Acting for Film, Television and Theatre, B.F.A

Program overview

The Rider University B.F.A in acting for film, television and theatre trains and empowers the “Actor of the Future” for the “Industry of the Future.” We train actors who are intelligent, malleable and courageous no matter in which media they are working. Whether it is on stage, on film, in a web series, behind the voice-over microphone or some yet undiscovered medium of storytelling, actors from Rider’s BFA in acting program have the necessary skills—physical, intellectual, vocal, imaginative, and entrepreneurial —and the passion to be successful and adaptive in today’s industry.

Admission options

First-year - How to Apply

Rider is where your future begins. First-year students are defined as recent high school graduates who are attending college for the first time. There are so many opportunities ahead. Take the first step towards your tomorrow at Rider.

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Transfer - How to Apply

No matter where you began your journey, Rider has the resources you need to continue moving forward. At Rider, transfer students are defined as students who are under the age of 25 and have credits from another college or university.

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Continuing Education - How to Apply

Rider offers flexible pathways for adult learners aged 25 or over, including veterans and active duty military personnel, that allow you to earn your bachelor's degree or take courses for personal enrichment. Non-matriculated or visiting students should apply using the Continuing Education application.

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female stands at center stage and raises a sword

Program requirements

There’s a great benefit to giving arts students the space to explore and take ownership of their creativity. Acting students begin to develop and create their own projects in the first semester of classes. Students are given the freedom to discover which form of media brings out the best actor in them. Comprehensive training is provided in voice, speech and movement. You'll have the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students in programs such as film and television and more.

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Creativity thrives at Rider

Be your authentic self in a creative, diverse community. This close-knit network of innovative students in disciplines such as dance, musical theatre, music education, game and interactive media design, arts and entertainment industries management and more, provides endless opportunities for students to work together and explore their creative freedoms.

Interdisciplinary studies provide opportunities for on-set collaboration with students in the film and television program. Potential minors include arts and entertainment industries management, education and counseling or psychology.

Group of female students posing at Art Beast event

Arts & Entertainment Industries Management

Cinderella and prince charming embrace under a tree of nymphs during the opera performance of Cinderella

Musical Theatre

Dance

Faculty and student in the media lab discussing a design on the computer

Game & Interactive Media Design

A four year progression

Our PATP includes a bicoastal curriculum that gives students exposure to integrated media beginning freshman year and culminates with industry experiences in New York and Los Angeles. Acting majors study performance across film, television and theatre in a training program that best aligns with their goals. The curriculum builds upon developing skills year by year.

The Wolves, female actress stands center stage

The path of the actor

“The actor does not go to the trouble of enlivening his surroundings, he himself deprives himself the joy of true creativity. He does not want to awaken his imagination, he prefers to live and work in the dead, cold vault of his stage…We have killed off our surroundings and we die in them ourselves. But we must now resurrect them. This is the task of the future theatre. We shall raise ourselves-and with ourselves also the theatre to a genuine creativity only when, like surgeons, we feel responsible for the life of the play and the life of our theatre."

— Michael Chekhov

Ready for anything

Becoming an artist of the 21st century means that you will enter the workforce with a full tool kit at your disposal. This includes the technical training of acting, but also a marketing education for self promotion, social media studies, arts administration, backstage and set management and more. Be prepared to thrive in a variety of industries and professions

Common careers:

Film, television or theatre actor
Content creator
Voice actor
Showrunner
Casting Director

Engaged learning

Acting students will actively prepare to enter the field by perfecting their audition technique and beginning their business planning, all the while rehearsing and performing for various main stage productions. Opportunities to collaborate with other School of Fine & Performing Arts programs such as film and television lead to starring in an original film or digital media project and spending a semester in Hollywood. BFA actors study and intern with industry professionals while living full-time in the heart of Los Angeles’s entertainment industry. The semester culminates in a showcase for agents and casting directors in both New York and Los Angeles.

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