Performance is considered to be the key to progress.
All Theater majors must learn the basics of every aspect of the profession. Along with these basics, students with a concentration in acting must take a combination of traditional courses in scene study, spoken and sung vocal technique, body movement, acting techniques, and theatrical styles. In addition, they choose among studies in camera techniques, improvisation, stage combat, accents and dialects, musical theater, and other subjects of general interest in the field. For those interested in the technical and design concentrations, extensive training is available in stage management and in set, costume, lighting, and make-up design and construction. The Department also offers equally extensive training programs in directing and in playwriting.