First-Year Applicants: Theatre

Freshman applicants must apply using the Common Application.

Applicants may only submit one application to one major. Admitted students can request additional major/minor(s) during their first semester.

Applications will only be reviewed after all components have been received, including transcripts, test scores and supplemental materials.

Include your Social Security number on your application if you wish to be considered for financial aid or the Hope Scholarship/Lifetime learning tax credit.

Please note: While VCU does not require your Social Security number for admission consideration, it is necessary for applicants who wish to be considered for financial aid and the Hope Scholarship/Lifetime Learning tax credit to provide a Social Security number to the university. To protect your privacy, your Social Security number will not be used as your VCU student identification number.

Applicants can submit additional application requirements (see below) using SlideRoom after submitting the Common Application.

Complete your callback session. Select your preferred date as part of the requirements in SlideRoom. Callbacks take place at the W.E Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, located at 922 Park Ave, Richmond, VA. The department will send more information in advance of your callback date.

• Friday, November 10, 2023, 12:30-5 pm (only callback date for Spring applicants)
• Friday, December 1, 2023, 12:30-5 pm
• Friday, January 19, 2024, 12:30-5 pm
• Friday, January 26, 2024, 12:30-5 pm
• Friday, February 2, 2024, 12:30-5 pm

Applicants can expect to:

• Interview with faculty in their area of interest.
• Present their portfolio or appropriate audition pieces (details dependent on intended major).
• Tour theatre facilities.
• Talk with current students.
• All students participate in a group general info and Q+A session.
• Performers participate in group warm-ups.
• Parents are encouraged to attend, too. We continue with a parent Q+A session after applicants head off to auditions/interviews.

Request that your high school guidance counselor sends your official transcripts to VCU. Transcripts may be submitted electronically via the Common App or Naviance, or sent in the mail. If sending a hard copy in the mail, please request that your school counselor send your transcript, including:

• Senior-year courses and first-term grades, if available
• Class rank, if available

All foreign transcripts must be official and submitted in the original language. If the original language is not English, an official translation must be submitted along with the transcript.

Transcripts must arrive in sealed envelopes signed across the seal by official high school, university or college registrars.

Transcripts should be sent to:

Office of Admissions
PO Box 842526
Richmond, VA 23284-2526

Currently, VCU does not require SAT or ACT scores for admission. However, submission of test scores remains a requirement for all Guaranteed Admission Programs, offered through the Honors College.

Applicants whose first language is one other than English must submit scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). For more information, please visit this page.

Admission to VCU remains a competitive process, and all candidates for admission will be considered on their own merits. Qualifying for application review without submitting standardized test scores does not guarantee admission to VCU.

VCU does not require applicants to submit recommendations. If you choose to submit recommendations, you will see an option to list your recommendations in the Common App.

Applicants should review VCU’s Student Financial Services’ financial aid checklist, available here.

Applicants are encouraged to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Completing the FAFSA form allows you to be considered for federal student aid. States and colleges also use FAFSA information to award grants, scholarships and loans.

The FAFSA form is available starting December 1. To be considered, complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the priority deadline of February 1.

Submission link: Freshman Performing Arts – Theatre Performance

Requirements:

• Headshot or photo
  • Please attach a well-lit photo that focuses on your face and resembles what you currently look like.
• Theatrical resume
  • Please attach a one-page resume that highlights your theatrical experience and training. Please include any relevant school courses, vocal coaching, and dance classes under training.
• Callback date selection
• Self-taped, prescreen audition ​
  • Maintain a positive attitude, dress professionally yet comfortably and, most importantly—have fun!
  • Prepare two contrasting (one comedic and one dramatic) one-minute monologues from published play scripts. Choose something in an appropriate age range that does not contain a dialect. Introduce the audition pieces by only the play’s author, title and the character’s name (background on the scene or plot is not necessary).
  •  It is recommended to capture your full body from head to toe.
  • We find that the following playwrights are generally overdone or are more difficult for high school seniors to deliver successfully: Mamet, O’Neill, Pinter, Shakespeare, Shepard and Williams.
  • You may substitute one of the monologues with a 16-bar song that suits your age, personality, and voice. Select a portion of the song that best showcases your ability and finishes the acting beat; avoid choosing 16 bars that end abruptly or mid-thought. Introduce the song title, author, and character name, just like the monologues. 

Submission link: Freshman Performing Arts – Theatre Technical Tracks

Requirements:

• Theatrical resume
• Callback date selection
• Portfolio of 12-16 images
  • Submit 12 to 16 images that show your promise as a theatre student. Present your strongest work and demonstrate your potential to develop a diverse set of skills and ideas. We prefer to see a diverse range of 2D and 3D media. This can include photographs of productions you have worked on, pieces you have built such as props or costumes as well as other works of 2D and 3D art.
  • Images may be submitted in the following formats: .JPEG, .PNG, .GIF, .TIF, .TIFF, .BMP, .TGA
  • Videos may be submitted in the following formats: .M4V, .MOV, .MP4, .WMV, .FLV, .ASF, .MPEG, .MPG, .MKV
  • All videos must be less than 3 minutes.

Submission link: Freshman Performing Arts – Theatre Stage Management

Requirements:

• Theatrical resume
• Callback date selection
• Example of stage management paperwork 
  • Your paperwork should demonstrate your organizational and management skills and might include things like prompt book pages, blocking notes, call sheets, rehearsal notes, communications, etc. to help demonstrate your stage management process.

Submission link: Freshman Performing Arts – Theatre Bachelor of Arts

Requirements:

• Theatrical resume
• Callback date selection
• Statement of intent
  • In a paragraph or two, please tell us why you are interested in pursuing a BA degree in theatre. What are your goals? What do you hope to achieve?

Not sure how the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre differs from other majors, or if it’s the right choice for you? Check out our undergraduate FAQ’s here. There’s a section specifically about the BA! You can also view the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre curriculum here.