Johnny Carson School of Theatre & Film at the University of Nebraska

Hello, and welcome to the Johnny Carson School of Theatre & Film application portal! The Carson School offers students several areas of study:

• BFA in Acting Degree
  
• BFA in Design/Technical Production Degree
  
• BA in Theatre Degree
  
• BFA in Emerging Media Arts Degree

We are using Acceptd for the Acting, Design/Technical Production, and BA-Theatre degree applications. The Carson School is located in picturesque downtown Lincoln, Nebraska, on the University of Nebraska city campus.

The BFA in Acting is a Professional Actor Training Program that provides young artists with rigorous training and a variety of performance opportunities intended to challenge and enliven the creative spirit. It balances foundational and advanced performance practices in theatre and film with exposure to specialized performance techniques in voice over, gaming, motion capture, green screen and other emerging disciplines. 

We offer a Minor in Musical Theatre which features private voice lessons and performance opportunities including cabarets, productions, and audition techniques. Placement in the minor takes place after admission to the student's primary degree program. 

Every other year we take our rising 3rd and 4th year actors to Study Abroad in London, England! While there, we are in residence at Shakespeare's Globe, we do a set of physical theatre and devising workshops with Frantic Assembly, students partner with peers who are in training in London to study accents and learn about actor training methodologies, and evenings are spent at theatre performances across the city. Our last trip was in 2024 and the next trip is scheduled for June 2026.

The BFA in Design/Technical Production is for those desiring concentrated training and education in scenic design, lighting design, costume design, and technical theatre. The training the student receives in this program allows him or her to seek an entry-level position in professional theatre, television, or film industries; or pursue further education at a graduate school or internship program. It's the goal of the faculty to give the student the classroom instruction, practical experience, and individual attention needed to form clear goals pertaining to a career in technical theatre.

The BA in Theatre provides students with a well-rounded liberal education as well as three emphases from which to choose, each designed to provide depth in a particular area of theatrical studies: 1) Theatre Arts, 2) Theatre Creation, and 3) Theatre Leadership/Management.

The Carson School received a generous donation to build the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts and to offer a BFA degree in Emerging Media Arts. We admitted our first class of students in the fall of 2019. Students learn to create media across a continuum from filmmaking to game design, virtual reality, experience design, special effects, sensory media, sonic art and data. Please see our webpage for application information and deadlines.

Click to go to the Carson School website.

In addition, click on the "Resources" link at the top of the page for information about class offerings and program requirements.

For guideline and requirement questions please contact Todd at tcuddy1@unl.edu or 402-472-2453.

For technical questions, please check out the Applicant Support Help Desk for frequently asked questions.