In response to changing trends in the acting profession, exacerbated by the pandemic, Oklahoma City University’s School of Theatre is now offering two distinct Bachelor of Fine Arts acting tracks in its curriculum.
The tracks - one in Stage and Screen and another in On-Camera Acting - will begin in the fall 2022 semester. An information session to learn more about the tracks will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 16 via Zoom. Registration is available here.
D. Lance Marsh, School of Theatre professor and head of performance, said the establishment of these tracks comes as a result of growth in on-camera work available to professional actors.
“The trend in the 21st century entertainment market has been toward on-camera work, and the COVID crisis has accelerated this trend,” Marsh said.
The Stage and Screen track is the new name for OCU’s existing BFA in acting track. This program combines musical theater skills, classical Shakespearean theater skills and three semesters of on-camera acting training to offer graduates a vast toolbox of skills to compete in the ever-shifting entertainment industry.
The On-Camera Acting track is a new track that provides seven semesters dedicated to the craft, including a class in commercials and voiceovers, as well as 27 hours in the OCU Film Department with classes in producing, writing, directing and editing for the screen. Students will graduate not only as trained on-camera performers but also content creators, ready to create and produce their own work to allow them to participate immediately in the burgeoning field of digital media.
The university hopes to utilize some of what has been learned with last year’s launch of an MFA in Screen Acting program, where the first cohort of students are currently working through the program’s Los Angeles-based studio.
