School of Theater
The undergraduate theater experience at Ohio University is a blend of intensive training in a selected area of concentration, core theater studies, and liberal arts experiences leading to a professionally oriented Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
The theater is not an island unto itself; it exists as a part of and because of a larger world. For this reason, advisors in the School of Theater strive to help theater majors satisfy the university General Education Requirements in a manner that encourages them to understand and contribute to the larger world. In addition, all undergraduate majors devote a portion of their theater studies to an examination of the literature and history of theater, the role of theater in society, and the relationship of theater to other art disciplines.
Production activities in the School of Theater are considered essential to the total curriculum planning of a major. Majors register each quarter for a credited production assignment. In the first year of training, you will participate in productions through technical and management assignments, while your second, third, and fourth years include opportunities to participate as a performer, advanced technician, designer, or managerial assistant.
Ongoing individual advising between you and your faculty advisor is an extremely important aspect of the training programs in the School of Theater. Your progress is evaluated quarterly by your advisor and faculty in your training area. If progress is considered unsatisfactory at the end of any quarter, you may be placed on probation, recommended for transfer to another sequence or degree within the school, required to modify your program, or denied further enrollment as a degree candidate in the School of Theater.
Other specific requirements and expectations relating to production and curriculum are distributed to all incoming students upon their arrival. A minor or second major is possible in some cases if you have used careful advising procedures and made intelligent use of all elective and university General Education Requirement course options. You also may enroll in a course of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, available through the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, highly motivated and talented students can pursue their degree work in the School of Theater through the Honors Tutorial College, if the tutorial mode of instruction is appropriate for the individual student.
At the end of your sophomore year, you are expected to declare a degree program. Under normal circumstances, you must complete all the 100- and 200-level theater core requirements to be considered for entry into a degree program. A general theater major who has successfully completed the freshman and sophomore coursework will be accepted into one of the three degree programs. Students audition, interview, or present portfolios for entry into the performance, theater arts and drama, or production design and technology programs.
Two seminar courses from the THAR 470 series 8
Freshman Two 100-level practica (winter, spring) 6
Sophomore Three 200-level practica (fall, winter , spring) 6
Junior Two 300-level practica 6
Senior Three 400-level practica (fall, winter, spring) in area of emphasis 6
All majors are required to enroll for Lunchbag Theater Seminar each quarter of residence.
The B.F.A. in theater performance is a rigorous program fostering creative, cognitive, and artistic skills. It is intended to advance the education and training of motivated, curious, self-reliant, adaptable theater artists capable of dealing with all aspects of theater and contributing to the relationship between theater and society. Theater and performance serve as the basis of the undergraduate fine arts education. Theater is approached technically as craft and art, but also as a way of looking at, interpreting, organizing, and expressing one's ideas and thoughts. We seek serious, disciplined students interested in demanding technical training, who want the art of theater and performance to be at the core of their education.
Formal application and audition into the Theater Performance Program (TPP) takes place during the sophomore year. Transfer students from other programs and institutions are accepted provided they can meet the requirements of the program, the school, and university General Education.
In addition to the university and theater core requirements, you are required to include additional electives from a broad range of areas ant to maintain minimum academic and artistic standards. Tier II classes can be counted toward meeting these requirements. The B.F.A. in performance fosters diversification within the theater study and in disciplines essential to a liberal education. Careful and consistent faculty supervision and advising are an integral part of the program.
Before applying to the Theater Performance Program, you should complete the bulk of the Tier I and II university requirements as well as the freshman and sophomore components of the theater core, which include 18 credits of acting. You may be able to take additional courses in acting, voice, and movement to increase your skills and knowledge in acting principles. After your freshman year (or first quarter of residency in the case of a transfer student), you are eligible to audition for all school productions. Subsequent coursework in acting is available to theater majors who do not join the performance program.
There is constant communication among the faculty to evaluate your progress, confirm individual progress decisions, and resolve any issues germane to your success in the program. If you are struggling academically or programmatically, you may receive a letter of concern or be placed on probation. Continued concern indicates doubt about the appropriateness of your continuation in the TPP.
Performance studio courses are the core of the program. You are required to complete at least 34 credit hours of studio work, although most students do more. Through advice and approval of the program head (in consultation with the TPP faculty), you will follow a studio sequence that includes performance research and readings, improvisation, Chekhov, Shakespeare, voice, corporeal mime, mask, movement theater, and international performance.
