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BA in Theatre

Degree Requirements

All theatre students take the following baseline courses (18 credits):

COMM 240/THTR 100 Acting I (3 credits)
ENGL 314/THTR 110 Drama (3 credits)
ENGL 328/THTR 120 Plays in Performance (3 credits)
THTR 270 Tools of the Trade (3 credits)
THTR 300 Theatre Practicum (3 credits)
THTR 450 Acting III/Performance Lab, Senior Theatre Project (3 credits)

Once students have taken at least 9 theatre credits, they will need to declare one of the following areas of focus within the Theatre Major: Acting and Performing Arts; Playwriting and Storytelling; or Theatre-Making and Media Arts.

Acting and Performing Arts
This concentration is geared toward students whose primary interest is in acting/performing, directing, and/or dance and movement for the stage. Students will explore more deeply the fundamentals of acting technique, auditioning, directing, dance forms, and a variety of performance techniques and styles that may include, but not limited to clown, period work, classics, farce, theatre of the absurd, children’s theatre, and storytelling.

Please note: In addition to the baseline requirements, students are required to complete the following courses in the Acting and Performing Arts concentration (9 credits):

THTR 150 Vocal Production and Speech (3 credits)
THTR 200/COMM 341 Acting II/Directing (3 credits)
ART 250 Dance Forms (3 credits)
Students complete 9 additional credits
from the following options:
ENGL 297 Acting Shakespeare (3 credits)
HNRS 101 Theatre and Social Change (3 credits)
ART 109 Jazz Dance I (3 credits)
ART 211 Music (3 credits)
ART 253 American Musical Theatre (3 credits)
ART 260 Pop Dance (3 credits)
ART 265 Contemporary Modern Dance I (3 credits)
ART 266 Contemporary Modern Dance II (3 credits)
ART 267 Dance Performance and Production (3 credits)
ENGL 303 Shakespeare (3 credits)
COMM/THTR/ART Topics: Art of the Song,
A Performance Workshop
(3 credits)
COMM/THTR/ART Topics: Musical Theatre
and Communication Outreach Workshop
(3 credits)
ART 436 Ballet (3 credits)
Additional topics and new courses as offered.

Playwriting and Storytelling
This concentration engages students in the creation of original works of theatre for a variety of purposes and audiences such as children’s theatre, theatre as social intervention, theatre in healthcare contents, traditional full-length dramas, short plays, and solo performance. Emphasis is also placed on writing and the use and re-imagining of space in the storytelling process. This could be, but is not limited to, outdoor, site-specific, and avant-garde theatre.

Please note: In addition to the baseline courses, students are required to take the following courses in the Theatre-Making and Writing concentration (12 credits):

ENGL 301/THTR 210 Creative Writing Workshop: Drama (3 credits)
ENGL 302 Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry (3 credits)
ENGL 303 Shakespeare (3 credits)
ENGL 370 Writing Independent Study (3 credits)
Students complete 6 additional credits from the following options:
ART 253 American Musical Theatre (3 credits)
ART 326 Making Public Art (3 credits)
ART 427 Topics in Art and Social Intervention (3 credits)
ART 435 Current Trends (3 credits)
ENGL 270 Lyrics and Lyric, The Intersection of Poetry and Song (3 credits)
COMM 387 Scriptwriting (3 credits)
Additional topics and new courses as offered.

Theatre-Making and Media Arts
This concentration provides students with the opportunity to blend performance, writing, and design with multiple media platforms. Students interested in video, social media, sound/music, web, production, and performance will find opportunities to integrate these areas into a range of theatrical projects. A goal of this concentration is to have students experimenting with a variety of existing and emerging media technologies in the development and support of theatrical storytelling. Projects focus on the intersection of live theatre and integrated media content. This concentration prepares students to be skilled media and performance specialists in the integration of media and theatre arts.

Please note: In addition to the baseline courses, students are required to take the following courses in the concentration (15 credits):

COMM 301 Video Field Production (3 credits)
COMM 302 Video Post-Production and Editing (3 credits)
COMM 303 Sound Design (3 credits)
COMM 304 Cinematic and Motion Graphics (3 credits)
COMM 347 Experimental Media (3 credits)
Students complete 3 additional credits from the following options:
ART 326 Making Public Art (3 credits)
ART 435 Current Trends in Contemporary Practice (3 credits)
ART 253 American Musical Theatre (3 credits)
Additional topics and new courses as offered.

Sample Program

BA in Theatre (Acting and Performing Arts Track)
(120 credits)

Year 1

FYE 101 First Year Experience 1 credit
ENGL 110 Writing in Context I 3 credits
ENGL 120 Writing in Context II 3 credits
Modern Languages and Literatures Core 6 credits
Core Courses 9 credits
THTR 100 Acting I 3 credits
THTR 110 Drama 3 credits
TOTAL 31 credits

Year 2

Core Courses 15 credits
THTR 150 Vocal Production and Speech 3 credits
THTR 200 Tools of the Trde 3 credits
THTR 240 Acting II/Directing 3 credits
Open Electives 6 credits
TOTAL 30 credits

Year 3

Core Courses 9 credits
THTR 450 Acting III/Performance Lab, Senior Theatre Project 3 credits
Upper Level Area Concentration Courses 6 credits
Open Electives 9 credits
TOTAL 30 credits

Year 4

Core Courses 3 credits
ART/COMM 491 Senior Interdisciplinary Art Studio 3 credits
Upper Level Area Concentration Courses 6 credits
Open Electives 20 credits
TOTAL 30 credits

Total Credits for Graduation – 120