Acting

There’s no such thing as a typical Purchase actor.

What they have in common is raw talent, creativity, and daring. Your cohort is your “company,” sharing the intensity of the four-year sequential program that will test the depths of your instrument—your body, voice, and personality—to reveal your essence as an artist.

Be ready to work..hard.

The program’s intensity is by design. The physical, mental, and emotional demands have a single purpose—to prepare actors for the exacting nature of the business. 

It takes physical strength to perform eight shows a week on Broadway, confidence to believe in your artistic integrity when it seems no one else will, and resiliency to persist in the face of repeated rejection. We impart of set of skills, but we also train the whole person. It’s preparation for life.

Your BFA acting practice is informed by dramatic literature and analysis, the history of theatre, stage combat, improvisation, physical comedy, makeup, acting for the camera, the business of acting, and audition technique.

Senior acting students perform a showcase of theatrical scenes for industry professionals in New York City at the end of their final semester. 

“When someone goes to Purchase, I assume that they’re the kind of actor who won’t sit around and wait for someone to make a choice for them and who will create a roaring fire from very little tinder.”

—Micah Stock ’11