Foreign Language/Culture
Third World Culture, International Studies
Philosophy, including, but not limited to, philosophy of art
Anthropology/ Political Science/History
Literature (nondramatic)
Music and Music History
Studio Art and Art History
(Depending on the area of emphasis, admission requirements may include an interview, writing samples, a letter of recommendation, or the successful completion of introductory courses.)
The theater arts and drama program offers a broad-based theater education that stresses theater as a collaborative art. In addition to courses within the area of emphasis, students accepted into theater arts and drama must take a wide range of courses in a variety of other areas that may include advanced acting, theatrical design, literature, English, history, and art history. This range of required courses is designed to provide a strong foundation for individualized study in the chosen area of emphasis: directing, dramaturgy, management, and playwriting.
During the first two years, you are encouraged to complete much of the theater core and university General Education Requirements to gain a broad exposure to all areas of the theater. At the end of your sophomore year, you choose an area of emphasis and then interview for entry into the theater arts and drama program. The playwriting and dramaturgy emphases require writing samples; the directing and management emphases require satisfactory completion of introductory courses in the field plus a letter of recommendation from the instructor of those courses.
Once accepted into the program, you will have the opportunity for practical theater experience in your area of emphasis while continuing broad but focused studies in other areas. Your progress toward graduation is evaluated at the end of your junior year. This evaluation plus the satisfactory completion of a senior project in your area of emphasis will demonstrate progress toward graduating and acheivement in your area of emphasis. Careful and consistent year-round faculty supervision and advising are also integral parts of the program.
Upon the fulfillment of all university, theater core, and program requirements, you will graduate with a major in theater arts and drama with an emphasis in your chosen area of concentration. This degree is designed to prepare you for further training, whether in graduate school or an entry-level position in professional theater.
In addition to university and theater core requirements, you are required to complete the following courses:
Directing Emphasis: 56 credits
THAR 179 Thea. Arts & Drama Wksp. 2
THAR 279 Thea. Arts & Drama Wksp. 2
THAR 379 Thea. Arts & Drama Wksp. 2
THAR 233 Theatrical Design Skills 3
THAR 313 Acting 4
THAR 413 Acting 4
THAR 216 Body Training 2
THAR 217 Voice Training 2
THAR 320 Directing I 4
THAR 420 Directing II 4
THAR 425 Practicum in Directing 4
THAR 426 Stage Management 3
THAR 438A Historical Bases of Design I 4
or THAR 438A Historical Bases of Design II
AH 211 History of Art: Prehistoric to Early Christian 4
or AH 212 History of Art: Early
Christian to Renaissance
or AH 213 History of Art: Baroque to Present
ENG Courses above 300 4
At least two of the following four:
ENG 200 Intro to Literature 4
ENG 204 ntro to Lit: Classical Trad. 4
ENG 205 Intro to Lit: Romantic Trad. 4
ENG 206 Intro to Lit: Modern Trad. 4
At least two of the following four:
ENG 200 Intro to Literature 4
ENG 204 Intro to Lit: Classical Trad. 4
ENG 205 Intro to Lit: Romantic Trad. 4
ENG 206 Intro to Lit: Modern Trad. 4
At least two of the following three:
THAR 230 Stagecraft: Scenery 3
THAR 231 Stagecraft: Lighting 3
THAR 232 Stagecraft: Costume 3
THAR 230 Stagecraft: Scenery 3
THAR 231 Stagecraft: Lighting 3
THAR 232 Stagecraft: Costume 3
THAR 233 Theatrical Design Skills 3
THAR 338 History of Costume 4
or THAR 438A Hist. Bases of Design I
or THAR 438B Hist. Bases of Design II
THAR 431 Lighting Design II 4
or THAR 432 Costume Design II
or THAR 434 Scene Design II
At least two of the following three:
THAR 331 Theory of Lighting 4
THAR 332 Costume Design I 4
THAR 334 Scene Design 4
A minimum additional15 credits selected from production design and technology classes numbered 300 and above, or areas related to production design and technology approved by your advisor.
Total: 43
At least one course (not less than 3 credits) in each of the following groups:
Total required groups: 11
Total: 30
University Publications and Computer Services revised this file (https://www.ohio.edu/~ucat/97-98/colleges/thear.htm) August 24, 1998.
Please e-mail comments or suggestions to "ucat@www.ohiou.edu."