Are you interested in our bachelor of fine arts (BFA) in design and technology? Then you will need to both apply to the University as well as interview for the program. The instructions below will help you apply to Ball State and schedule your interview.
1. Apply to the University
You must apply for admission to the university prior to scheduling an interview for the design and technology program. Interview requests are made by filling out the supplemental theatre application that is part of the online application to the university.
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2. Schedule an Interview
You will need to schedule an interview for admission into the program. When you fill out your online application to Ball State, you will be prompted to complete a supplemental theatre application via your Cardinal Landing portal, where you can request your interview date and location. Look for the ‘Department of Theatre & Dance Audition/Interview Registration’ item on your portal Checklist.
Our Department of Theatre and Dance does not require prescreens for any of our auditions or interviews.
Dates
On-Campus:
- Saturday, November 8, 2025
- Saturday, February 7, 2026
Virtual LIVE:
- Saturday, February 14, 2026
- If you select this date, add any portfolio materials (see Process and Guidelines section) to your digital Portfolio on your Cardinal Landing portal.
Off-Campus:
Pittsburgh Unifieds - Virtual Live Tech & Design Portfolio Reviews
- VIRTUAL LIVE: Saturday, October 25, 2025
- Counts as final program decision interviews for BFA Design & Technology. (You MUST register through Pittsburgh Unifieds coordinators as well as your BSU interview registration application).
Process and Guidelines
On-Campus Auditions
All applicants will be notified of dates, times, schedules, materials needed, and audition guidelines via email no later than two weeks prior to the audition date chosen. Continue to be active in your Application Portal and upload any required documents prior to your audition date. Please add auditions@bsu.edu to your address book to avoid messages getting lost or dropped in spam/junk. You are encouraged to email auditions@bsu.edu with any questions.
National Unified Auditions
All applicants will be notified of dates, times, schedules, materials needed, and audition guidelines via email no later than two weeks prior to the audition date chosen. Continue to be active in your Application Portal and upload any required documents prior to your audition date. Please add auditions@bsu.edu to your address book to avoid messages getting lost or dropped in spam/junk. You are encouraged to email auditions@bsu.edu with any questions.
What to Bring
- A résumé that outlines your theatre activities and experience (required)
- Evidence of your theatrical design and/or technical experience, in a portfolio or notebook, that may include:
- renderings, drawings, sketches
- photographs of models
- prompt books
- poster or program designs
- photographs of the process and/or the production
- all materials are optional but highly recommended
- A short statement of purpose that clearly addresses:
- what you want to do in the theatre
- why you have a passion for your area of interest
- what skills and values you possess which will make you a successful student for the next four years, and a working professional later in life
- statement of purpose optional but highly recommended
Please be prepared to discuss and answer questions about your resume, any other materials you bring including a statement of purpose, and your past theatrical experiences.
You will be interviewed by members of our faculty who will welcome you and be eager to learn more about you.
NOTE:
We do not expect every student to have a physical representation of work done in the past, or to be at a particular level of knowledge or experience. You are strongly encouraged to bring anything as outlined above that will help us understand your skills, abilities, and experience. But if you only have the required resume, that is acceptable.
Creating a list of questions you ask every university for which you are interviewing may allow you to compare programs more specifically. However, the answers to many of your questions will be on the various departmental websites and in printed materials, so we cannot emphasize enough how important it is to research the programs prior to your interview. It's possible that you will be asked what you are looking for in a program and why you're interested in our program in particular. Having a sense of what differentiates one program from another is one of the best things you can do prior to your college theatre interview.
If you haven't been able to find an answer to your question(s), please feel free to ask the faculty or the theatre students who will be present on your interview day. We want to make sure you get the information you need!
Finally, this is a time for us to find out a bit more about you, and for you to learn more about us and our program. Relax, breathe, and be yourself. We look forward to meeting you!