Learn about the FLC Theatre Major & Minor

Students on stage in Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet. Photo credit: Jonas Grushkin.

At Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, Theatre students build real skills across the full spectrum of the craft: acting, directing, design, stage management, technical production, and more. The 120-credit Bachelor of Arts in Theatre prepares you for careers in the performing arts through hands-on production work, structured coursework in both performance and design, and required engagement with working professionals through the Guest Artist Series. A 19-credit Theatre Minor is also available to students in any major, with no audition required for either program.

  • Theatre Major
  • Theatre Minor
Theatre Major

The Theatre Major gives students a Bachelor of Arts degree with depth across both the creative and technical sides of theatre. Every student completes the same required core — Acting Techniques I, Stage Technology, Ancient & Classical Theatre, Modern Theatre, Professional Preparation for the Performing Arts, the Guest Artist Series, and a Senior Seminar — before specializing through a concentration or general electives.

What you'll study

  • Acting: Acting Techniques I (THEA 138) as a required foundation, with options to continue through Acting Techniques II and III in both the Performance concentration and general electives.
  • Stage Technology: A required introduction to the technical side of theatre — rigging, tools, safety, scenic construction, and production systems.
  • Theatre History: Two required courses — Ancient & Classical Theatre and Modern Theatre — situate your training in the broader arc of performance history and dramatic literature.
  • Production: Six credits of production work required, earned through actual FLC department productions. You choose between performance and technical tracks at both lower- and upper-division levels.
  • Guest Artist Series: A minimum of 3 credits required. Working professionals in theatre and the performing arts engage directly with students — building professional networks and industry context into the curriculum.
  • Professional Preparation: MT 400 prepares seniors for the transition from training to career, covering audition strategy, career navigation, and the business of working in the performing arts.
  • Concentration or Electives: Complete the Theatre Performance or Theatre Design & Technology concentration, or build your own path through General Theatre electives. Concentration is noted on your transcript.

Find out the Theatre Major credit requirements in the FLC catalog

Declare the Theatre Major


Theatre Design & Technology concentration

Every production has two stories: the one happening onstage, and the one happening everywhere else. The Theatre Design & Technology concentration is for students who want to tell the second one.

Your coursework builds expertise in the disciplines that shape how a production looks, sounds, and feels — Scenic Design, Lighting Design, Sound Design, Costume Design, Stage Management, and Make-up Techniques. You'll choose five courses, or 15 credits, from this list, with at least four at the upper-division level. You'll still understand what happens in front of the lights. But your specialization is in what makes that possible.

This concentration is noted on your transcript.


Theatre Performance concentration

The Theatre Performance concentration is for students who are drawn to the stage — and serious about what it takes to stay there.

Your required coursework comprises three full levels of Acting Techniques — I, II, and III — that build craft progressively over your time at FLC, plus Make-up Techniques. From there, you choose five electives, with at least four upper-division courses, from options including Directing, Acting for Camera, Dance Techniques at multiple levels, Stage Management, Theatre for Young Audiences, Devised & Performance Art, and Theatre for Social Action. The range is intentional: a working performer needs range.

This concentration is noted on your transcript.

Theatre Minor

The Theatre Minor at Fort Lewis College requires 19 credits and is open to students in any major. It's built around the same core courses as the major, giving minor students a substantive introduction to theatre as both craft and discipline.

Required coursework includes Ancient & Classical Theatre (THEA 240), your choice of Stage Technology or Acting Techniques I, 3 credits of production work in either a performance or technical track, and three general electives drawn from the same course list available to majors. Elective options include Scenic Design, Lighting Design, Sound Design, Directing, Acting for Camera, Stage Management, Costume Design, Make-up Techniques, Theatre for Social Action, and multiple levels of Dance Techniques.

Find out the Theatre Minor credit requirements in the FLC catalog

Declare the Theatre Minor

Madeiline Morgan, Theatre, ‘22

"The opportunities and experiences as a first-year are like nothing you’d see at bigger schools. I was involved from the moment I started classes. "