Follow your passion and learn the art of theatrical storytelling through theatre design and production.
Stage managers are leaders who orchestrate all aspects of a theatre production. Crucial to this role is the ability to collaborate and prioritize the production needs of the artists within the distinct disciplines of theatre, dance and opera. In the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design and Production – Stage Management, you will learn to work in a variety of genres, use technology to support your work and effectively manage professional productions.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design and Production allows students to specialize in one of six emphases:
- Scenic Design
- Lighting Design
- Costume Design
- Stage Management
- Technical Production
- Sound Design & Reinforcement
What I love most about the theatre design and production (TDP) program here at Shenandoah Conservatory is how much I have been able to be involved with productions in my very first year . . . the faculty and staff are very encouraging and helpful! I chose Shenandoah because of the TDP program and the scenery . . . the outline and course load for my emphasis really drew me to the conservatory, and I am from California so the East Coast was something that I’ve never experienced before! My favorite experiences from the conservatory this past year have been getting to see all of the performances, from straight plays to musicals to dance concerts . . . just being able to see people perform again is something that I really missed!
Evelyn Gomez ’25 (B.F.A. in Theatre Design & Production (Stage Management) at work behind the scenes for Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre’s opening production of “42nd Street” (photo by C. King Media).
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Minor in Music, Theatre, Dance or Music Composition
Shenandoah Conservatory offers minors in Music, Theatre or Dance for all Shenandoah University students.
Shenandoah also offers a new minor in Music Composition for conservatory students who wish to build composition skills and enhance their creative music-making experience while pursuing other degree programs in the conservatory.
Acceptance into conservatory minors must be approved by the Division/Department Chair, and some minors require an audition.
Learn More about Conservatory Minors
Declaring A Minor
Shenandoah students work with their Academic Advisor to declare a minor. Academic Advisors will continue to work with students to ensure that they fulfill all of the requirements to complete the minor.
Incoming students should not indicate their intended minor on their Shenandoah application; applications are for intended majors only.
Internship Possibilities
The Career & Professional Development staff helps Shenandoah students search and apply for internships related to their major and career goals. Internships differentiate you as an applicant in your future job searches, provide hands on experience in your field, allow you to sample different career paths for your major, and help you find a specific position that fits your passion before graduation.
Career Possibilities
Shenandoah’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design and Production is a pre-professional training program that prepares you for entry into the industry or to pursue a graduate degree. The degree prepares you to work professionally in both design and technical positions in professional and educational theatre, cruise ships, theme parks, sales and production companies, creative display design, historical renovation, museum installation, mural and faux finishers, and industrial design and production.
Career & Professional Development provides a comprehensive range of services and resources to assist Shenandoah students in their career search. Services offered include resume and cover letter building, mock interviews, and professional dining etiquette workshops.
Classes
Our small class sizes allow for one-on-one, hands-on mentoring. Over the course of your four years in the program, you will gain actual experience in every type of major production responsibility within your emphasis, including multiple chances to work with professional artists in seeing productions through from start to finish.
First-Second Years
First year Theatre Design and Production students experience the beginning curriculum sequence, with Introduction to Theatrical Design, Introduction to Theatrical Production, Stage Costuming, Theatre Drawing, and Graphic Arts. In your second year, you will begin to take stage management classes specific to your emphasis, as well as advanced design classes and arts management classes. You will also work as an Assistant Stage Manager under upper-class student Stage Managers on departmental productions.
Third-Fourth Years
In your third year, you will continue with classes in stage management and arts management, as well as advanced classes in scripts and contexts, directing, and theatre history. You will now be stage managing for departmental productions, ranging from plays to musicals and operas. After faculty evaluation, during your final year you will be assigned two capstone projects, which will be will be two internships with professional theatre companies. In Professional Preparation for Design and Production, you will build a website, learn to write cover letters, and create your resume as you build your portfolio.
Unique Opportunity
As host to Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre (SSMT), our summer professional theatre company, we offer unique opportunities to our students. You can apply to work as a part of our production team in many different positions. Many alumni have returned to work for SSMT in a variety of roles. You will have the chance to network with young professionals from all over the country.
