200,000+
Alumni from our Global Campuses

Webster's acting program students gain strong training for work in a wide array of venues. Voice, movement and acting training cover many styles, including period and contemporary realism, Shakespeare, Restoration and 19th century. Work in classes prepare actors for both stage and film work. Acting students work closely with The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, providing them with a great introduction to American regional theatre.

Country village scene with fruit cart vendor talking to actress in red plaid skirt

Amélie

Person plays piano while two actors dance beside him, other actors sitting or standing on props, all wear white

Student Voices

Backlit actor wearing crown talking in front of dead body on raised funeral platform

Burial at Thebes

Two women in colorful period dress sit at table talking to man in period suit and wig

Learned Ladies

Intricate patchwork background, violinist to the side, actors moving in the middle

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

spotlighted line of singers on scaffolding above musicians

Sondheim on Sondheim

Three actresses around kitchen table, one pulls head off doll; words on screen in background reads Revolutionize the Body (Stop Eating), Revolutionize the Body/the Language (Stop Speaking)

Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.

Program Overview

The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts' actor's training program leads to a degree in acting or musical theatre. Complementing this program, musical theatre students take music and dance courses, and both acting and musical theatre students complete liberal arts courses, providing a well-rounded education.

The first year of Conservatory is about discovery. Classes in acting, voice and speech, movement, stagecraft, text analysis, and make-up are all designed to help discover what it means to be an actor and establish the basis for a personal technique. Methods include centering and aligning, vocal production and phonetics, games, exercises, improvisation, and scene study. First-year students do not perform publicly, but do present scene work for the Conservatory at the end of the year.

The second year of Conservatory is about exploration. Through highly contrasting styles of dramatic literature, the basic technique established during the first year is stretched and strengthened. Classes in yoga, neutral mask, and physical characterization are added to the core of acting, and voice and speech. Second-year students join the casting pool and are now eligible to perform in the Conservatory season.

The third year of Conservatory is about application. The work in contrasting styles becomes even more ambitious. Skills acquired in the previous two years are applied to Shakespeare, Restoration and Edwardian drama. Voice and movement classes develop even more specific skills in dialects, period movement, and stage combat. A directing class is added to the basic core.

The fourth year of Conservatory is about refinement and looking toward the future. Interview, audition, and cold reading skills are developed. Acting for the camera, commedia dell'arte, and clown are investigated. Toward the end of the year, fourth-year students present themselves in a showcase in New York and Los Angeles for agents, producers, and casting directors.
Student actors in Conservatory show

Join Us at the Theatre

Student actors in Conservatory show

At Webster's Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts, we'll help you achieve academic excellence preparing you for future career successes. The first step is to fill out our application.

Contact: Jef Awada and Joanna Battles, co-heads of performance programs

Nathan Ayala
Scholarships

“Many 'kids' are told doing any liberal arts are wrong — I want to end that stigma. I want (them) to see themselves through me, and ... be able to watch a movie and relate to a character that actually looks like them.”

Nathan Ayala
Nathan Ayala, BFA in Acting, '24

Webster University Endowed Theatre Scholarship recipient

Get Started on Your Program

Take the next step toward earning your degree. We are here to help.

Explore

Learn more about our academic programs and our main campus and locations.

Engage

Connect with our admissions counselors and academic advisors.

Apply

Apply to Webster and take the next steps for financial aid and scholarships.