The Theatre Program offers a B.A./B.S. and a B.F.A., with a curriculum that includes historical, practical, technical, and creative aspects of the art, providing a solid base in acting, directing, technical theatre and design, performance, history, literature, and theory. The program’s theatrical productions exhibit artistic standards to which students can aspire. Students will be prepared for post-graduate opportunities including: graduate programs, teacher licensor programs, internships, professional theatre, and participation in the arts in their communities.
Program Objectives – Graduating students from the Theatre Program will:
Our programs create theatre artists who recognize and appreciate the importance of American and world theatre as a dynamic part of our social, political and cultural lives.
Our programs cultivate in theatre students a high standard of ethics and personal and professional responsibility as they prepare students in all aspects of theatre.
Those students interested in middle or high school teaching will find that the school of education offers a masters of arts in teaching degree which, when added to the B.A., B.S., or B.F.A. in theatre, will provide a licensure for teaching drama in the state of Oregon.
Our graduates have acted in and designed for such theatres as the Oregon and Utah Shakespeare Festivals, the Houston Alley Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, the Shakespeare Company (Chicago), Yale Repertory Theatre, the South Coast Repertory Theatre, the Santa Fe Opera, the Salem Repertory Theatre, Artists Repertory Theatre, Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, Seattle’s ACT, Portland Center Stage and off Broadway.
Our graduates have also contributed their talents to playwriting, directing, designing and stage management around the state. Other graduates have gone on to careers in television, film, arts administration, and teaching in public schools, colleges and universities.
Western Oregon University provides opportunity for students’ participation in national and regional activities of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
The theatre program provides opportunities for student participation in three to four mainstage productions per year and a studio production, often directed by students. Every other winter, WOU produces a musical and we do at least one mainstage production every summer.
Productions are performed in Rice Auditorium on campus. It seats 619 in the mainstage auditorium and 52 in the studio theatre. The Gerald and Selma Leinwand Outdoor Festival stage is available for summer events. Rice Auditorium also houses a scene shop and lighting, sound, costuming and make-up areas.
Program Objectives – Graduating students from the Theatre Program will:
Mainstage Productions: Typically, the department produces three faculty-directed mainstage shows a year. These productions represent the best of historical and contemporary literature, and cover a variety of styles and genres. The department also produces a large musical every other year and a large classic production (Shakespeare, Brecht, etc.) every other year. Auditions, for all of the department’s productions, are open to all WOU students. Majors and minors are expected to participate in departmental productions, either onstage or backstage, and credit is available for production work.
Studio Productions: The department produces at least one studio production each year, both faculty and student directed. In addition, there is typically a student-directed One-Act Festival, in which student directors cast, rehearse, and present one-act plays in a rotating, festival format. (See “Student Directed Productions” for more information.)
5 O’Clock Shadow Productions: The department makes the studio theatre available for student-produced productions as schedule permits. These productions are very low budget and very low tech, and are granted to students on a first-come, first-served basis. Students may produce virtually any kind of show they like as long as they meet the following criteria: 1) the show lasts no more than 90 minutes maximum; 2) the student producers assume all responsibility for auditioning, rehearsing, technical and costuming needs, and advertisement; 3) auditions are open to all students when appropriate but may not utilize individuals not registered as current WOU students; and 4) the studio theatre is kept clean and organized, and all items used are struck after each rehearsal and performance so that classes may meet there during the day. Typically these productions will begin at 5:00 and end no later than 6:30. The number of performances is dependent on the availability of the studio each term. Watch for posters that give the available dates each term, and the deadline for application. While approval is granted strictly on a first-come, first-served basis, no student may produce a show two terms in a row unless there are fewer applicants than slots available. (NOTE: two or more students may produce work on the same night, as long as the entire evening lasts no more than 90 minutes.)
All majors and minors MUST have a theatre faculty advisor. While there are some obvious advisee/advisor combinations (David Janoviak for students interested in Acting, Scott Grim for students in scenic design, etc.), you have the right to choose a faculty advisor that you are comfortable with. (Any of the faculty can help you do that.) Each student must see his/her advisor prior to registration each term. This serves two purposes: first, it fulfills a university-wide requirement that each student meet with an advisor each term so that academic holds can be removed, enabling you to register for classes; and second, it allows your faculty advisor to keep up with the progress you’re making towards your degree, and help you with any scheduling problems that may hold up your graduation. Any adjustments to the department curricular requirements must be approved by the student’s advisor.
Majors and Minors Meeting: There is at least one required meeting of all Theatre majors and minors each year. These meetings are used to communicate important information about productions, curriculum, etc. to the entire department. They are required (attendance is taken). Watch the information boards for announcements regarding these meetings.
