Program Overview
How do art and faith relate? The Asbury Theatre Program prepares you to nurture your creativity while pushing you to also grow in your faith. You will develop a broad spectrum of skills that prepare you to be a well-rounded, service driven artist. Our curriculum combines areas of study with hands-on training in performance, design and production.
Your work at Asbury will combine practical knowledge, academic depth and a natural integration of faith into your craft. Students are encouraged to grow as artists and individuals within an encouraging community. Discover your personal theatre journey and prepare for a future career.
While here you will participate in projects where you will have to wrestle with ideas about media, information and faith under the mentorship and guidance from our faculty who have lived, worked and encountered these same questions.
Asbury’s Undergraduate +GRAD program allows you to finish an undergraduate degree, then earn a master’s degree with significant time and cost savings.
Asbury offers related master’s degree programs in:
Personal attention: Asbury has small class sizes when compared to larger institutions. Students are immersed into our productions starting their freshmen year.
Faith forward: We encourage a creative process liberated and nourished by a Christian worldview.
Top quality: Besides the stage productions offered in the Greathouse Theatre, there are over 50 short student films shot each year providing theatre students with a wide range of experience from acting for camera to designing for sets to being involved in the production end of these projects.
Real experience: Theatre students benefit from ample ‘cross-pollination’ with the media communication programs and technologies at Asbury, and are deeply involved in set construction, camera operation, scripts and costume design.
Theatre students are offered many opportunities in tech, design and performance.
The London Travel Course is an outstanding 2-week acting intensive with professional actors and instructors from the Globe and National theatres. Includes visits to historical and cultural sites as well as attending several West End shows. Additional opportunities include studies focused on production design.
The Highbridge Film Festival is an Asbury awards event focusing on the best of student short films each year. Some of which have gone on to win regional Emmys. Asbury Theatre students have many opportunities to act in these projects. They can graduate with an acting reel of their best moments in these cinema quality short films, providing a great tool for starting their career.
Asbury invites industry professionals to speak with classes, and at times conduct workshops for the students. Chances are given for feedback on the students’ performance and design work. These sessions provide a great opportunity for students to build their network before graduation.
Theatre students are given the opportunity to participate in the different productions that are done on campus as well as in the Lexington area. Musicals, plays, the sitcom, and student directed productions are just a few of the opportunities that students can get involved in. Live productions help to give Theatre students more training and experience of what it is like to be working in this field. By offering these productions Asbury is sending out students who are ready to begin their career in theatre.
Read about upcoming productions.
Theatre students have the opportunity to experience what it is like to be in a sitcom, students are encouraged to audition for the parts that are available. The sitcom usually has a cast of 6-10, both male and female parts are available, all of the roles in the sitcom call for college-aged students. They get to appear in the sitcom which will be taped in front of a live audience in early October and all cast members will receive a free copy of the finished DVD.
A high energy production of original material written, directed, produced and acted by students. Emerging artists’ work is experienced in debut performances over a weekend for audiences comprised of students and community. Participating students are from all different majors and gather together to create this fun event. Produced every other year.
Students who have taken Fundamentals of Directing are encouraged to submit proposals for a student-directed show. They will be mentored through the process, and their production will be included in the theatre season. This is a great way to gain experience for a career as well as develop artistic skills.
Present a proposal to direct their a show. Take a 2-week acting intensive with professional actors and instructors from the Globe and National theatres. Work closely with the film & television programs allowing students to move between acting or designing for stage to adapt those skills for acting or designing for film. The sky is the limit!
Asbury has a wonderful and well-appointed Communications & Theatre Arts facility with spaces for stage and film. Our scene and costume shops allow students a space to hone their theatre craft skills. Recording studios, film and editing equipment provide students with up to date technology & equipment while producing their theatre, TV, and film projects.
Industry-leading faculty in the theatre program are committed to mentoring and instructing students at the highest level. Our theatre faculty have professional working backgrounds, which allows relevant training to help students be fully prepared for their careers.
Asbury theatre grads can be found pursuing successful careers in acting, producing, and many other aspects of the entertainment industry. They actively work in roles including:
admissions@asbury.edu
(859) 858-5000