BA in Drama in Irvine United States | University of California Irvine

The Bachelor of Arts program offers an in-depth exploration of acting, directing, design, musical theater, playwriting, stage management, theatrical production, along with dramatic theory, criticism, literature, and history. Students gain practical experience by participating in productions as performers, designers, writers, technicians, or stage managers. UCI welcomes undergraduate auditions for all productions, with certain shows reserved exclusively for undergraduate performers. No entrance audition is required for the B.A. program.

Few disciplines match the breadth and cultural significance of Drama and Theatre studies. The Drama B.A. forms part of a comprehensive education encompassing world history, political studies, human psychology, artistic expression through music and dance, literary arts, visual and auditory aesthetics, and communication technologies spanning ancient to modern times. Though often viewed as entertainment, drama draws from humanity's greatest literary works - from Euripides, Shakespeare, and Molière to modern American playwrights like Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, and David Henry Hwang - performed using sophisticated techniques developed globally over three millennia. Theatre, the practical application of drama, represents a collaborative art form involving live artistic interactions and direct audience engagement.