View Full Stage Management Emphasis Curriculum
You Will Learn:
- How to create and develop a resume and a website portfolio to showcase your individual design and production work
- Analysis and problem solving skills
- The historical and cultural context needed to analyze dramatic literature and its performance and production
- The technical savvy and skills needed to communicate artistically, including theatrical rendering, construction techniques, computer skills, how to manage a budget, and craft and collaboration skills
Learning support services are available to all students in every course at Shenandoah. Free peer tutoring with a student who has previously succeeded in the course is available for any course across the university. The Writing Center is available for every stage of the writing process from thesis development to proofreading and bibliography assistance. The Math Enrichment Center is available for math and science assistance. Professors and Academic Advisors across the university also have office hours and open door policies to ensure Shenandoah students succeed academically.
Performance Opportunities and Ensembles
Shenandoah Conservatory produces more than 300 performances each year. Enroll in a dynamic curriculum and start preparing for a meaningful career in the arts. You will practice your craft in front of audiences and develop a plan for your professional launch into the industry that focuses on your personal desires and aspirations.
Embrace extensive performance opportunities with top-tier facilities from theatres, concert halls and dance studios. Unite with fellow artists and join an alumni family that takes center stage from Broadway to the concert halls of Europe.
Shenandoah Conservatory Performances
Ensembles
Shenandoah Conservatory is home to more than 30 performing groups — including instrumental, vocal, and dance ensembles — that present numerous performances every year. These performances take place throughout Shenandoah University’s vibrant campus on its various stages, including a concert hall, recital hall, proscenium stage, black box studio, outdoor amphitheater and more, to venues and performance spaces in the Northern Shenandoah Valley and around the world. Ensembles constantly engage with Shenandoah’s dynamic faculty and an array of distinguished guest artists through residencies, workshops and unique performance opportunities.
Faculty
Experience the world-renowned Shenandoah Conservatory. Study with master teachers – more than 100 professionals in music, theatre, dance and arts management.
Shenandoah Conservatory’s prestigious faculty is dynamic, creative, and passionately committed to the highest levels of artistic excellence. A deeply caring community, they mentor students with a wealth of professional expertise, balancing rigorous expectations with compassion and wisdom. At Shenandoah, you will study with, and perform for, award-winning composers, Metropolitan Opera singers, Grammy Award winning conductors and international competition winners. You will learn from leading scholars in music and premiere works created by accomplished dance artists and cutting-edge directors. Shenandoah Conservatory’s faculty embodies the highest levels of professional accomplishment and the deepest commitment to furthering the artistic growth and creative aspirations of students in every discipline.
William Pierson
Scenic and Lighting Designer; Associate Professor, Theatre, Scenic and Lighting Design
Full BiographyApplication and Audition Information
Shenandoah University works on rolling admissions. Applications are reviewed individually and holistically.
Submit your application, review required admissions materials, and find our admissions standards.
Admission to Shenandoah Conservatory is highly competitive. Not only must students be academically admissible, they must also complete and pass the mandatory audition/portfolio review and interview process. Audition dates are limited and may fill and close well in advance of the audition date.
Study Abroad
Make studying abroad the highlight of your college experience! Whether you go for a year, a semester, or just a few weeks, you will never forget learning in another culture! The Center for International Programs is here to help you plan your study abroad experience. Start your planning early to ensure the courses you complete abroad count toward your degree and you graduate on time.
Global Experiential Learning (GEL) Program
The Global Experiential Learning (GEL) Program offers Shenandoah students a short-term, faculty-led, study-abroad experience for academic credit. These short-term, credit-bearing, faculty-led programs are offered winter break, spring break, and during the summer. If a course is not within your major, it might be used as an elective.
Study Abroad
Shenandoah University is a member of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), a global network of 300 universities. This partnership allows students to study for a full semester or year at other member campuses abroad. By working closely with their academic advisors and the study abroad advisor, students can take classes taught in English abroad while receiving Shenandoah credit.
Shenandoah University also maintains direct partnerships with several universities around the world. These relationships allow students from SU to study abroad as exchange students and students from these universities to study at SU. All partner universities offer courses taught in English.
Fast-Track to Arts Management
Accelerated PALM Program
The Master of Science in Performing Arts Leadership and Management is designed to provide future performing arts executives and artistic leaders with the industry skills required in the 21st century. The accelerated program in Performing Arts Leadership and Management is available for current Shenandoah Conservatory undergraduates who, upon completion of their undergraduate degree, wish to obtain a Master of Science in Performing Arts Leadership and Management in just one year. Students who are accepted into the accelerated program will begin to take arts leadership and management courses during their undergraduate studies and register for internship during the summer between senior year and their final year of graduate study.
