The campus encompasses approximately 600 acres adjacent to downtown Greenville. Most of the classroom buildings, research facilities, and residence halls are less than ten years old. The University, with an enrollment of over 16,000 students, is North Carolina's third largest institution of higher education. The beginnings of professional quality training with a liberal arts education form the basic teaching philosophy of the Theatre Arts Department. To accomplish this goal, a strong attempt has been made to engage a faculty that is academically qualified and experienced in professional theatre as well.
Emphasis is placed on high-quality production work from design to performance.
Plays are selected on the basis of roles that will enable student actors to grow and not on the play's literary significance alone. Students are given priority in casting, but only when the role is deemed right for a student's particular phase of development. Student talent is augmented by guest professional artists, faculty and townspeople to give young actors the opportunity to work with more experienced performers. Also included in this multimillion dollar complex are fully equipped and spacious scenery and property shops. In the basement of McGinnis Theatre are comparably equipped costume shops.