The department s mission is to provide a creative and intellectually stimulating environment in which to study and produce dramatic arts. The department s interdependent academic and production programs strive to broaden students understanding of society and culture by exploring personal expression in a variety of theatrical disciplines. Students are encouraged to practice theatre by actively engaging in a search for vital connections between theatre s role in the past and present, and its future purpose in the world. The department also endeavors to serve as a major cultural resource for the greater University and regional communities. Because it is essential that students be involved in every aspect of theatre, the department provides every possible opportunity.
Students work as directors, actors, designers, stage managers, technicians, and playwrights.
Majors are expected to participate in the production program and to attend all productions. Undergraduate students compete successfully in auditions for roles in main-stage and laboratory theatre productions. They complete studio and course assignment work in every production area. They work on a wide range of projects, from acting in scenes for directing classes to staging work to be taken to classes in other departments, and in some cases, working as a designer on one or more of the main season productions. The B.A. program provides its students with intellectual stimulation and a healthy creative challenge.