Top Performing Arts Schools in Vancouver, Canada

Canada has a number of thriving performing arts institutions with esteemed alumni working on Broadway, touring theatre, local theatre, TV and film! Below, BroadwayWorld rounds up the top performing arts schools in Vancouver. Check out the list below!

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Simon Fraser University

Students enter the program through an audition process for direct entry into the Theatre major in the first year, or through transfer credit from colleges and university programs. Our studio cohort approach emphasizes rigorous artist training in both individual work and ensemble creation. Performance students take studio courses in acting, movement, voice, playmaking, clown, directing, devising and dramaturgy; academic courses in critical and dramatic literature; and courses outside the discipline with a special emphasis on production and design. An honors degree allows our top-ranked students an opportunity to extend their studies and take further advantage of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Students at every level of the program have performance opportunities with mainstage productions directed by guest professionals (Fall) and faculty (Spring), student directing projects (Fall), and a student-directed playmaking blackbox (Spring). In addition, students often collaborate with students from other areas of the School for Contemporary Arts (Dance, Film, Music, Production/Design, Visual Arts) and in graduate student projects and faculty performance research.

Many alumni of the Theatre Performance Program have gone on to launch independent theatre companies known nationally and internationally for an ensemble approach and innovative productions.

Learn more here.

Capilano University

Whether there's music in your soul and a song in your heart or you prefer to keep the show on the road, you'll find a CapU program tailored to you - from jazz studies and musical theatre to arts management and technical production.

Our instructors are artists and creators, industry professionals who know where you're coming from and can help you get where you're going. As a CapU student you'll be part of a creative community sharing the worlds of theatre, music and arts administration.

CapU grads are sought after in the creative industry, largely due to the extensive hands-on training you receive. With state-of-the-art theatre space, rehearsal halls and scene shops, our students build sets, perform in theatre productions and play alongside award-winning musicians. So when our CapU grads walk onto a stage or into a studio or concert hall they're ready to contribute to creative projects right from the get-go.

Learn more here.

Douglas College

Follow your passion for acting and lay the foundation for your career in the performing arts. The two-year, full-time Douglas College Theatre Diploma Program provides you with professional training and education in five key areas: voice and speech, movement, acting, theatre history and production. You will work closely with students in the Stagecraft and Event Technology program to produce four major theatre productions and learn behind-the-scenes skills such as publicity and promotion.

Get hands-on experience on-stage and backstage in four major theatrical productions.
Work with faculty who are experienced theatre, film and television professionals.
Perform in the modern 350-seat Laura C. Muir Theatre as well as the Studio Theatre.
Earn university-transferable credits. Graduates often transfer to complete a bachelor's degree at universities both in Canada and abroad, such as UBC, SFU, UVic, University of Alberta, Sheridan College, University of Wales (UK) and more.

Learn more here.

Langara College's Studio58

One of the best theatre schools in Canada, Langara College's Studio58 (Theatre Arts) provides practical, hands-on training for students looking for exciting and rewarding careers in professional theatre.

Live, learn and work as a professional theatre artist. It's a full-time job beginning at 8:30 a.m. and often working late. Days are filled with classes, crew calls, rehearsals and evening performances.

Challenging? Yes. Rewarding? Without a doubt. Actors, stage managers, technicians and designers discovered at Studio 58 are now working for professional theatre companies and festivals around the world. In fact, more than 90 percent of Studio 58 students find professional theatre work within six months of graduating. Graduates perform throughout Canada, the United States, Australia and England in Live Theatre, film, television and radio.

Learn more here.

The University of British Columbia

Theatre and Film at UBC offers a comprehensive range of degrees in the study of Theatre and Film including the option to study in an interdisciplinary environment with Creative Writing and other university disciplines. Developing students' imaginative, technical, and intellectual skills equally as they prepare to embark on a career in theatre and related arts, is our objective.

Courses provide students with core disciplines and knowledge of the diversity of aesthetic practices as well as practical experience.

Our aim is to teach students in a liberal arts context preparing them for a wide range of careers in costume and set design, theatre production, acting, teaching, curating, filmmaking, writing, innovative research initiatives, arts administration and academic research.

Learn more here.

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