Conservatory-type training in a liberal arts setting
Elon is recognized in the theater industry as a proven training ground for mature, skilled and competent actors. Elon’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program includes an intensive study and performance program designed to give you the knowledge, experience and professional exposure you need to build a successful career on stage, in front of the camera or in higher education.
At Elon, theater students receive a conservatory-style education in a liberal arts setting. You will grow and develop with dynamic teachers who will teach you to refine your acting technique and deepen your understanding of all aspects of theater. And you won’t have to wait in line to perform on stage; At the start of your first semester, you will have many opportunities to put your learning and talents into action by participating in a variety of stage productions. You will make valuable professional contacts by participating in summer theater, festivals, conferences, congresses and guest workshops on campus. By the time you graduate, you’ll have all the tools you need to start a successful performing career or pursue further graduate studies.
Elon’s Performing Arts alumni are employed nationwide on Broadway, in national tours, in regional ventures, in films, television series, and national and regional commercials. By the time you graduate, you’ll have all the tools you need to start a successful performing career or pursue further graduate studies.
Targeted program
Elon’s Acting Program is a performance-based program designed to prepare students for careers in stage, film, or television. You will learn the concepts and techniques of effective movement, voice control, character development, and stage work. You will study theater literature and history, make-up techniques, script analysis, acting direction, and theater design. Along the way, you’ll receive expert guidance on preparing professional resumes, mastering auditions, making industry contacts, and other skills needed to translate your talent into professional contracts. You will leave Elon a mature and versatile actor experienced in a range of techniques, styles and genres.
Elon’s BFA Acting program gave me all the tools I needed to start a career in the arts. It’s been almost five years since I graduated, and the lessons I learned at Elon continue to guide my work, keep me inspired, and come back to me in new and surprising ways with every project I take part in. I will be forever grateful for my four years there, the top-notch training I received, the teachers who shaped the artist I am today, and the incredible lifelong community of friends I have. now as colleagues and collaborators.
Austin Larkin’17
Experienced faculty
Elon’s faculty combine years of international professional experience with a passion for teaching. Our teachers are veteran actors with many professional credits, including roles in the New York performance of “Fantasticks”, the international tours of “West Side Story”, “Annie”, “Kiss Me Kate” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and TV, film, and commercial credits. They know what it takes to succeed in the industry and are committed to sharing that expertise with you. The mentorship relationships they build with students continue after graduation and the professional contacts they maintain are invaluable in helping students transition from academia to the profession.
Individual attention
Elon’s acting program only accepts 16 new students each year so that everyone receives the kind of personal, close attention that is essential for growth and development. If you need help, advice or just a little encouragement, the faculty will be there for you. Small class sizes allow teachers to work one-on-one with you to help you realize your potential.
Stage time early and often
In art, like theatre, there is no substitute for on-stage experience. Throughout your college career, you’ll have the chance to participate in a variety of productions, including comedies, dramas, musicals, student-directed one-act plays, ensembles, and workshops. Recent campus productions include “You Can’t Take It With You”, “Into the Woods”, “Dancing at Lughnasa”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “The Crucible”, “Macbeth”, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile”, “Noises Off”, “She Stoops to Conquer” and “Marisol” and “Sweeney Todd”.
My time at Elon helped me turn my passion into a career. Faculty members are not only teachers, but also mentors who understand what makes each student in their program unique. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work under their guidance and guidance. Even now when auditions come up I can send a quick email or call and they are there with advice and support. I love the Elon BFA family and always grateful!
Nicole Brydon Bloom ’17
Hearings, fellowships and organizations
Admission to Elon’s acting program is by audition. Annual talent-based scholarships are available based on the same audition used for the admissions process. Audition dates are set each year in the fall and spring semesters. All offers of admission to the theater program are on hold until a student is admitted to the university.
Admission to Elon’s acting program is by audition. Audition dates are set each year in the fall and spring. Consult the list of upcoming audition dates.
Acting majors are eligible to participate in Alpha Psi Omega, the national theater honor society and student production organization, and Technical Difficulties, a student-run improv group.
Real world experience
In addition to on-campus production experience, most students in performing arts programs leave Elon with professional credits on their resume. Through internships, summer theater work, and other opportunities, you’ll develop significant real-world experience before you graduate.
Study Abroad Opportunities
Acting majors, like other performing arts students, are eligible to participate in Elon’s renowned study abroad programs. In recent years, performing arts students have taken courses such as classical studies in Greece, semester residencies in London and work placements in professional London theatres.
After graduating
Elon’s placement rate among performing artists is excellent, and most acting graduates go straight into a performing career. Recent graduates of our performing arts program have toured nationally and internationally with “Chicago”, “The Sound of Music”, “Cabaret”, “Jekyll and Hyde”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Urinetown “, “Pit” and “Fame”.
Other graduates choose to continue their training in a doctoral school. Elon’s students have been accepted into prestigious institutions including:
- Yale Theater School
- University of Cincinnati
- Boston University
- The old globe
