training and professional preparation can be found in our program in London, England (including our exchange program with the Rose Bruford College), our Tepper Semester in New York City, and in Florence, Italy, where you may participate in internships through theater or opera venues in addition being exposed to the city’s rich cultural resources.

Students who wish to explore a curriculum that combines technical theater with a more traditional arts and sciences program of study may wish to consider the bachelor of science (B.S.) degree program in drama with a technical theater emphasis.