Acting Classes in Orange County with Degree and Course Overview
Higher Education Articles February 28, 2013The University of Southern California is not located in Orange County, but nearby Los Angeles County and have a highly ranked theater program. Students who are enrolled into the undergraduate and graduate degree programs in acting study topics such as articulation, theatre history, and intonation and rhythm.
Acting Programs at University of Southern California
This is the only postsecondary institution in the vicinity of Orange County where acting classes are offered. U.S. News and World Report (www.usnews.com) ranked University of Southern California 26th among national universities. University of Southern California’s School of Theatre is regarded as being the best programs in the United States. The School of Theatre offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with an acting focus, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Acting.
Bachelor of Fine Arts – Theatre (Concentration Area – Acting)
Students in an undergraduate program that specialize in acting are imparted training through a variety of coursework in subject areas such as body movement, voice and acting. Voice classes focus on intonation, rhythm, resonance, phonation, articulation and breath control, while movement classes train students in communicating through body movements and expressing. Coursework also includes theatre practicum, performance for camera, dramatic analysis, theatrical production, technical theatre, and theatre history and criticism. Electives include different classes such as African American Theatre, acting theory, the performing arts, Shakespeare, Greek and Roman Theatre, playwriting and directing. During the first three semesters, students are not required to make public performances though they are given the opportunity to perform in class workshops.
Master of Fine Arts – Acting
Aspiring professional actors who want to excel in their craft can enroll in this three-year program; Graduates can also seek acting instructor jobs at the college level. Coursework involves workshops, classes and performance in the first two years during which students work in close coordination with faculty. During the third year, the program will concentrate on advanced skills classes for theatre and film, collaborating on a three-play repertory, and professional seminars. The curriculum for the Master of Fine Arts program in acting includes professional seminar, creative production projects, directing fundamentals, dialects and diction, performance for the camera, advanced voice diction, textual studies for performance, advanced acting, and advanced movement.
Contact Information
•Address: University Park, Los Angeles, California 90089
•Phone Number: (213) 740-2311
