<p>I'm currently completing my final year of high school - I am in Australia - and I'm looking at my study options at various universities. </p>
<p>Career-wise, I want to work as a director and a designer; however what I have found is that any programs that I've looked at are either staunchly based in one or the other. The programs that I've looked at either are theatre/directing programs that allow you to study one or two subjects in scene design; or else design/technical theatre programs that don't really have much of a grounding in directing. </p>
<p>Can anybody recommend any reputable BA or BFA programs that may allow me to study directing as well as theatre design?</p>
<p>Take a look at the NYU Tisch Drama BFA. And, as part of that program,...the Playwrights Horizons Studio (<a href="http://www.phtschool.org)%5B/url%5D">www.phtschool.org)</a>. Within that studio, I believe a combination design/directing emphasis is an option.</p>
<p>Many BA programs will allow you to do this. I teach at James Madison University in VA, and students in the BA Theatre program here can take courses in design and directing and have the opportunity to direct and design in the student produced Experimental Theatre as well as design, assistant design, and assistant direct on the mainstage. You will find many BA programs that will offer these kinds of opportunities.</p>
<p>You might also want to look into the BFA in Theatre Studies at Southern Methodist University and the BS Generalist track at The University of Evansville.</p>
<p>I'm really excited that Northwestern has a BA where you can take courses in acting/directing as well as multiple types of design, and stage management, etc. This kind of flexibility is important to me too- I was looking at NYU/Tisch/Playwrights and BU's Theatre Arts BFA (easier to tailor to your interests than their BFA acting or tech).<br>
you might also look for a BA program where you'd concentrate in one of those disciplines (directing/design) and do a lot of the other thing in student theatre (ie, I keep hearing about the incredible student theatre at Yale, where they're pretty good about funding their extracurric productions and such).</p>
<p>At Otterbein in Westerville, Ohio you can do it all with a BFA all theatre classes are open to everyone and all design majors are required to take directing (advanced directing is offered as well along with the chance to direct student pieces). As for the design classes, you get it all. Sound, costumes, lights, and scenic elements. We learn to paint, draw, sew, build, hang and focus lights, run a sound board. If you want to get to do a little bit of everything, that might be a good option. Design majors also are required to take a participation class every quarter you are enrolled. Freshman year they put you on a costume, set, and light crew under the supervision of an upper classman and then sophomore year you are assigned a different position each quarter. This year I’m assistant master electrician, master painter, student costume designer, and assistant set designer. I’m a costume major, so you see that I still can do all areas to some degree. Also, we are one of the few schools to allow undergraduates to design (if you’re good enough) and we don’t have a grad program so you aren’t competing with them.</p>