umw.edu/theatre
DISCOVER THE
POSSIBILITIES
Majoring in Theatre When you choose a liberal
arts college, you make a choice
to learn about the world by studying a breadth of disciplines that offer perspectives on what it means to be a citizen in our
global society. You soon discover that life is complex and interconnected, and that no major stands alone. We believe that a liberal arts education is the finest preparation for a theatre student because we want our emerging actors, designers, technicians, and arts managers to be curious
about the
world—the source of the stories we tell on our stages. A major in theatre at the University of Mary Washington prepares you for life beyond college. Whether you work in the professional theatre, pursue a related field, or continue your studies with professional training or graduate school, the liberal arts education you receive at the University of Mary Washington prepares you to pursue your dreams. Our theatre major is
customizable and flexible. You can design a program that allows you to concentrate in the area of your greatest
interest, and pursue a double major or obtain a teaching license if you wish.
100%
of UMW students attending the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York Internship Fair received summer offers from theatre producers.
“I have been given amazing opportunities by our excellent faculty and staff. Their commitment to my education has helped me imagine a career in the professional theatre.” – Will Chaloner ’13
“The theatre department has a strong sense of community. I love being here.” – Bess Ten Eyck ‘13
“This department has allowed me to explore many different areas of theatre that I wouldn’t have expected to like. It’s given me the opportunity to go from marketing to acting to lighting design, and that has helped me appreciate and enjoy every aspect of theatre. I don’t believe that I would be as interested in theatre as a whole if it weren’t for the course work and experience I had in this department.” – Taylor Williams ’11
853 students participated in theatre productions last season—onstage and backstage—building scenery, running performances, stitching costumes, acting, assisting directors and designers, selling tickets and creating online and print marketing campaigns.
Minoring in Musical Theatre The department offers a performance-focused interdisciplinary minor builds skills in vocal
minor in musical theatre. This
performance, dance, and acting.
While you may pursue the minor regardless of your major, theatre majors may choose to minor in musical theatre to create a formal specialty within the major.
Preparing to Teach In partnership with the College of Education, the department offers students the opportunity to pursue secondary
licensure in theatre as an additional
endorsement, as well as a PreK-12 theatre licensure pathway. These professional licenses are five-year
programs from which students graduate with both
a bachelor’s and a master’s
degree. Like the theatre major, the licensure
programs combine classroom study with practicum, during which students get classroom experience in local schools.
FLY
After spending a summer in the highly competitive CAP21 Summer
SOLO
Professional Musical Theatre Training Program, Anissa Felix ’13 was invited to participate in Springboard NYC, a prestigious program that prepares emerging theatre artists to begin their professional careers.
Our students have the unique opportunity to develop and
produce an entire second stage season in Studio 115. Each semester, the Studio 115 Committee (composed entirely of students) selects projects to be performed in our flexible black box theatre. Although supervised by faculty mentors, these projects are sometimes student-written and are always student-directed,
acted and designed. The theatre hosts six to eight projects every semester, ranging from scenes and one-acts to fulllength plays and musicals.
Every theatre major completes THEA 482: Senior Project, a semester-long individual creative or research project that provides a capstone to the UMW academic career. Students pursue independent
projects that build upon their
academic and artistic accomplishments and reflect what they’ve discovered about themselves. Anissa Felix ’13
PEEK INSIDE OUR DOORS.
Our theatre complex includes the intimate 233-seat
Klein Theatre, home of our mainstage work, and Studio 115, our flexible black box theatre. Both theatres boast state-of-the-art
lighting and
sound systems and share an impressively equipped scene shop, costume shop, lighting and sound lab, computer-aided design (CAD) lab, management lab, and acting studio. Our students also take classes in the Goolrick Dance Suite, featuring fully equipped studios with floating floors and impressive sound systems. Each year, students and faculty collaborate on four mainstage productions and eight to 12 studio projects to create a season that challenges our students while
showcasing their craft.
We believe that you learn theatre by doing it. Our classes support our impressive
STUDY IT. DO IT.
production program that offers our students excellent opportunities onstage, backstage and front-of-house to apply what they learn in our classrooms, beginning in their first year at UMW. Learning is a constant – in and out of the classroom – as students work with our faculty in every aspect of theatre production. Whether your interest is acting, scenic design, lighting design, costume design, stage management, sound design, directing, costume construction, scenic technology, or theatre management, UMW’s Department of Theatre and Dance has a place for you!
Just to name a few...
