Theatre (B.A.)
Program: B.A.
Department of Theatre
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Williams Theatre 128 260-481-6551
The student learning outcomes for the degree are as follows:
SLO 1: Function within the theatre complex. Conceptualize and demonstrate in practice, verbally, and in writing an understanding and appreciation for all the practical aspects of theatre, including acting, design, directing, stage management, and technical production.
SLO 2: Apply literary analyses to theatre practices. Demonstrate the ability to analyze and develop unique perspectives on theatrical texts, then analyze such texts to support, modify, clarify, and magnify said perspectives to suit the needs of the various practical areas of theatre.
SLO 3 Develop a historical timeline. Gain a broad understanding of the cultural and socio-political contexts behind each period of dramatic literature and its related production practices. Additionally, acquire a historical overview of the major trends in Western Theatre, encompassing dramatic genres, production design/technology, and performance styles from various time periods and locales.
SLO 4: Write critically. Be able to demonstrate familiarity with the basics of critical writing by utilizing a combination of close-reading skills and development of a thesis statement. Then, provide analysis and evidence-based argumentation based on supporting research, such as primary and secondary source analysis.
SLO 5: Exhibit communication strategies. Develop various rhetorical strategies, such as describing, arguing/persuading, tracing, or defining, to present the results of critical thinking and original ideas via oral, visual, written, or aural methods; then employ these methods in discussion, practice, and/or formalized presentation.
SLO 6: Develop research methods: Practice the integration of thematic, literary, experiential, and emotional research through theoretical and visual means. Additionally, understand and document secondary source material and integrate it into writing and/or creative practice.
SLO 7: Develop and apply technical skills. Display a progression of practical techniques in the various theatrical disciplines. Integrate and execute these techniques as realized projects, performances, or presentations for application in theatre or related fields.
SLO 8: Collaborate. Exhibit civility, receptivity and responsiveness when listening to and expressing original ideas about a dramatic work, while exploring appreciation and curiosity through discussion and thematic development, as well as technical skill and production development.
SLO 9: Synthesis and implementation of concepts. Integrate theoretical and practical storytelling concepts to produce staged productions, presentations, or other tangible products.
Accreditation
Purdue University Fort Wayne is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST).
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 requires students to develop a broad education in Theatre Arts but also provides some concentration on specific areas of the profession: 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, 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 discuss both this B.A. degree option and also the Department’s other degree, the B.F.A. degree in Musical Theatre, and to schedule an audition for consideration of scholarship funding. Students offered a scholarship are expected to claim Theatre as their primary major as a requirement of accepting the award.
General Education Requirements and Program Requirements
Theatre Majors must earn a C- or higher in all: 1) Statewide General Education core courses; 2) all Theatre core courses; and 3) all Theatre concentration courses. A grade of D- or higher is required in all open elective courses. An overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher must be maintained throughout the pursuit of the degree.
The four 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. Theatre Concentration: 18 credits of concentration courses. Students are required to elect one of the Department of Theatre’s Concentrations in their choice of: Acting, Musical Theatre, Design/Technology or Directing. In order to complete one of the Concentrations, 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. This experience in acquiring a certain degree of specialization helps the student to make decisions about going on to graduate school, a professional apprenticeship or an internship in their chosen area (C- or higher required).
4. Open Electives: 27 credits. Students finish out the Theatre BA by completing 27 credits of courses from any area of the University’s offerings. Open electives give students a great deal of flexibility in deciding how they will complete their degree requirements (D- or higher required).
Please Note: Students may choose a secondary major or minor in a subject other than Theatre. When this is the case, students are allowed to replace the requirement to complete a Theatre Concentration plus open electives with either a minor or a major in an additional field plus the remaining balance of credits needed to graduate with open electives. In these cases, rather than completing a Theatre Concentration of 18 credits and 27 additional open electives (45 credits total in these two areas combined), the Department of Theatre allows the student to use the 45 credits beyond the General Education Core (33 credits) and the Theatre Core (42 credits) to fulfill the major or minor requirements in the other department at the University. In this case, these 45 credits function concurrently as the core of a secondary major or minor in another department at the University and also as Theatre electives in the Theatre B.A. If the major or minor in another field totals fewer than 45 credits, then the student may complete the remaining credits as open electives in order to accumulate the required number of 45 credits for degree completion in this portion of the degree audit. If the student drops the other major or minor, the student is then still required to complete one of the Theatre Concentrations, as per the instructions above (see 3. and 4.).
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, all Theatre Core courses, and all Theatre Concentration 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.
Program Requirements
A student may elect the Pass/Not-Pass grading option for non-degree elective courses only. The Pass/Not-Pass grading option is not available for General Education, required major courses, or any electives required for the minor.
