Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts
Program Overview & Goals
A Theatre Arts degree is more than preparation for the stage. The intellectual depth, disciplined work ethic, and adaptability you earn along the way equip you for whatever comes next.
When you pursue a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Theatre Arts at Hendrix College, you can experience all aspects of a stage production. Through participatory classes and productions, you will gain firsthand experience in acting, directing, design, movement, stagecraft, theatre history, script analysis, and other essential aspects of the discipline.
Along the way, you will also develop the critical thinking, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills that are central to the work itself. These skills are valued by employers in nearly every industry, which is why a Theatre Arts degree from Hendrix can take you in so many different directions.
Our graduates pursue careers on stage and behind the scenes; attend graduate school in theatre, the humanities, and other disciplines; and may go on to build careers in education, law, medicine, technology, and other fields where communication, creativity, and flexibility matter.
Via Hendrix
The strongest productions are not built on talent alone, but through thoughtful preparation, creative collaboration, and the confidence to challenge convention.
Via Hendrix approaches your education the same way. Beginning in your first year, we ask you to think deeply about your path. Then you work closely with advisors and mentors to follow it. Your hands-on Theatre Arts coursework, including a semester-long professional co-op experience, will deliver the technical skills you need to perform, design, and direct. But it is our liberal arts foundation that equips you to think critically, communicate with intention, and create work that resonates beyond the stage.
Careers & Outcomes
A Theatre Arts education equips you with more than artistic training. It builds the creativity, discipline, communication, and problem-solving skills that employers value across a wide range of professions.
Salary Projections
The median pay for producers and directors is $83,480, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top Industries
- Broadway, Off-Broadway, Community, and Regional Theatre
- Film and Television
- Arts Administration and Nonprofit Leadership
- Education
Career Options
Versatility is the main strength of a Hendrix Theatre Arts degree. These are just some of the possible careers you can pursue:
- Acting, Producing, Writing, and Directing
- Event Coordination
- Financial Management
- Project Management
- Teaching
Co-op Opportunities
Take everything learned in the classroom and apply it in co-op—a semester-long, full-time professional experience completed by every Hendrix student. Build confidence and your professional network while working in places like:
- Arkansas Public Television (Conway, AR)
- Arkansas Repertory Theatre (Little Rock, AR)
Roadmap to the B.A. in Theatre Arts Program
As a Theatre Arts major, you take 10 full-credit classes (including electives) across a variety of vital theatre disciplines while also gaining experience in four different production-related required practicums.
Year One
The First-Year Experience is your warm-up for the next four years. Here, you dive into everything Hendrix offers. Get to know the faculty, your fellow students, and the community as you ask what you want to get out of college and make a plan to achieve it.
Year Two
By the end of your first year, you will already have taken several fundamental theatre courses. Get even more involved in your second year, working on one or two productions while dipping your toes into movement and stagecraft. With your co-op on the horizon, your integrated advising team will encourage you to get engaged and reflect on how your studies connect to your goals.
Year Three
Through your 12- to 14-week co-op, you bring your classroom experience into a professional setting. Test your limits, discover what you can do, and learn what else is possible.
Year Four
In your final year, your integrated advising team partners with you to get you ready for grad school or the job market. In Senior Seminar, you transform theory into practice, reflecting on what you’ve learned while preparing for what comes next. Students majoring in Theatre Arts also complete TART 497: a Senior Seminar in Theatre Arts, which serves as a culminating experience for the department.
Featured Classes
The Theatre Arts bachelor’s degree balances rigorous foundational training with bold experimentation to prepare you for every aspect of professional storytelling. From creating characters through acting, movement, and voice techniques onstage to designing/executing the cohesive and technical elements of a production, you will gain the versatile skills needed to excel both in the spotlight and behind the scenes.
TART 140
Acting Fundamentals
Find truth in the moment and become more aware of the character’s given circumstances as you study methods rooted in Stanislavski’s time-honored approach.
TART 260
Scenery & Lighting
Get a hands-on introduction to techniques of lighting, sound, scenery and property construction for the theatre.
TART P21-24
Theatre Production Practicum
Gain experience in all aspects of theatre production while completing each of four separate practicum courses (TARA P21, TARA P22, TARA P23, TARA P24). Individual practicums focus on scenery and lighting; costumes and makeup; acting, stage management, dance captain, or sound; and props, house and publicity, and assistant stage management.
TART 290
Beginning Playwriting
Gain experience in the development and construction of dramatic texts through in-depth research and disciplined creativity. Thanks to the Murphy Fellow program, which consistently brings deep playwriting expertise to the department, this elective is offered on a regular basis.
Meet the Faculty
Our three full-time Theatre Arts faculty members cover the full spectrum of the discipline—from history, movement, and voice to dance, choreography, set and props design, stage management, and arts management. Most of all, though, they’re skilled in helping students discover how theatre connects to all that makes us human.
Related Programs
Theatre explores fundamental elements of the human experience, such as what motivates people to act and how we can make deeper connections with others. Many other programs at Hendrix ask those same questions.
Your Next Steps Via Hendrix
A Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Hendrix can lead to a career in professional theatre and much more. Discover how the collaboration and creativity you learn on stage create the foundation for your future.