Eligibility
- Must be in the BA or BFA Program in the School of Theatre, College of Arts and Architecture
- 18 years of age or above
- Good academic and disciplinary standing at Penn State
- 2.5 cumulative GPA or better at the time of application
- Junior standing or above at the start of the program
Program Description
This program is housed and classes are held at the Theatre Academy London (TAL) in the heart of the United Kingdom’s capital city. TAL offers a wide range of conservatory-style courses, from Acting to Playwriting; from Stage Combat to Directing; from Movement to Shakespeare. It also offers analytical courses in Theatre History and Criticism that make full use of the London setting to explore the history and development of drama.
Students are required to take Introduction to London Theatre, in which students attend performances, discuss plays, explore theoretical background, study historical context, and analyze criticism with guest speakers from the London theatre community. Students also chose additional courses from TAL’s list of core theatre courses and from a selection of General Education courses that vary from semester to semester.
Dates
Spring: early January - late April
Refer to FSU International Programs for the specific dates, if available.
Location
London has been the leading center for theatre of the English-speaking world for centuries. Today, London’s West End Theatre District is comparable to New York’s Broadway and, like New York’s Off-Broadway; London’s has a robust “fringe” theatre community offering experimental productions. However, theatre in London is far more affordable, making it more accommodating to students of the profession.
This program is housed and classes are held at the Theatre Academy London (TAL) in the heart of the United Kingdom’s capital city, home of the Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of Big Ben, the Tower of London, and the Eye. The TAL Study Centre is housed in a row of seventeenth-century townhouses in London’s historic Bloomsbury neighborhood, a very short walk from the West End Theatre District. This historic setting has been fitted with modern conveniences.
Life at the TAL Study Center has a community atmosphere. Students and staff get to know each other while sharing in the experience of living in the cultural center of one of the greatest cities in the world. The TAL Study Centre is housed in a row of seventeenth-century townhouses in London’s historic Bloomsbury neighborhood, a very short walk from the West End Theatre District.
For TAL students, learning isn’t limited to the classroom. Faculty use the city of London as a textbook, incorporating fieldtrips into their classes. Regular events include attending performances at West End theatres, the National Theatre, the Globe, and “fringe” productions in Haringey. Daytrips outside of London include Shakespeare’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon, Canterbury Cathedral, Windsor Castle, the university towns of Cambridge and Oxford, and Stonehenge. Each semester the program organizes a three-day trip to Paris which includes visits to the Musee de Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay and the Eiffel Tower.
Education Abroad in Countries with a Penn State Restricted Travel Designation
In order to comply with Penn State’s International Travel Policy, students interested in studying abroad in countries that Penn State has designated as “restricted” for travel, a petition for a waiver must be submitted. Once a petition is complete, and if the student is approved for study on the program in question, the student may be asked to meet with the Director of Education Abroad and the petition will be reviewed by the Penn State International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC). The necessary petition will be included in the online application process for this program. To see if your program is taking place in a restricted travel country, please visit the Penn State Global website.
