Acting
Prepare to act on stage or screen
The Theatre School’s four-year Acting major focuses on expanding your range of knowledge and expression of performance—providing you with skills and techniques to improve acting, movement, voice and speech abilities.
With hundreds of theatres in Chicago, you’ll have the opportunity to attend performances on a regular basis and take acting classes from distinguished and award-winning faculty members who bring together experience and expertise.
Our faculty has developed a successful and powerful curriculum that includes ideas from Stanislavski, Spolin, Grotowski, Suzuki, yoga, tai chi, mask work and more. We have a vibrant theatre community and encourage students to be active members of our productions.
Classes
Coursework
- Acting for the Camera
- Audition
- Improvisation and Performance
- Stage Combat
- Technique
- Voice and Speech
Resources
Career Options
Common Career Areas
- Acting and performing
- Advertising
- Casting
- Directing
- Education
- Film and television production
- Lighting or set design
- Media critic work
- Play or screen writing??
Major Requirements
Course Requirements
| First Year | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Acting I Sequence | ||
| PRF 111 | ACTING I | 3 |
| PRF 112 | ACTING I | 3 |
| PRF 113 | ACTING I | 3 |
| Movement I Sequence | ||
| PRF 121 | MOVEMENT I | 3 |
| PRF 122 | MOVEMENT I | 3 |
| PRF 123 | MOVEMENT I | 3 |
| Voice and Speech I Sequence | ||
| PRF 131 | VOICE AND SPEECH I | 3 |
| PRF 132 | VOICE AND SPEECH I | 3 |
| PRF 133 | VOICE AND SPEECH I | 3 |
| History of Dramatic Literature Sequence (Arts and Literature Requirement) | ||
| THE 204 | HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE | 4 |
| THE 205 | HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE | 4 |
| THE 206 | HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE | 4 |
| Three Quarters of Crew | ||
| TEC 107 | THEATRE CREW (three quarters) | 6 |
| Second Year | ||
| PRF 281 | STAGE COMBAT | 1 |
| PRF 214 | MAKE-UP | 4 |
| PRF 314 | ACTING LABORATORY | 1 |
| Acting II Sequence | ||
| PRF 211 | ACTING II | 3 |
| PRF 212 | ACTING II | 3 |
| PRF 213 | ACTING II | 3 |
| Movement II Sequence | ||
| PRF 221 | MOVEMENT II | 3 |
| PRF 222 | MOVEMENT II | 3 |
| PRF 223 | MOVEMENT II | 3 |
| Voice and Speech II Sequence | ||
| PRF 231 | VOICE AND SPEECH II | 3 |
| PRF 232 | VOICE AND SPEECH II | 3 |
| PRF 233 | VOICE AND SPEECH II | 3 |
| Introduction to Performance Sequence | ||
| PRF 261 | INTRODUCTION TO PERFORMANCE | 3 |
| PRF 262 | INTRODUCTION TO PERFORMANCE | 3 |
| PRF 263 | INTRODUCTION TO PERFORMANCE | 3 |
| Third Year | ||
| Acting III Sequence | ||
| PRF 311 | ACTING III | 4 |
| PRF 312 | ACTING III | 4 |
| PRF 313 | ACTING III | 4 |
| Movement III Sequence | ||
| PRF 321 | MOVEMENT III | 4 |
| PRF 322 | MOVEMENT III | 4 |
| PRF 323 | MOVEMENT III | 4 |
| Voice and Speech III Sequence | ||
| PRF 331 | VOICE AND SPEECH III | 4 |
| PRF 332 | VOICE AND SPEECH III | 4 |
| PRF 333 | VOICE AND SPEECH III | 4 |
| Technique Sequence | ||
| PRF 318 | TECHNIQUE | 1 |
| PRF 319 | TECHNIQUE | 1 |
| Rehearsal and Performance I Sequence. Select two out of the three courses, dependent on casting: | 8 | |
| REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE I | ||
| REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE I | ||
| REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE I | ||
| Fourth Year | ||
| PRF 411 | ACTING IV | 4 |
| PRF 390 | IMPROVISATION | 4 |
| PRF 416 | GRADUATE SHOWCASE | 4 |
| Audition Sequence | ||
| PRF 414 | AUDITION-PORTFOLIO | 2 |
| PRF 415 | AUDITION | 2 |
| On Camera Coursework | ||
| PRF 420 | ACTING FOR THE CAMERA | 3 |
| PRF 327 | ACTING FOR THE CAMERA 2: TV & FILM; ETIQUETTE (One 5 week course) | 2 |
| PRF 328 | ACTING FOR THE CAMERA 3: TV & FILM; SKILLS (One 5 week course) | 2 |
| Movement IV Sequence | ||
| PRF 423 | MOVEMENT IV | 4 |
| PRF 427 | ACTION FOR THE SREEN-COMBAT (One 5 week session) | 2 |
| PRF 428 | ACTION FOR THE SCREEN - MOTION CAPTURE (One 5 week session ) | 2 |
| Voice and Speech IV Sequence | ||
| PRF 431 | VOICE AND SPEECH IV | 3 |
| PRF 432 | VOICE AND SPEECH IV | 3 |
| Rehearsal and Performance II Sequence. Select two out of the three courses, dependent on casting: | 8 | |
| REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE II | ||
| REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE II | ||
| REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE II | ||
Open Electives
Open elective credit may also be required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours.
