Theatre Design & Technology

Bachelor of Fine Arts
Hands-on experiences mounting plays and musicals start your first semester.

Your BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from Nazareth equips you with the skills, four-year resumé, top-notch portfolio, professional credits, and critical contacts for success in this networking-heavy industry.

Choose a focus in costume, lighting, or scenery while exploring the full range of technical theatre. You’ll build and paint scenery, realize costumes from initial sketches to fitted garments, and prepare lighting equipment and props for the stage. Opportunities include design roles in lighting, costumes, scenery, and sound, as well as assistant designer positions. Hands-on production opportunities are available as a stage manager, carpenter, and electrician, and within the wardrobe and makeup crew. All work takes place in our Arts Center and Callahan Theater.

Many of our graduates work in live entertainment well beyond the traditional stage. Employers and internship sites include national tours, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios, The Juilliard School, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC). Others go on to graduate programs at Yale, Boston University, NYU Tisch, and Syracuse. A portfolio review is required to apply.

Course curriculum • Student outcomes • Cost of attendance

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Tailor to match your interests, such as theatre history, play analysis, acting fundamentals, or art history

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Get start-to-finish experience in carpentry, lighting, costumes, scenic painting, and makeup.

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Start working behind the scenes on performances during your first semester

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Work with local professional theatre companies

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students sewing in backstage costume shop

Career Paths

  • Costume, scenic, or lighting designer, including assistant/associate design and design-studio work
  • Entertainment drafting, rendering, and visualization (Vectorworks, CAD)
  • Technical director, scenic artist, and scenic fabrication or production shop careers
  • Theatre technician: head electrician, wardrobe supervisor, props artisan, stage manager
  • Themed entertainment and experiential design: theme parks, attractions, escape rooms, immersive theatre, and branded environments
  • Exhibition, museum, and visitor experience design
  • Live events, conferences, and corporate production
  • Cruise ship and touring production crews
  • Union and professional crews (IATSE, United Scenic Artists, Actors’ Equity for stage managers)
  • Venue, facilities, and technical operations

Our graduates apply design and production skills in theatre, themed entertainment (theme parks, attractions, escape rooms, haunted attractions, and immersive experiences), pop-ups and branded environments, museums and exhibitions, cruise ships, and corporate and live events, with both in-house and touring crews.

Employers
  • Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
  • National tours of My Fair Lady and Grinch
  • Euroco Costumes
  • Busch Gardens
  • The Juilliard School
  • Universal Studios
Graduate schools
  • Yale University
  • Boston University
  • Tisch (NYU School of the Arts)
  • Syracuse University

99%

of new Nazareth grads are employed or in grad school within six months of graduation

2,285

high-impact experiential learning experiences completed by the undergraduate class of 2025

$1,500

Our SPARK Grant provides $1,500 for you to pursue an internship, research, or study abroad. SPARK details »

Internships

  • Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. (ETC)
  • Geva Theatre Center
  • Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival

Apply & provide portfolio

A portfolio review is required for this major. View portfolio details and register »

Behind the scenes

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    Program Director
    Alumna Samantha Eisensmith, technical theatre major, lighting, set & costume design degree program

    Alumni Spotlight

    “My major truly was wonderful. All of the professors are very interested in individualizing the program around each student. They made it possible for me to both have practical experience outside of the program as well as get involved in the major itself as much as I wanted. If you're having a hard time deciding about which school you want to go to, and/or you're not totally set on what you want to do in the arts industry, this university will help you try every field imaginable. Naz is a great place to choose.”

    — Samantha Eisensmith ’25, entertainment stage technician at Walt Disney World