Theatre BFA, Specialization in Stage Management

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Theatre BFA, Specialization in Stage Management

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About this Program

Earn your Theatre BFA, Specialization in Stage Management through immersive production experience, professional mentorship and hands-on training that prepares you to lead live performances with confidence.

If you’re passionate about theatre and thrive behind the scenes, the Theatre BFA, Specialization in Stage Management will prepare you to become the organizational and creative leader who keeps productions running seamlessly. Guided by faculty who are experienced stage managers, technical theatre artists and designers, you’ll develop expertise in communication, collaboration, leadership and decision-making while building the confidence to succeed in a demanding profession.

From your sophomore through senior year, you’ll participate in production practicums every semester, taking on roles such as stage manager, assistant stage manager, production assistant and swing stage manager. You’ll gain extensive experience supporting both plays and musicals as part of mainstage productions, working closely with directors, designers, performers and technicians in a collaborative, supportive environment. By graduation, you’ll have developed the professional experience, leadership skills and adaptability needed for careers in stage management and a wide range of creative industries.

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Quick Facts

Program Type

Major with Specialization

Degree

Bachelor of Fine Arts

School

Cornish College of the Arts

Campus

South Lake Union

Learning Format

In-Person

Duration

4 years

Start Date

August, January

Credits

120 semester credits

Student backstage at a theatre performance wearing all black and a headset.

Find YOUR Creative Path

Our Theatre programs are designed with flexibility in mind. Students can explore different academic and creative paths early in their studies and, if their interests evolve, easily transition between the BFA and the BA without losing progress toward their degree. BA students benefit from the freedom to study across disciplines by pursuing a double major or minors, while students pursuing a BFA receive specialized training. This structure helps you find the program that best supports your artistic and professional goals as they evolve through your course of study.

At a Glance

Choosing a college is about finding the program that best supports your goals. At Cornish, we look for students who are passionate about their area of study and eager to grow.

Stage Management and Production Minor

The Stage Management and Production Minor introduces you to the collaborative, technical and organizational skills that bring live performances to life. You’ll gain practical experience in stage management, production processes and backstage operations while working alongside students across theatre and dance productions. Whether you plan to complement another major or explore a career in live entertainment, the minor provides valuable experience in leadership, communication and production management.

Core Skills & Techniques

  • Management: Intermediate and Advanced Stage Management, Production Practicum and Internship opportunities.
  • Technical Theatre: Wood & Steel Fundamentals, Fabric & Construction Fundamentals, Stage Management Fundamentals, Lighting Fundamentals, Sound Fundamentals and Graphic Fundamentals. Studio Practice Rotations in: Prop Making, Costume Construction, Scenic Painting, Production Management, and more.
  • Theater History and Theory: Understanding the historical and theoretical contexts of Theater, Musical Theatre, Global History of Dress.
  • Collaboration: Communication skill building, problem solving, and respectful exchange of ideas. Developing the ability to critique artworks constructively and engage in critical discourse. Multiple opportunities to engage with creative teams in support of productions.
  • Professional Practices: Career development, portfolio showcase, artist website development, and networking in the performing arts industry.
  • Interdisciplinary Practice: Encouraging collaboration across various visual art, design, and production disciplines to create innovative performances.
  • Performance Practice: Options to take stage combat, directing, intimacy, voice, podcast, and other experience complementary to the role of the stage manager.

Learning Outcomes

  • Collaboration: Employ effective collaborative approaches in the creation of interpretive and generative (devised) works
  • Communication: Articulate complex artistic ideas verbally, visually, and in writing.
  • Analysis & Critical Thinking: Integrate research, critical thinking and contextual analysis from a diversity of sources
  • Professional Standards Craft: Generate and apply discipline specific craft and communication within the creation of live performance, adhering to professional industry standards
  • Personal Aesthetics: Articulate an emerging personal aesthetic grounded in both historical and contemporary theatre-making practices, and apply one’s artistry through a racially- and culturally-aware intersectional lens
Degree Combinations

Connect Your Passion to New Possibilities

Explore purposeful academic combinations while pursuing a rigorous arts education to enhance your career preparation. At Seattle University, you can customize a Theatre BFA by pursuing any minor offered across Seattle University without extending your time to degree.

While this is not an exhaustive list, explore some of the many ways Theatre can be paired with other disciplines to enhance your academic journey and strengthen your professional preparation:

Around Campus

Explore Facilities

Create with confidence in professional spaces that encourage experimentation, collaboration and artistic exploration.

Skinner Theater

Work behind the scenes in Skinner Theater at Raisbeck Performance Hall, building the organizational and leadership skills needed to manage professional live performances.

Learn About Raisbeck
Scene from Mother Courage and Her Children; actors standing in front of a large set piece.
Stage production of The River Bride at the Cornish Playhouse

Cornish Playhouse

From rehearsals to curtain call, you’ll build professional stage management experience in the Cornish Playhouse, a landmark Seattle theater and home to Cornish’s mainstage productions.

Learn About the Playhouse
Visit Us

Visit Cornish College of the Arts

For more than a century, Cornish College of the Arts has inspired artists, performers and designers to push creative boundaries and shape the future of their fields. Today, at Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University, you can experience that legacy firsthand while exploring the studios, performance spaces and collaborative community where creativity comes to life. Schedule a campus visit, take a virtual tour or connect with our admissions team to discover how you can make this historic creative community your own.

Visit CornishVirtual Tour
List of Faculty Members

Stage Management Faculty + Staff

Dedicated to mentoring the next generation of creatives, Cornish faculty combine extensive professional expertise with a passion for teaching students how to develop the skills, confidence and vision to succeed in the arts.

Performance Production
Carl Bronsdon
Adjunct Faculty, Costume Shop Supervisor
Performance Production
Melanie Burgess
Chair of Theater "professor"
Performance Production
Matthew McCarren
Scene Shop Supervisor
Faculty or Staff placeholder image
Performance Production
Thorn Michaels
Instructor
Performance Production
Matthew Smucker
Professor of Scenic DesignInstructor
Performance Production
Bret Torbeck
Performance Production Program Director
Performance Production
Heidi Zamora
Instructor
View All Staff