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Earn Your Bachelor of Arts in Directing from the Sargent Conservatory
Directors are storytellers. As students of directing begin their journey toward a career in theatre, the coursework for Webster’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts Bachelor of Arts degree in Directing vigorously stresses the directing craft, while providing opportunities for students to discover stories they want to tell.
Our directing program is highly specialized, combining elements of directing, acting, design, and stage management. Practical experience supplements classroom work, and Conservatory directors assist on professional productions, such as those at Repertory Theatre St. Louis, a nationally recognized League of Resident Theatre (LORT) organization. Combined with a senior semester studying abroad, the directing program provides a rich environment of learning for the student director, culminating with a capstone directing project in the final semester.
Rain and Zoe Save the World, 2023
Mud, 2023
Burial at Thebes, 2022
Silence, 2024
Bright Room Called Day, 2023
Choose Webster for Your BA in Directing
Train with the Pros
Sargent Conservatory’s training program benefits from several professional partnerships, including collaborations with the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and The Muny. We are able to offer students unparalleled opportunities to work alongside professional theatre artists, directors and designers in the city’s thriving theatre scene.
Our students also benefit from studying in a city that boasts an internationally renowned opera company and orchestra, a vibrant music scene and a number of excellent art museums
Broaden Your Global Theatre Perspective — Study Abroad in London
Webster’s commitment to Study Abroad is a key element of the BA in Directing. As the Shakespearean character, Jaques, from “As You Like It” once said — “All the world’s a stage,” and Webster’s Study Abroad program is an opportunity for students to broaden their perspectives and sharpen their curiosities.
Mentorship from Experienced Faculty
Conservatory faculty members are working professional artists, published writers, playwrights and dedicated educators committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Their work includes Broadway, off-Broadway, regional and international credits, as well as projects in a variety of other fields (film, television, voice-over, corporate events).
Gain Professional Directing Experience
Directing program students work on five major directing projects during their four years at Webster. Each of the productions require extensive research, which takes on historical, psychological, sociological and philosophical concerns relevant to the play’s time and place. You will spend hours implementing creative problem solving, team building, overseeing design elements and leading rehearsals. You will also learn to create and adhere to a budget, collaborate with a team and meet an opening night deadline.
Webster's Sargent Conservatory Curriculum
Directing majors will spend the bulk of their first-year training alongside the performance majors. Learning how to perform and how to communicate with performers is integral to the craft of directing. Key classes will include:
- Acting
- Voice and speech
- Movement
- Text analysis
- Makeup
- Theatre history
In their second year, directing majors will begin the Directing sequence and serve as assistant directors for Conservatory productions. Students will take several of their theatre classes alongside design and technical theatre majors. Learning the basics of visual storytelling and of communicating with a design team are critical for a director. Key classes will include:
- Directing 1 and 2
- Visual history
- Fundamentals of design
- Prop design
- Shakespeare
The third year challenges directing majors to bring stories to full theatrical life. Students will also serve as assistant directors for professional productions. Classes entail a combination of performance and design classes:
- Directing 3 and 4
- Improv
- Stage management
- Lighting design
The fourth year is designed around two major experiences. In Fall, directing majors will study abroad. In Spring, directing majors will lead a capstone directing project, putting to use all the skills learned up to now.
BA in Directing
Find out more about the overall curriculum, electives, learning outcomes and more.
Theatre Scholarships
Almost every full-time undergraduate student at Webster University receives some sort of financial aid. Webster’s Office of Financial Aid is committed to making a college education affordable.
Additionally, the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts awards annual scholarships designated specifically for theatre majors. In 2023-2024, the department awarded over $225,000 in scholarships to its students. Most of these awards are reserved for our third- and fourth-year students. Every year we also allot some scholarships to first-year students. These awards are made in consultation with the recruiting faculty and with the Office of Financial Aid. There is no separate application process. Please contact Andrew Laue, Associate Director of Fine Arts Admissions at lauear@webster.edu, for additional information.
“I want to tell stories about my Latinx roots because our culture is quite underrepresented in theatre, and I also want to amplify female voices, especially those of women who have been ignored by history.”
Amalia Perez Lam
BA in Directing, ’25
Apply Today for the BA in Directing
At Webster's Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts, we'll help you achieve academic excellence, preparing you for future career successes. The first step — fill out an application.
Contact Doug Finlayson, Head of Directing Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Each directing class has a component of rehearsal and presentation. In Directing II,
students will direct first-year actors in a short piece. In Directing III and IV,
students will direct second-year students in longer pieces to be presented on Tuesday
afternoons for the full performance department. In the Senior Capstone, students will
direct a full-length play.
As a first-year student in the acting class, you will appear in a Directing II scene
in the late spring. There are local companies who conduct open auditions in the St.
Louis area, and these opportunities need to be cleared through the department.
Since the Directing program is a Bachelor of Arts, directing students have more freedom
to take on particular interests. Previous students have pursued Business, English,
Art and Religious Studies courses. Others have taken additional classes within the
Conservatory with permission from the instructor.
Although you are being accepted as a director and not an actor, it's important to
take time to prepare for this aspect of the audition. In part, the monologues are
used for placement purposes for the first-year acting class, and to see what you,
an aspiring director, think about acting.
We recruit from all over the U.S. and internationally, with students from countries
such as Costa Rica and Japan, among others.
Because we share our space with two professional companies, the Repertory Theatre
of St. Louis (The Rep) and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, there are many opportunities
to watch directors working. Each directing candidate will be assigned an assistant
directing position in the conservatory and with The Rep, but students have volunteered
to assist on additional shows as well. We also have a professional relationship with
The Muny, where students have opportunities to work alongside Muny directors.
Get Started on Your Bachelor's Degree in Directing
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Contact the Admissions Office to Find Out More
If you have more questions about the program, your application or other enrollment-related inquiries, contact our Admissions Office.
Call 314-246-7800 or 800-753-6765 or send an email to admit@webster.edu.