Mesa Community College

Mesa Community College’s Theatre & Film Arts program offers a comprehensive and professionally oriented curriculum that blends academic coursework with hands‑on production experience. Students can pursue either an Associate of Arts with a performance or production emphasis or a more intensive Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.), designed to prepare them for transfer or entry into theatre, film, or technical roles. The A.F.A. curriculum provides foundation and individual pathway training in acting, design, stagecraft, theatre education, and cinema. These programs include multiple certificates in areas such as technical theatre (e.g. lighting, audio, makeup, or scenic construction) that support career readiness and specialization.

The program prioritizes experiential learning through a robust production schedule that includes four mainstage productions annually, student showcases, original works, guest-artist workshops, and immersive performances such as puppetry. The campus Theatre facility—a renovated 270-seat house built in 1978 and modernized in 2012—serves as a professional-style studio for student training and public performances.

Mesa Community College students and faculty frequently earn local and national recognition. In 2022, MCC’s production of Antigone received the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) National Award —a rare honor at the community college level—along with multiple individual awards for costume, sound, makeup, and production design. Faculty member Kara Thomson was awarded the prestigious Gold Medallion for Excellence in Theatre Education by KCACTF’s Region VIII.

Learning extends beyond the classroom through the Stage Door Players Club, a student-run group active since 1965 that supports departmental productions, student-led showcases, and social engagement. The department also participates annually in the ariZoni Awards (the regional theatre excellence awards in Arizona), the Artists of Promise exhibition, and hosts a portfolio review that attracts local and national theatre professionals to provide feedback and recruitment opportunities for students.

Through a balance of strong academic training, immersive performance opportunities, and community and festival recognition, MCC Theater & Film Arts equips students with transferable skills across acting, design, and production. Whether students intend to transfer to four‑year programs or pursue careers in creative industries, MCC delivers a high-quality, accessible theatre education within the vibrant Phoenix–Mesa arts community.