Theatre (B.A.)

The student learning outcomes for the degree are as follows:

• Conceptualize the theatre complex - Demonstrate in practice, verbally, and in writing, an understanding and appreciation for all of the practical aspects of theatre, including: Acting, Design, Directing, Stage Management, and Technical Production.
• Apply literary analyses to distinct practice analyses - Demonstrate the ability to analyze a text to suit the needs of the specific practical areas of theatre in a classroom setting, a rehearsal setting, and in the performance arena.
• Develop a historical timeline - Understand the major trends in the development of Western Theatre, including developments in: dramatic literary genres, practical applications in production design and technology and performance styles emerging out of various periods and locales.
• Link theatre to its contexts - Develop a general familiarity with the various socio-political contexts out of which each period of Dramatic Literature and accompanying production practices have emerged.
• Write critically - Be able to demonstrate familiarity with the rudiments of academic critical writing by: drafting an essay in clear thesis, body and conclusion format, focusing the essay’s argument on specific aspect(s) of a dramatic work and utilizing a combination of close-reading skills (primary source analysis) and research skills (secondary source analysis).
• Apply rhetorical strategies - Use various rhetorical modes to demonstrate the use of critical-thinking skills (both orally and in writing) related to the academic and scholarly elements of theatre history and its various cultural contexts (including movements, practitioners and societies). 
• Transform the abstract into the concrete - Apply abstract, intellectual concepts about a work of theatre to the various practical areas of production.
• Collaborate - Exhibit a collaborative spirit within the classroom, the production process, and the Department as a whole, by forming original ideas about a dramatic work and subsequently entering into a group collaboration process, in which one’s own concepts become part of the group’s conceptual integration process through empathetic listening and give and take of ideas.

Program Description

Students who are passionate about Theatre will have the opportunity to immerse in all aspects of the Theatre B.A. program. This nationally accredited Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre provides the opportunity to concentrate on specific areas of the profession from: acting, musical theatre, directing, and design/technology. 

Students study and work one-on-one with dedicated and professionally active faculty. Students benefit from the small size of the department through opportunities to act, direct, and/or design in major productions during their entire four-year course of study, starting in the freshman year. Many professions encompass the theatre complex, including but not limited to scenic design, costume design, special effects and make-up, to technical direction, fight mastery, literary and theoretical scholarship, dramaturgy, sound design, lighting design, and performance. Students will learn the wide array of possibilities.

Program Delivery:

All courses for this degree program are conducted on-campus.

Declaring this Major:

It is possible to declare a Theatre Major first semester of the freshman year. Students are not required to audition prior to becoming a Theatre Major. However, interested high school seniors are encouraged to contact the Department of Theatre directly, in order to schedule an audition for consideration of scholarship funding.

General Education Requirements and Program Requirements:

Theatre Majors must earn a C- or higher in all Statewide General Education core courses, a grade of C- on all Theatre core courses, and a grade of D- or higher is required in open electives courses. An overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher, must be maintained.

The three categories of course completion requirements collectively, total 120 credits for degree completion as detailed below:

1. General Education Courses: 33 credits from a specified variety of subject areas across the University’s curriculum. (C- or higher required)

2. Theatre Core Courses: 42 credits from a specified variety of Theatre subject areas, designed to introduce students to the wide range of specialties that comprise the theatre complex of professions. (C- or higher required)

3. Additional Electives: 45 credits of courses from any area of the University’s course offerings.  The 45 credits of open electives, give students a great deal of flexibility in deciding how they will complete their degree requirements, (D- or higher required) including:

a. Theatre Emphasis: Students may elect to complete one of the Department of Theatre’s optional emphases in either, Acting, Musical Theatre, Design and Technology or Directing. In order to complete one of the emphases, students take a collection of pre-determined bundles of upper division theatre electives. Each bundle consists of 18 credits. The faculty has grouped together courses as a mode of providing the student an option to specialize in a particular theatre field. Typically, students elect to complete one or more of the emphases because they hope to go on to graduate school, a professional apprenticeship or an internship in their chosen area. If completing one emphasis of 18 credits, the student then has the option to finish out the 27 additional credits for reaching the overall graduation requirement of 120 credits by enrolling in any courses of personal interest, either additional theatre courses or courses across the University curriculum.   

b. A Free Combination of Theatre and General Education Electives: Students not wishing to specialize but still interested in taking an array of upper division Theatre electives, may choose whichever theatre courses they find interesting along with other courses offered across the curriculum of the University up to a total of 45 credits for degree completion.

c. Specialization in an Additional Field: Students may choose to major or minor in an additional field. The 45 additional electives may function concurrently, therefore, as the core of a secondary major or minor in another department at the University and Theatre electives in the Theatre B.A.

To earn the B.A. with a Major in Theatre, students must satisfy the requirements of Purdue University Fort Wayne (Regulations) and the College of Visual and Performing Arts (Colleges). Theatre majors must earn a C- or higher in all Statewide General Education Core courses and all Theatre Core courses.  A grade of D- or higher is required in open electives courses, and an overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher must be maintained.