Theatre

Course Overview

The B.A. or B.P.A. in Theatre offers comprehensive training in acting, directing, stagecraft, and production. Students explore theatre history, performance techniques, and technical skills. The program blends theory with practical experience for a career in performing arts.

Duration:

3 years (6 semesters)

Syllabus (Semester-wise):

Semester 1:

  • Introduction to Theatre Arts

  • Fundamentals of Acting

  • Theatre History: Classical and Traditional Theatre (Indian and Western)

  • Script Writing Basics

  • Voice Modulation and Speech Training

  • Practical: Acting Exercises

Semester 2:

  • Intermediate Acting Techniques

  • Theatre Direction: Basics

  • World Theatre History: Renaissance to Modern

  • Introduction to Design: Costume and Makeup

  • Performance Studies

  • Practical: Scene Work and Monologues

Semester 3:

  • Advanced Acting Techniques

  • Stagecraft and Design (Lighting, Set Design)

  • Indian Folk Theatre and Traditional Forms

  • Theatre and Society: Indian Context

  • Applied Theatre

  • Practical: Production Work (Stage Performance)

Semester 4:

  • Acting for Camera

  • Direction: Advanced Techniques

  • Western Modern and Postmodern Theatre

  • Indian Contemporary Theatre

  • Practical: Camera Acting Workshops

  • Theatre Management and Production

Semester 5:

  • Theatre Criticism and Theory

  • Theatre Pedagogy

  • Drama Therapy and Community Theatre

  • Experimental Theatre

  • Practical: Directing a Play

  • Theatre and New Media

Semester 6:

  • Dissertation/Research Project

  • Final Production: Directing and Acting

  • Career Opportunities in Theatre Arts

  • Practical: Full-Length Play Performance

Average Fees:

INR 50,000 - INR 1,50,000 per year depending on the institution

Exams to Attend:

  • Entrance Exams: Most institutions conduct their entrance exams for admission to the Theatre programs (for example, National School of Drama Entrance, Film and Television Institute of India Entrance Exam, etc.).

  • Merit-based Admission: Some institutions offer admission based on performance in higher secondary education and interviews.

Top 10 Ranking Institutions (Combined Ranking in India):

  1. National School of Drama, New Delhi

  2. Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune

  3. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata

  4. Department of Theatre Arts, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi

  5. School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi

  6. National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai

  7. Drama School Mumbai

  8. Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata

  9. University of Hyderabad (Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication)

  10. Pondicherry University, Puducherry

Top 10 Institutions in Kerala:

  1. Kerala Kalamandalam, Thrissur

  2. School of Drama and Fine Arts, Thrissur

  3. Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady

  4. University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram (Department of Theatre Arts)

  5. Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam (Department of Theatre Studies)

  6. Kannur University, Kannur (Department of Performing Arts)

  7. Calicut University (Department of Drama and Theatre)

  8. RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura

  9. Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Tirur

  10. Amrita School of Arts and Sciences, Kochi