In order to transfer to CBU you must be in good academic standing at your current/previous institution.
You must meet the general admissions requirements (or the post-secondary equivalent) for the program, found under the Canadian or International tabs of this tool.
To see if your institution is an articulation partner, please view our articulation agreements page.
Please email us if you have specific questions about admission requirements and transferring to CBU:
- International students: internationaladmissions@cbu.ca.
- Canadian students / Permanent Residents of Canada: admissions@cbu.ca

Play To A Universal Audience

Throughout Cape Breton culture, you’ll find music, dance, theatre and the arts all around you. At CBU, we collaborate and take the stage together to engage with our community through a positive, creative medium.

Applied Theatre helps you adapt practical theatre skills to achieve your goals in non-traditional performance contexts and styles. You could work as an animator at a living history site, use theatre to raise awareness around social issues, create experiences that build or celebrate community, engage youth in learning opportunities, and help at-risk populations develop skills and support networks.

At CBU, you can study traditional theatre skills such as acting, directing and stage management, alongside the versatile techniques of applied theatre, including improvisation and devising. Enhance your studies with work placements and courses that support applied theatre careers, like entrepreneurship, marketing, musicology or cultural policy.

By studying applied theatre, you can learn how to recognize the needs of your communities and use theatre to meet those needs, bringing real change to the world in which you live.

Students sitting in CBU courtyard near residence buildings.

TUITION AND FEES

SCHOLARSHIPS & BURSARIES

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAMS

Sample Courses and Resources

CBU COURSE CATALOGUE

Applied Theatre Courses

BOARDMORE PLAYHOUSE

Why study at CBU?

CBU is the only university in the Atlantic region offering applied theatre, and the only university in Canada to include work placements as part of the core applied theatre curriculum. Our program is hands-on. You will develop meaningful projects during your coursework, and respond to contemporary issues while building a portfolio in support of your future career.

Students will have opportunities to gain experience through local partners, such as Parks Canada and the Highland Arts Theatre. In addition to honing your theatrical skills on the CBU Boardmore stage, you’ll have the chance to gain valuable experience as a research assistant on real theatrical projects.

Over the course of your degree, you will work closely with faculty to prepare for your final-year seminars, developing materials for community partners or creating student-driven projects that can make a difference in your community.

What skills will I gain from this program?

Theatrical expertise (acting, stage management, directing, etc.)
Group facilitation and collaboration
Community intervention and support
Improvisation and flexibility
Emotional intelligence and self-awareness

Possible Career Paths

Theatre practitioner (acting, directing, stage management, etc.)
Teacher
Activist
Historical interpreter
Community support worker

Experiential Learning Opportunities

Write, direct, stage manage or perform in the Boardmore One Act Festival and in the classroom.
Conduct interviews and research to create original performance scripts.
Develop production proposals and grant applications for mainstage and in-community theatrical work.
Assess local performances and events.
Earn extra credit by participating in the Boardmore mainstage season.