STAGE MANAGEMENT
The Stage Management program at the University of Houston is designed for student success, with a 100% job placement rate and an impressive roster of alumni working on Broadway, national tours, and at top theatres nationwide. With expert training and industry connections, graduates step confidently into the professional world.
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN STAGE MANAGEMENT (BFA)
The B.F.A. in Stage Management at the University of Houston offers an immersive, hands-on education in an ensemble-driven, professional training environment. Students develop expertise in leadership, communication, and problem-solving, while gaining extensive experience in new play development, opera, classical works, and large-scale productions. With a 100% post-graduation placement rate, UH stage management graduates successfully work locally, regionally, and nationally.
During the first two years, students build a strong foundation in technical production, stage management, design, graphic communication, play analysis, and theatre history. Training combines classroom study and practical experience, with students working on at least one production per semester. In their final years, students expand their skills in production management and associated fields such as opera, ballet, film, and event management. Each semester, students serve as a stage manager or assistant stage manager, culminating in a professional internship with a local theatre.
Located in Houston, the fourth-largest city in the U.S., the program provides unparalleled professional exposure. Students work alongside industry professionals, guest artists, and faculty mentors, gaining real-world experience and career guidance. Houston’s thriving arts scene offers internships, apprenticeships, and over-hire opportunities with leading organizations such as Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, Alley Theatre, Stages Repertory Company, and Local 51. Additionally, students gain valuable large-scale production experience through the Houston Shakespeare Festival, a professional summer festival performing for over 30,000 patrons each season.
LEARN FROM THE BEST
Rachel R Bush, Assistant Director of the School of Theatre & Dance
COUGAR PRIDE NATIONWIDE
Our stage management students have launched exciting careers across the country from major cities to regional gems.
In Texas, they’ve worked with top-tier organizations like A.D. Players, Dallas Theatre Center, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Theatre Under the Stars, and The Alley Theatre, as well as innovative companies like MATCH, Stages, Main Street Theatre, and the Catastrophic Theatre.
In New York, you’ll find them at Juilliard, Glimmerglass Opera, New York Stage & Film, Catskill and Hudson Valley Shakespeare, and The Possibility Project. On the West Coast, they’ve brought their talents to Royal Caribbean Cruises and productions at Disney World and SeaWorld in Florida.
They’ve also made their mark in Colorado (Central City Opera, Lake Dillon, Rocky Mountain Rep), Virginia (American Shakespeare Center, Barter Theatre, Wolf Trap), and Illinois (Steppenwolf and Illinois Shakespeare). In Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., they’ve worked at Merrimack Rep, Williamstown, McCarter, Princeton Festival, Surflight Theatre, Studio Theatre, and Washington National Opera.
Across the Midwest and South, they’ve supported seasons at Hope Summer Repertory (MI), The Muny (MO), Des Moines Metro Opera (IA), and The Alliance Theatre (GA). And in smaller but mighty venues across Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, our grads have helped stage productions for Shakespeare festivals, summer repertory companies, and opera houses.
You’ll also find them on Broadway and national tours, with credits like Annie Live! (NBC), Moulin Rouge, Jagged Little Pill, Dana H, Is This a Room, Hangmen, The Piano Lesson, and Mamma Mia!—proving that no stage is too big or too far.