Earn Your BFA in Acting From the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts
The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts in the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting. Both of the conservatory's performance programs 鈥 Acting and Musical Theatre 鈥 boast nationally recognized professional training programs. What sets Webster apart from other acting colleges is its integrated performance programs where Acting and Musical Theatre students undergo joint training in acting classes, theatre studies and on-stage performances.
Our core curriculum includes much more than just acting classes. You will also study voice, dialects, movement, stage combat and even directing. What also places Webster鈥檚 program above other acting colleges is our students鈥 immersive experiences with our professional partners.
Expand Your Access to Professional Roles
Webster provides high-caliber professional partnerships, such as the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, offering students unparalleled access to working theatre artists, directors and designers. Our partnerships also offer numerous opportunities to obtain professional theatre roles.
The Webster Conservatory is More than Just Acting Classes
The curriculum offers a wide range of acting classes that cover many styles, including period and contemporary realism, Chekhov and Ibsen, Shakespeare, Restoration and Edwardian. But the Sargent Conservatory curriculum also includes:
- Your first year at Conservatory focuses on discovery. Classes in acting, voice and speech, movement, stagecraft, text analysis and make-up invite you to discover what it means to be an actor and establish the basis for a personal technique. Methods include centering and aligning, vocal production and phonetics, games, exercises, improvisation and scene study.
- The second year of Conservatory is about exploration. Through highly contrasting styles of dramatic literature, you will stretch and strengthen the basic techniques established during your first year. Classes in yoga, neutral mask and physical characterization are added to the core of acting, voice and speech.
- Your third year of Conservatory focuses on skills application. Work in contrasting styles becomes even more ambitious. You will apply skills acquired in the first two years to Shakespeare, Restoration and Edwardian drama. Voice and movement classes develop even more specific skills in dialects, period movement and stage combat. You will also complete a directing class.
- The final year of Conservatory is about refinement and looking toward the future. You will develop strong interview, audition and cold reading skills. Specialized units, such as acting for the camera, commedia dell'arte and clown become part of your curriculum. Toward the end of the final year, you will participate in a showcase in New York City, allowing you to demonstrate your skills for agents, producers and casting directors.
鈥淚 want to spark change by provoking thought through performing, which hopefully, leads to action. I want people to walk out of the theatre more empathetic to the world around them from when they walked in.鈥
BFA in Acting, '24
Choose Webster for Your BFA in Acting
Gain Intensive, Professional Training
Webster鈥檚 Acting program involves a varied and intense collection of studio courses. You will take advantage of numerous opportunities to audition, perform in shows and boost your skills through high-impact projects. Additionally, each semester culminates in 鈥淪howings,鈥 where you will share your skills publicly. Many of our Acting BFA students also find work with our professional partners and other professional theatre companies in the area, including The Muny, the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis and Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre.
Become Part of St. Louis鈥 Vibrant Theatre Scene
The St. Louis area features a thriving professional theatre community. Beyond working with our professional theatre partners, our students enjoy access to additional theatres and professional actors. You can also access a respected history museum, an internationally renowned opera company and orchestra, a vibrant music scene and a number of well curated art museums.
Access Generous Scholarships
The Conservatory offers a number of endowed scholarships, available to our BFA students. Some are designated specifically for Acting and Musical Theatre students, including the Jenifer Lewis Endowed Scholarship and the Timothy Scott Barker Endowed Cincinnati SCPA Scholarship. Others are offered to all BFA students, including:
- Maritta Woodruff Scholarship
- Mueller-Russell Family Endowed Scholarship
- Marilyn R. Fox Endowed Scholarship
- David Huffman Memorial Endowed Scholarship
- Marcus and Barbara Trice Scholarship
- Edward Chase Garvey Memorial Fun
Mentorship from Experienced Faculty
Conservatory faculty are working professionals, dedicated educators and published writers and playwrights committed to diversity and equity. Faculty members serve as advisers to our BFA students, in addition to developing ongoing professional work in the field. Faculty highlights include Lara Teeter and Julie Hanson Battaglia, who have both appeared on Broadway, Tali Allen and Michael Baxter, who have ongoing associations with The Muny, directors Doug Finlayson and Bruce Longworth, actors Gary Glasgow and Rayme Cornell, and John Wylie, Renee Garcia and Dunsi Dai, who are frequently represented on St. Louis-area stages for their design work.
BFA in Acting
Find out more about the overall curriculum, electives, learning outcomes and more.
Join Us at the Theatre
At Webster's Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts, we'll help you achieve academic excellence preparing you for future career successes. The first step is to fill out our application.
Contact: Joanna Battles, head of recruitment for performance programs
Get Started on Your Fine Arts Degree in Acting
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Contact the Admissions Office to Find Out More
If you have more questions about the program, your application or other enrollment-related inquiries, contact our Admissions Office.
Call 314-246-7800 or 800-753-6765 or send an email to admit@webster.edu.