Admittance into the School of Theatre and Dance
Our admission policy for incoming freshman is simple and direct. All students accepted into East Carolina University are automatically eligible to enter the beginning acting class of the School of Theatre and Dance (register for THEA1010, Introduction to Acting I) and to pursue a BA degree in Theatre Arts. In addition to our BA degree, we also offer several BFA degrees and concentrations. Admissions into our BFA programs are generally a juried process. (See other area links for details pertaining to that area's specific admissions process.)

About the Professional Acting Program
Patterned after a world-famous New York studio, this degree's training offers concentration in professional acting for those students interested in performance of serious plays, comedies, and musical theatre. This specific approach is based on the Stanislavski System and the teaching principles of Sanford Meisner and Lee Stransberg, and has trained such actors as Gregory Peck, Joanne Woodward, Peter Falk, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Suzanne Plieshette, Jon Voight, Grace Kelly, and many, many more. Alumni from the School of Theatre and Dance at East Carolina University have included Sandra Bullock, Beth Grant, Manley Pope, Howell Binkley, Ali Hillis, and Kevin Williamson.

The four years of intensive professional study offer the student eighteen hours a week of actor training in addition to private sessions with the instructor. After three years of training, the senior actor is admitted to the master classes. Because emphasis is on the contemporary (commercial actor rather than the classical actor), the master class focuses on the student's overall ability to find employment in the "real world." Actors are taught to work in film and television as well as on stage. Students in the Professional Acting Program receive a videotape of their performance work from the TV/Film course.

Audition Information

Professional Actor Training Degree Checksheets