Theater

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■ Theater

Performing Arts Building, Room A407
Phone: 703-993-1120
Web: gmu.edu/departments/theater

Faculty

Clayton Austin, Chair

Professors: D’Andrea (Robinson Professor), Davis, McDonald

Associate Professors: Austin, Elston, Gero, Johnsen-Neshati, Kurtz

Term Associate Professor: Chew

Adjunct Faculty: Cetron, Lechter, Lee, McManus, Mountain, Murray, Nanni-Messegee, Wallace

Course Work

The Theater Department offers all course work designated THR in the Courses chapter of this catalog.

Undergraduate Program

The BA degree stresses the breadth of a liberal arts education in the belief that such study, combined with serious practical training and experience, offers the best preparation for a life in the theater. Students electing to major in theater complete the theater core, which is a group of courses providing a broad introduction to the various theater arts and striving to create a shared body of knowledge within the department’s student population.

To organize their advanced work within the major, students elect a course of study that includes classes in at least two of three areas: performance, design and technical theater, and theater studies. The department aims to prepare students for graduate study or entry into the profession through rigorous, concentrated, and individualized training; however, students are encouraged to maintain wide-ranging interests within the department and throughout the university’s extensive offerings.

Students seeking to earn a BA as a second bachelor’s degree, either concurrently or sequentially, must complete all theater degree requirements including foreign language. Students must earn a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in their major.

Theater Concentrations

Theater majors may apply to complete their degree in one of the following concentrations: Design and Technical Theater, Performance, Playwriting and Dramaturgy, or Theater Studies.

To apply for admission into a concentration a student must have:

completed 45 credits including THR credits as specified in the concentration
cumulative GPA minimum of 2.5

Writing-Intensive Requirement

The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated writing-intensive in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students seeking a BA in theater fulfill this requirement by successfully completing THR 350 or THR 351.

Honors in Theatre

Students wishing to pursue Honors in Theater should contact the department chair.

Production Opportunities

Participation in Theater Department productions with the GMU Players is expected of all declared majors. Up to 4 practicum credits, 1 credit per assignment can be awarded for satisfactory completion of performance and production assignments in the major, including faculty or guest-directed GMU Players main stage, studio, or Theater of the First Amendment (TFA) productions.

TFA, a professional theater in residence within CVPA, offers students the chance to work closely with professional artists. TFA productions regularly employ student assistants in stage management, directing, design, dramaturgy, technical crews, and production and company management. Students are eligible to audition for age-appropriate roles or understudy assignments in TFA productions and may participate in the Membership Candidate Program through the Actors’ Equity Association.