Theatre Arts

Associate in Arts (A.A.)

FLCC students on stage in the middle of a live theatrical performance.

Achieve new heights with a degree in theatre arts. You'll gain experience both on-stage and behind-the-scenes filling technical roles as you prepare to transfer to a four-year program.

Career Outlook: Performing Arts

Through FLCC's Theatre Arts program, you'll gain the technical production, acting, and communications skills needed to steal the show. This program emphasizes the practical experience necessary to pursue acting, dramaturgy, directing, stage management, and production.

The skills you acquire through theatre arts prepare you for success across many industries. With a degree in theatre arts, you'll impress employers with your grace under pressure, creative problem-solving, communication skills, and self-confidence.

A.A. Program Overview

Prepare to transfer to a four-year college, university, or conservatory and gain the skills for both theatre and non-theatre careers. You'll become a well-rounded performing artist and theatre technician in this hands-on program.

Courses in performance, production, theatre history, literature, and more provide the foundation to launch a career in the arts. You'll also have the opportunity to augment your education with the addition of video production or music coursework.

Students at other schools often have to wait until their junior or senior year to participate in a show — but not at FLCC. Here, your creativity and dedication are valued and put to use from day one!

Professional Facilities and Stage Equipment

Rehearse in our theatre lab and set the stage with props from our scenery and costume shop. When it's showtime, you'll perform in our modern auditorium equipped with automatic stage lights and a state-of-the-art digital audio system.

Student Performance Opportunities

At FLCC, you'll have the freedom to build characters, write plays, design productions, and perform in a variety of shows.

Participate in musicals, dramas, children's theatre, and other events.

Our Theatre Club provides additional acting opportunities and the chance to attend local performances and regional festivals.

FLCC theatre student performing on stage.

A.A. Program Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this degree program, students will:

  • Collaborate to devise, rehearse, perform, and realize theatrical works in a variety of styles and modalities.
  • Analyze and interpret dramatic literature with special consideration for its historical and theatrical contexts.
  • Apply critical thinking through writing at the college level.

Seamless Transfer Opportunities

Our A.A. degree in Theatre Arts is an excellent first step toward earning a four-year degree. Many colleges and universities offer a bachelor's degree in performing arts, musical theatre, and other related programs. Previous graduates have transferred to the following regional institutions:

  • Nazareth College
  • Niagara University
  • SUNY Brockport
  • SUNY Fredonia
  • SUNY New Paltz
  • Utica University

Four-Year Career Pathways

This program prepares you to complete an advanced degree and pursue career opportunities in the following fields:

  • Acting and live performance
  • Audio or lighting technician
  • Costume or scenery design
  • Directing or stage management
  • House and event management
  • Performing arts education
  • Playwriting and dramaturgy

When you study theatre, you develop the soft skills needed for success in a variety of careers.

Low-Cost Tuition and Scholarship Opportunities

Earn a quality education at an affordable rate. With our low cost-per-credit and general scholarship opportunities, you can maximize your potential with minimal debt. 80% of students are awarded scholarships or financial aid that help with the cost of college.

Faculty

Our caring and attentive faculty help students explore their favorite aspects of theatre. Faculty in this program hold master's and doctoral degrees, and they have received additional training or certification in specialized areas, such as mime and yoga. Instructors in this program have extensive professional experience as directors, set and lighting designers, carpenters, stage managers, electricians, and actors, and they have directed and designed a significant number of widely-varied productions.

Together, the faculty have served as conference presenters and judges for various theatrical and oratorical events, and they have been organizational members and leaders of the Association of Theatre in Higher Education, the Theatre Association of New York State, Association of Theatre Movement Educators, and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Sean Britton-Milligan

"I am forever grateful for the experiences that I had at FLCC. The main reason I said yes to coming back to direct was to show the students that FLCC is not just a great stepping stone to a career of their making, but it has always served as a home for anyone who may not know where their passions lie. Students can flourish in a great community that pushes them to their fullest potential."

— Sean Britton-Milligan, '16
Artistic Director at The Company Theatre, Rochester, NY

FLCC Set Building Time-lapse

FLCC students, staff, and faculty prepare the set for a main stage performance.

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