OUR COURSES
PAST PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
• Little Shop of Horrors • Bat Boy: The Musical • A Midsummer Night’s Dream • She Stoops to Conquer • The Laramie Project • Into the Woods • Godspell • Proof • The Shape of Things • RENT • Our Town • Nunsense • Dancing at Lughnasa • The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee • The Tempest
Acting
Fashion History
Individual Study
Acting Styles
Stage Management
Internship
Introduction to Acting
Theatre Management
Senior Project
Musical Theatre Performance
Ideas in Performance
Voice and Body Movement
Introduction to Theatre Design
Directing
Costume and Clothing Construction
Special Studies in Theatre (topics vary each semester in performance, design, literature, directing, history, and theatre technology)
Patterning
Ballet
Fabric Modification
Modern Dance
Dramatic Literature
Jazz
History of Theatre
Dance Improvisation
Technical Production Theatre Crafts Stage Makeup Lighting Design Scene Design Costume Design Scene Painting
Introduction to Theatre Theatre Practicum
Students active in theatre productions register every semester for THEA 390: Theatre Practicum. This experiential learning course lets students get credit for their production responsibilities onstage, backstage, and front-of-house.
“I began my career as soon as I graduated, thanks to the great experiences I got at UMW. I know how lucky I am to have learned from such a talented and dedicated group of faculty.” – Jess Johnston ’06 “I rely every day working in the professional theatre on so much of what I learned at Mary Washington. The faculty was the best.” – David Spry ’08
Learn from our Guests
Arena Stage
Signature Theatre
Studio Theatre
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Ford’s Theatre
Our students learn from professionals who bring the experience of their distinguished careers to workshops, discussions, and master classes on campus. Guest artists enhance our production program by collaborating with our faculty and students as directors and designers each season. Previous guests have included playwright and actor Megan Terry, renowned scene designer Ming Cho Lee, noted costume designer Susan Tsu, avant-garde playwright Maria Fornes, solo performance artist Holly Hughes, acclaimed actors Nancy Robinette and Ed Gero, activist Eve Ensler, and the celebrated director Michael Kahn.
Experience the professional theatre. Washington, D.C., has emerged as a world-class theatre city, and the Department of Theatre and Dance connects our students to this vibrant community by hosting class trips to
professional theatre performances. The department sponsors trips to Arena Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre, the Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre, and other theatres throughout the metropolitan areas. Artist talkbacks are often arranged for our students.
Ideas in Performance is a popular inquirybased class in which students do field research in New York City. Students meet and interview theatre professionals, explore advanced training, participate in workshops, and see a full range of Broadway and off-Broadway theatre. These extraordinary opportunities allow students to articulate their professional goals while experiencing New York City at its best.
Guest Choreographer, Samantha Reynolds ’09
“I am overwhelmed by how much I am learning. Ideas in Performance was amazing—going to 15 shows, meeting Broadway actors, talking with talent agents and casting directors, visiting with alumni backstage—I can’t imagine getting this kind of experience at any other university.” – Carly Maalouf ’12
See the Future
Our Talented Faculty
Many graduates enjoy careers with acclaimed institutions: Ford’s Theatre
Six full-time and six adjunct faculty members, along with five professional staff, bring an impressive array of professional and academic accomplishments to their work with our students. Our teaching faculty pursue active professional careers and bring real-world insight to their classrooms, studios, shops, and rehearsal rooms, allowing students to connect theory and practice to building a career in the theatre. Teaching is a priority at the University of Mary Washington; you will not find a faculty more committed to teaching and mentoring.
TheatreWorks
Indiana University
New York Theatre Workshop
University of New York at Stony Brook
The Shakespeare Theatre Company
University of Wisconsin Madison
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
City University of New York
New Jersey Shakespeare Festival
University of Maryland College Park
Brandeis University
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Paper Mill Playhouse
Columbia University
Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble
University of Iowa
Studio Theatre
North Carolina School of the Arts
Donna Deseta Casting
Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
Signature Theatre
Rutgers University
Snapple Theater Center
The Actors Studio Drama School
National Endowment for the Arts
University of New Orleans
Central Casting
Virginia Commonwealth University
Dance Theatre Workshop
University of Virginia
University of Tennessee
George Mason University
John F. Kennedy Center for the
American University
Performing Arts
– Jenna Doolittle ’07
University of Richmond
Baylor University
Harvard University
The Catholic University of America
New York University
Joffrey Ballet Arena Stage Washington Opera CBS News New England Foundation for the Arts Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center MTV Utah Shakespearean Festival California Shakespeare Theatre
“The support of the faculty is amazing. From help outside of class to preparing for professional auditions, the faculty is there for you every step of the way.”
Our graduates have continued their educations at institutions including:
Barter Theatre Dodger Theatricals Actors Theatre of Louisville
Choosing a college can be a difficult process. Why not spend some time with us as you make up your mind? We would be happy to host you and your parents for a campus visit. We can arrange a tour of the campus and our facilities, tickets to a current production, and visits with students and faculty. There is no better way to get to know UMW than by seeing for yourself how our students and faculty work together to create extraordinary theatre for our audiences. If you are interested in learning more, or in scheduling a time to visit, call Gregg Stull at 540/654-1980, email gstull@umw.edu, or write: Department of Theatre and Dance
umw.edu/theatre
University of Mary Washington 1301 College Avenue Fredericksburg, VA 22401-5358 umw.edu/theatre
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