Theatre Studies, BA

Program Description:

The Department of Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures is devoted exclusively to the training and education of undergraduate students in the areas of dance, motion pictures, and theatre. These programs lead to the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees.

The Department of Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures is empowered by the Ohio Revised Code to require particular preliminary training or talent for admission to specific programs, and each of the five B.F.A. degree programs has specific criteria for admission to each level of training. Students in all areas must earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 by the end of the freshman year to continue in a theatre arts major. Students who wish to be admitted as majors in acting, acting/musical theatre, or dance must successfully pass an audition or interview. Transfer students are admitted into B.F.A. programs on the basis of a successful audition, interview, or portfolio presentation. The department has an open admissions policy for students wishing to major in the B.A. programs in theatre studies and motion pictures history, theory, and criticism, and B.F.A. programs in design/technology and motion pictures production.

All students who return after an absence of four or more consecutive quarters must reapply to the faculty for readmission to the program, and at the discretion of the faculty they may be required to satisfy program requirements in effect at the time of readmission. Details of the admission and retention policy are detailed in the Department of Theatre Arts Student Handbook.

Faculty:

Professors Bassett (Emeritus), Blair, Cromer, David, Deer, Derry (Emeritus), Donahoe, Klein, Lavarnway, Johnson, McDowell (chair), Reichert

Associate Professors Benjamin, Crews, Hellems, Lafferty, McWilliams, Rodriguez (Emeritus)

Assistant Professors Gibbs, Richter, Thomas, Walther

Faculty Associates Church, Cordes, Goodman, Hapner, Merrill, Sutter

The B.A. Program

Students who are interested in the B.A. program generally follow the same program of study for the first year as the B.F.A. students, except without taking MP 1800. At the end of the freshman year, B.A. students should indicate to the faculty their intention to return to the program. A B.A. degree in motion pictures can be thought of as a general liberal arts degree, preparing one for entrance into professions requiring knowledge of contemporary culture. More specifically, the B.A. degree can prepare one for graduate study in film and subsequent employment as a professional writer or teacher in a university; other job options include working for a film archive, festival, library, museum, arts council, or publisher.

Theatre

Students who wish to study theatre choose from professional programs leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or to the Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre studies. The professional programs are acting, acting-musical theatre, theatre studies, and design/technology/stage management.

Admission for the acting and acting-musical theatre programs is by audition. The department has an open admissions policy for first-term freshmen in the design/technology/stage management and theatre studies programs. Transfer students must audition or interview for all B.F.A. programs. Each B.F.A. program has set criteria for selectively retaining students in the programs. These include a requirement that students earn a GPA of at least 2.0 to continue in the B.F.A. programs; most of the programs require a higher minimum GPA for graduation. The policies are spelled out in the following sections and in the Department of Theatre Arts Student Handbook, which is issued annually. Students are required to consult quarterly with an academic advisor.