Carnegie Mellon School of Drama - Acting and Music Theater

In a scene from “I Think I’m Starting to Want to Be a Mother,” two students on stage in punk rock costumes and wigs sing into a standing microphone.

Unleash Your Artistry

At Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, acting and music theater students learn side-by-side, with top-flight acting training at the core of our curriculum. Here, you will cultivate your individual artistry with the guidance and support of faculty who are experts in their craft, and professionals in the field. The diverse and tight-knit community within the School of Drama, coupled with the connections to our impressive alumni network, are just a few of the reasons why Carnegie Mellon consistently ranks among the top drama schools in the world.

In a scene from “A Little Night Music,” a student actor stands on stage in a long white dress, reading from a book while another student actor sits on a couch, holding a cello between his knees and looking at her.

Acting/MT Curriculum

The program is divided into four distinct and rigorous phases of learning, each year consecutively building upon the last. Acting and music theater students take the same extensive core curriculum classes of acting, voice and speech, and movement. Music theater students take advanced classes in singing, music theater styles and skills, and a variety of dance techniques. Our holistic approach to training looks beyond any one particular discipline, and seeks to cultivate artistry and inspire autonomous creative thinkers.

Click the link and navigate through each program’s curriculum using the gray menu on the right hand side of the screen.

curriculum

Student Work

A woman wearing a long brown cardigan gestures, looking up, while a student wearing a blue shirt and black head wrap stands at a microphone in a classroom.

Alumni Connections

Alumna Michelle Wong (Class of 2007) works with Joshua Elijah Lewis (Class of 2024) in a voiceover workshop. Michelle is TV, film, voice over, and theater actor based in Los Angeles who recently visited CMU to teach the junior and senior acting and music theater students about the art and business of voice over work. Learn more about Michelle at michellewong.com.

Student Ayana Cymone, wearing a yellow tank top and jeans, stands in front of a camera, her image is projected on a large screen in the foreground.

Acting for the Camera

Ayana Cymone (Class of 2022) in Acting for the Camera class. Acting for the Camera is taught senior year and teaches the skills necessary to work as an actor in the film and television industry. Incorporating the proficiencies and techniques acquired during previous training, students learn and practice the additional skills required to work on camera.

Six students I brightly colored costumes dance, bending backwards, with extreme facial expressions; the student center stage has a lobster claw on her hand.

“Rock Lobster” as part of Dance/Light 2024.

Dance/Light is an annual opportunity for students to explore the art form of dance. It is the largest and longest- running cross-discipline project in the School of Drama. The purpose is to unite the elements of choreography, performance, lighting design, costume design, and stage management in a concert dance format.

Choreographers: Annalisa D’Aguilar and Ava Notarangelo
Lighting Designer: Zhengdao Ernest Wan
Media Designer: Kolton Cotton
Costume Designer: Bunny Brandt
Stage Manager: Kiana Carbone
Dancers: Ava Benson, Annalisa D’Aguilar, Sophia Garcia, Ava Notarangelo, Ana Schroder, Luna Taveras

Student Helena Chuang, wearing a denim jumpsuit and a period costume headpiece, sits on top of a set piece, screaming and gesturing with her hands in a scene from “Lear.”

Production Opportunities

Acting and MT students begin performing in the School of Drama’s production season beginning their junior year. Before that point, they concentrate on their classroom training, and can participate in performance opportunities through Dance/Light and Playground.

Pictured: Acting student Helena Chuang (Class of 2025) in her junior year production, “Lear” by Young Jean Lee, directed by Tatiana Baccari (MFA, John Wells Directing Fellow, Class of 2025).

Scenic Designer: Sebastian Zavalza
Costume Designer: Caifeng Hong
Lighting Designer: Eva Oney
Sound Designer: Ray Morgen
Dramaturg: Eliot Herron
Stage Manager: Bee Anderson
Fight & Intimacy Choreographer: Tomé Cousin

Student Carlwell Redmon sits on a set that looks like the bottom of a swimming pool in a spotlight, being filmed by figures in silhouette in a scene from “Penelope.”

Production Opportunities

Pictured: Music Theater student Carlwell Redmon (Class of 2025) performing in his junior year production, “Penelope” by Enda Walsh, directed by Spencer Byham-Carson (BFA, Directing, 2024).

Scenic Designer: Phoebe Huggett
Costume Designer: Sophie Howard
Lighting Designer: Xuewei Eva Hu
Sound Designer: Spencer Byham-Carson
Media Designer: Sophia Coscia
Dramaturg: Caroline Holmes
Stage Manager: Maureen Pace
Fight Director: Tonya Lynn
Choreographer: Benji Santiago

Two acting students, standing in front of a red curtain, work on a scene with working with Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham.

World-Class Guest Artists

Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham visited campus to lead an acting master class. Here, he works with Anya Edwards (Class of 2025) and Ted Guzman (Class of 2025) on a scene from Richard III.

The School of Drama regularly brings in guest lecturers, giving students the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most celebrated artists in the world.

Group of students pose in an acting studio with Jesmille Darbouze.