Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater: Contemporary Theater
Program Overview
Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s B.F.A. in Theater: Contemporary Theater is unlike any other theater training program in the U.S. It is designed for theater artists whose talents and interests transcend traditional labels or categories, and helps develop bold and innovative theater makers who will shape and define the theater of tomorrow.
The contemporary theater program’s distinctive course of study focuses on ensemble-based training for 21st-century theater artists who are strong performers and theater creators, attuned to inclusive and socially conscious artistry. The curriculum combines rigorous acting training with cutting-edge practices in devised and immersive theater. Devising is considered by many to be the fastest growing field in theater today. Graduates of Boston Conservatory’s contemporary theater program are prepared to pursue diverse careers as multidisciplinary theater makers: actors, devisers, directors, playwrights, and visionaries.
Our Students
Boston Conservatory contemporary theater students are fearlessly original, artistically curious, and passionate about effecting change through the power of theater. They have a calling, and the theater is their home. They are looking to find their voice, their gesture, their cause, and their own unique artistic method and path. They value collaboration, community, and the creation of theater that has an impact locally and globally.
Curriculum Overview
Boston Conservatory’s contemporary theater program is not a conventional college acting program. A cornerstone of its curriculum is the making of new work. Each semester, ensembles reimagine a classic or create an original performance. Throughout their four years, contemporary theater students are making, collaborating, interpreting, and performing what’s new, what’s now, and what’s next. Our students are the storytellers of the future.
The first two years of study offer rigorous training in acting, voice, and movement, as well as the principles of directing and design theory. Dramatic forms and their contexts are explored in literature and history classes while students are immersed in ensemble building and devising practices.
In the second half of the program, students increase experimentation with non-traditional and site-specific performance methods. Elective choices include Acting for Camera, Playwriting, Eco-performance, Extreme Character, Circus Arts, Entrepreneurship for Theater Artists, Race, Identity and Performance, and Introduction to Producing. The final year culminates in the creation of an independent capstone performance.
Program Requirements
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater: Contemporary Theater requires 120 credits, consisting of the course requirements listed below. View the Sample Curriculum by Semester for additional details.
Acting, Movement, and Voice
- T-ST 1141 Acting Studio 1 (2 credits)
- T-ST 1142 Acting Studio 2 (2 credits)
- T-ST 1143 Movement Studio 1 (1 credit)
- T-ST 1144 Movement Studio 2 (1 credit)
- T-ST 1147 Contact Skills (1 credit)
- T-ST 1241 Vocal-Physical Connection 1 (1 credit)
- T-ST 1242 Vocal-Physical Connection 2 (1 credit)
- T-ST 2105 Viewpoints 1 (1 credit)
- T-ST 2106 Viewpoints 2 (1 credit)
- T-ST 2141 Acting Studio 3 (2 credits)
- T-ST 2142 Acting Studio 4 (2 credits)
- T-ST 2143 Movement Studio 3: Suzuki (1 credit)
- T-ST 2144 Movement Studio 4: Acrobatics (1 credit)
- T-ST 2147 Directing and Composition (2 credits)
- T-ST 2241 Vocal-Physical Connection 1 (1 credit)
- T-ST 2242 Vocal-Physical Connection 2 (1 credit)
- T-ST 3141 Acting Studio 5 (2 credits)
- T-ST 3241 Shakespeare Voice (1 credit)
- T-ST 714xx Movement elective (1 credit)
- T-ST 719xx Acting Electives (4 credits)
- T-ST 729xx Voice & Speech Electives (2 credits)
Ensemble Collaboration and Performance
- T-EN 1941 Ensemble Performance Lab 1 (2 credits)
- T-EN 1942 Ensemble Performance Lab 2 (2 credits)