The Theatre program holds auditions for, and casts, up to six full productions each academic year. The following procedures apply to all departmental productions, both faculty and student directed:
It is of prime importance that students keep up with class work and steadily progress toward receiving a degree. Faculty advisors will review student progress on a regular basis, and can provide advice or strategies if a student is struggling. Poor academic performance or a general lack of progress toward a degree can result in the removal of the student from any production assignments (acting, directing, designing, crewing, etc.) in order to allow the student to fully concentrate on class work. This can occur even if the production assignment is in progress. Students who are struggling academically are encouraged to seek advice from faculty as soon as possible.
Rehearsal space is very limited. You will often have to be very creative at finding rehearsal space around campus. However, the studio theatre and MN 108 are available on a limited basis for rehearsal when classes are not being held in those spaces. Full studio productions have first use of the space, followed by projects associated with classes. Beyond that, you may use the studio on a first-come, first-served basis anytime the room is open. You must ALWAYS return the room to classroom status after every usage.
All students admitted to WOU are eligible to pursue the BA or BS in General Theatre or the theatre minor. Admission to the BFA program is by audition/interview only. Each student should consult a departmental advisor in the desired area of concentration to determine a suitable course of study. Students are admitted to the Bachelor of Fine Arts Theatre Program based on an audition or interview occurring in Fall quarter of their freshman or sophmore year. (Transfer students should consult with an advisor.)
To be considered for the BFA Program all students must:
The above must be submitted at least one day prior to the scheduled audition/interview date.
Acting Audition Preparation:
Once enrolled in the program, all BFA Actor Training majors are required to audition for all department productions. Continuation in the program is determined by an annual review process.
Costume, Light, Set Design; Stage Management, Technical Theatre Preparation:
A BFA is a pre-professional degree. It is intended for students who demonstrate a reasonable potential to succeed in the profession. The limitations for acceptance are based on accepted national standards and criteria. No more than seven to ten students will be accepted in the program each year.
The number of students admitted to the BFA in Theatre is limited. Priority is given to students who:
Evaluation of these criteria will be based largely on faculty assessment of students during their freshman year performance in TA 165 Production Dynamics, TA 166 Text Analysis, and TA 253 Production Workshop.
Continuation in the BFA Program is contingent upon an annual evaluation. The criteria used to determine the success of a student within the program is based on a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 and 3.0 in the major and a student’s ability to demonstrate continued progress in their area of concentration as evidenced in their class work, production work and annual juries.
Each graduating senior with a B.A./B.S. or B.F.A. in Theatre will complete TA453W Capstone Experience. The course is designed to provoke reflection on your educational experiences to date, both in theatre arts and the broader baccalaureate curriculum, and leads to the presentation of your Capstone Project. The Capstone Experience enables the student to reflect on his/her liberal arts education, reflect on his/her theatre education, examine current communal issues through the lens of theatre arts, relate his/her education to future personal and communal needs and present his/her Capstone Project. The class is designated as a “writing intensive” course and includes weekly informal writing assignments and four longer, formal writing assignments. The Capstone Project is an academic presentation, not a performance and must follow these guidelines: the presentation should address the learning objectives for the class, the presentation should be at least 15 and no longer than 20 minutes long and the use of audio/visual aids (e.g., PowerPoint or Prezi) is expected. The presentations will be scheduled in finals week in the late afternoon or early evening to enable a public audience.
Students have the opportunity to direct a variety of theatrical pieces throughout their time at WOU. The basic procedure is 1) students take TA 364 Play Direction with good grades (“B” or better). 2) Once TA 364 is completed, students are eligible to apply for a directing slot in the Student Directed One-Act Festival. Students audition and direct a short to medium length one-act. 3) Students are eligible to be assigned an Assistant Director position for a main stage show, under the supervision of a faculty director. (NOTE: steps 2 and 3 can be completed in any order.) At each of these steps, faculty will be evaluating the student director’s work.
After a student completes all of the steps above, they may be considered as a director for a full length Studio production. However, there is no guarantee of a directing slot. Directing slots are offered “by invitation only,” and it is entirely up to the faculty whether or not to offer the invitation. If a student is offered a directing slot, he or she would submit at least two, and preferably three choices of script that they are interested in directing. The faculty will then meet with the student to discuss the various submitted plays, the technical needs of each of the shows, and whether the student’s strengths and weaknesses match up well to the submitted scripts.
Final determination is based on a number of factors, including (but not limited to) the success of the student’s directed one-act, his or her work as Assistant Director on a production, the faculty’s belief that the student is ready to direct a full-length play, whether the plays submitted match to the student’s skill level, whether a particular play submission would help the student grow as a director, and how the play fits into our overall season.
Student directed Studio productions, even though lower in budget than mainstage productions, are nevertheless fully mounted productions, with assigned designers, stage managers, etc.
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Assistant Director
Dramaturg
Master Electrician
Light Board Operator
Sound Board Operator
Wardrobe Crew
Make-up/Hair Crew
Prop Master/Mistress
Backstage Crew
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Assistant Director
Dramaturg
Master Electrician
Light Board Operator
Sound Board Operator
Wardrobe Crew
Make-up/Hair Crew
Prop Master/Mistress
Backstage Crew
Objectives for play selection process:
Process: