For undergraduates who love theatre but may not dream of celebrity, a teaching credential program launching this fall offers another avenue to use their degree.
The one-year program will prepare students with a Bachelor of Arts to get their theatre credential and then teach in K-12 schools.
Students with a B.A. in any subject can apply to the program, though if their degree isn’t in theatre they’ll first need to pass a state exam.
The Single Subject Credential in Theatre offers a clear path to working in the field, whether students are getting the broad exposure to all aspects of theatre offered by the B.A. or they’re specializing in one area, said Amanda Rose Villarreal, an associate professor of theatre and dance who oversees the new credential program.
Villarreal has nearly 20 years’ experience teaching in public schools and running youth theatre programs. CSUF hired her specifically to develop and oversee the theatre arts credential.
Cal State Fullerton’s theatre BFA is performance-focused, so its graduates may go straight to auditions or a job in professional theatre, Villarreal said. The B.A. program gives a broader sampling of the field, leaving students equipped to be a “one-person production team” who oversees casting, directing, costumes and lighting — as many theatre teachers do.
“B.A. students are perfectly situated to be theatre teachers,” she said. “The credential program is that bridge to a full-time job in theatre.”
A California K-12 arts education funding measure approved in 2022 is projected to support thousands of jobs for educators in dance, music, visual arts and theatre.
In recent years, undergrads hoping to become theatre instructors have had to earn a teaching credential in English to get into the classroom. That led theatre teachers around California to lobby for better training that goes beyond reading plays and “teaching students to sit quietly and work at desks,” Villarreal said.
Ziggy Bozigian ’25 (B.A. theatre), who is among the first to enroll in the new credential program, discovered a love for theatre in high school and wanted to combine it with their passion for education. Bozigian knew they wanted to teach theatre but didn’t quite know how to get there until the credential program was announced last year.
When Bozigian and their peers in the credential program get into K-12 classrooms, the students they teach will get much more out of the theatre experience, “and I can’t wait to see what that looks like,” Bozigian said.
For Alyssa Gauss ’25 (B.A. theatre), working as an intern in a high school theatre program offered the unforgettable feeling of seeing the students’ lightbulb moments, when what they were learning clicked into place.
She heard the credential program was in development at CSUF and transferred to the university to be ready for it. “The future of the world is within our youth, and I want to be a part of changing our world,” Gauss said.
Part of Villarreal’s focus in the credential program will be on how aspiring teachers can support students in finding their creative voice — and that’s exactly what Bozigian hopes to do as a teacher.
They want to create a nurturing environment like their high school theatre program was, Bozigian said. “I want to be that teacher that students look forward to seeing and who makes them feel respected and cared for.”