- T-EN 1943 Auto Cours 1 (1 credit)
- T-EN 2941 Ensemble Performance Lab 3 (2 credits)
- T-EN 2942 Ensemble Performance Lab 4 (2 credits)
- T-EN 2943 Auto Cours 2 (1 credit)
- T-EN 3941 Ensemble Performance Lab 5 (2 credits)
- T-EN 3942 Ensemble Performance Lab 6 (2 credits)
- T-EN 3943 Auto Cours 3 (1 credit)
- T-EN 4941 Ensemble Performance Lab 7 (2 credits)
- T-EN 4943 Auto Cours 4 (1 credit)
Theater Practice and Application
- T-PR 1001 Actor’s Toolkit (1 credit)
- T-PR 1907 Theater Production and Process (1 credit)
- T-PR 2941 Theater and Community Arts Practice (3 credits)
- T-PR 2944 Entrepreneurship for Theater Arts or T-PR 71912 The Business of Theater (1 credit)
- T-PR 3941 Touring and Entrepreneurial Skills (3 credits)
- T-PR 3947 Environmental and Virtual Performance (2 credits)
- T-PR 4941 Capstone (3 credits)
- T-SK 0041 Visual Vocabulary and Storytelling (2 credits)
- T-SK 1441 Music and Rhythm (1 credit)
Theater Literature and Histories, Liberal Arts, and General Education
- C-PR 1001 Introduction to iPad Media Technology (1 credit)
- L-CM 1301 Introduction to College Writing (3 credits)
- L-CM 1302 Literature Topics (3 credits)
- L-CM 739xx Liberal Arts Elective: Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
- L-CM 749xx Liberal Arts Elective: Social Sciences (3 credits)
- L-CM 759xx Liberal Arts Elective: Math/Science (3 credits)
- T-AP 3941 Capstone Planning (1 credit)
- T-AP 4941 Senior Seminar (3 credits)
- T-LT 1907 Dramatic Text and Context (3 credits)
- T-LT 1941 Introduction to Ensemble in Contemporary Theater (3 credits)
- T-LT 2903 Global Theater Histories 1 (3 credits)
- T-LT 2904 Global Theater Histories 2 (3 credits)
- T-LT 3905 Performance Theories (3 credits)
- T-LT 3941 Playwriting (3 credits)
- T-LT 3942 Dramaturgy (3 credits)
- T-LT 799xx Topics in Theater Academics (6 credits)
- Xxxxx General Electives (7 credits)
What You Will Learn
Upon successful completion of the B.F.A. in Theater: Contemporary Theater program, students will:
- create original and innovative theater that responds to the contemporary world;
- construct and apply a personalized technique for making and performing theater;
- experiment with dramatic forms and content as artistic innovators;
- analyze and embody diverse theater practices, histories, literatures, and aesthetics;
- collaborate with creativity, generosity, rigor, and integrity;
- contribute as artist-citizens to the social, cultural, and ethical impact of theater;
- define and express their artistic identities with confidence and authenticity; and
- make informed choices about constructing creative lives and sustainable careers.
Guest Artists
Each semester, Boston Conservatory welcomes notable guest artists to visit classes, lecture, or collaborate on new work. Recent guest artists have included:
- Rachel Chavkin: Tony Award–winning director of Hadestown, writer, dramaturg, and founding artistic director of Brooklyn-based company the TEAM
- David Henry Hwang: Obie Award–winning author of M. Butterfly, Yellow Face, and Soft Power
- Ty Defoe: Ojibwe and Oneida performance artist, activist, and writer living in New York
- Claire Warden: national leader of the intimacy direction movement in theater today
- Tim Miller: internationally acclaimed queer performance artist from Los Angeles
- Double Edge Theatre: a female-led ensemble and theater laboratory for actors
- Mauricio Salgado: actor, director, and cofounder of Artists Striving to End Poverty
- Paris Crayton III: actor, director, and author of more than 40 plays produced nationwide
Boston Conservatory has established partnerships with leading theater organizations such as SpeakEasy Stage Company that give students exciting professional opportunities. Learn more about these partnerships. In 2019, Boston Conservatory graduated its first class of contemporary theater innovators. Graduates join a strong network of Boston Conservatory alumni working as actors, directors, playwrights, and producers nationwide, including:Professional Partnerships
Your Future