Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Drama

Major

• Acting for Drama
• Acting for Musical Theatre
• Applied Theatre 
• Directing 
• Dramaturgy 

Launched in 2012, the four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Drama programme is structured to produce professional practitioners with a vision and concern for the importance, relevance and development of the arts in society. To a rigorous regimen of practical craft-skills work are added conceptual knowledge of the development of theatre practice, both historical and contemporary, Western and Asian. This is complemented with courses that offer a wider appreciation of the performing arts, liberal arts, humanities and languages.

The Acting for Drama major provides professional and systematic acting training honed, developed and explored in both contemporary and classical drama performances. Students are also engaged in self-directed creative work building up the autonomy in research of acting. The programme addresses the growing complexity of student needs in the current Hong Kong and greater China market giving its graduates a competitive edge. In line with most international drama schools, the programme is progressively more industry-focused, providing opportunities for the practical application of their training in productions, touring, industry showcase and other related acting work. Students will acquire higher skills levels and greater interdisciplinary dexterity across all theatre fields.

The Acting for Musical Theatre major is designed with specific exploration into the training and development of the acting, singing and dancing skills for actors of the Musical Theatre. After identification of the key components of musical theatre making, students are to create and perform characters accurately based on the need of the play and storytelling. From productions, internships and collaborative works in the flourishing Musical Theatre scene locally and aboard, the course will fully engage students in exercising aesthetic judgement, synthesising and organising information for their creative performance.

Applied Theatre refers to the drama work in educational or communal contexts aiming at serving those community groups through artistic processes. It is a comparatively new and fast-expanding field emphasising cultural inclusion and participation through dramatic arts. Witnessing the growing global demand of theatre artists to have the ability to use theatrical techniques to promote social inclusion and empowerment in the society, the course cultivates future Applied Theatre makers, practitioners and Community Arts leaders who are also contributing to the international Applied Theatre knowledge, localising and developing its creative practice.

The craft of Directing is taught by extensive experience in directing workshops, assistant to director and where possible, with internships in local professional companies. Contemporary and classic texts are explored and performance contexts from the mainstream to devising and site specific are investigated. A high level of aesthetic sophistication will be developed as well as excellence in communication and leadership skills. The course is intensive and as it is taught in Cantonese, Putonghua and English, students are expected be biliterate and trilingual.

Dramaturgy, a pioneer Undergraduate Major offered by a higher education institution in Asia, has become a pivotal component in present day theatre making with a sharp increase in collaboration of performing artists across disciplines, cultures and contemporary art forms. Students will be equipped with theories and practices of various art forms including traditional and contemporary art, film and new media. The course provides aspiring dramaturgs with knowledge, practice, craftsmanship, curatorship, writings as well as contextual studies on Arts and Humanities to become performing arts intellectuals and proactive theatre makers.