Bachelor of Arts in Drama

Program Scope The curriculum provides the student with a foundation for advanced study in the dramatic arts, for teaching, or for a career in professional theatre. As a center for the training of future theatre artists, the School is committed to introducing a diversity of theatrical traditions and cultures to students. To this end, the School employs its two dedicated theatre spaces and its one shared theatre space as learning laboratories in which students collaborate with faculty and guest professionals. Studio workshops and advanced stage productions in those theatres are the culmination of the educational experience. The School actively seeks and facilitates interdisciplinary programs of study and production with other members of the College of Liberal & Creative Arts as well as with departments and programs from across the campus. The School also encourages and facilitates collaboration with off-campus area theatres. In these ways we enlarge students experiences, and open new connections between students, the college, the campus as a whole, and the community, offering students an education grounded in practical professional stage practices as well as diverse on-campus academic and production experiences. The diverse backgrounds of both faculty and students in the program provide our campus and community with a wealth of theatrical experiences and attractions. Graduates of the program are prominent in professional theatre throughout the nation, with positions of leadership in theatre, television, film, and theatre education. Fundamental to the major program is a core of required courses designed to develop a foundation upon which to elect, upon advisement, one of the following areas of emphasis: performance, play development and dramaturgy, technical theatre and design, or popular theatre. Career Outlook Career opportunities in theatre arts include performance and technical positions in professional, regional, and community theatres, as well as the areas of film and television, for actor, director, stage manager, designer (lighting, costume, scenery, and props), and craftsperson (stitcher, carpenter, props artisan). Teaching positions range from elementary and high school theatre classes through community college and university curricula in all aspects of the dramatic arts. Other career possibilities include such diverse fields as advertising, design (interior, fashion, display), drama therapy, and recreation.