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. Students who wish to study theatre choose from the BA degree in Theatre Studies, or BFA programs in Acting, Acting/Musical Theatre, and Design/Technology/Stage Management.
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 who wish to be admitted as majors in Acting, Acting/Musical Theatre, or Dance must successfully pass an audition or interview. The department has an open admissions policy for first-semester students wishing to major in the B.A. programs in Theatre Studies and Motion Pictures History, Theory, and Criticism, and the B.F.A. programs in Design/Technology/Stage Management and Motion Pictures Production. Transfer students are admitted into B.F.A. programs on the basis of a successful audition, interview, or portfolio presentation.
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 curriculum sections of the department web page. Students are required to consult regularly with an academic adviser. All students who return after an absence of three or more consecutive semesters 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.
Degree Requirements- Theatre Design/Technology/Stage Management:
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree:
The Theatre Design and Technology B.F.A. program in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures provides strong and comprehensive hands-on training in all traditional areas of entertainment design and production. As a program that only offers a B.F.A. degree, we are solely focused on educating undergraduate students. Theatre Design and Technology majors can concentrate in costumes, lighting, properties, scenery, scenic art, sound, stage management, or technical direction. Our students receive training in a wide variety of production types, preparing them for jobs in the broad field of entertainment design and production. The four-year sequence of classes, in conjunction with assignments on departmental productions, offers students a strong balance of practical and theoretical work.
Our graduates are well prepared to move into the profession as collaborative, versatile artists and/or craftspeople. Through a series of annual portfolio reviews, students learn to present themselves and their work effectively to potential employers. The program has a high placement rate for graduates in various careers, graduate schools, and professional internships.
Program Learning Outcomes:
High level of competency and responsibility in one or more areas of theatre design, technology, and/or and stage management, including:
- Competency in key leadership role, such as stage managing, designing, or supervising building of main stage productions.
- Proficiency in theatre design, theatre technology, or stage management.
- Knowledge of technical theory, application and craft in their area of focus.
- Critical thinking and problem solving ability.
- Knowledge of theatre history and dramatic literature.
- Skills in integrated drawing, drafting, painting, presentation and construction skills, as well as proficiency in selected computer design and graphics software.
- Pragmatic understanding of the business side of the theatrical design and technology professions.
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