Program Overview

Theatre Degree

Overview

The Bachelor of Arts with a major in theatre provides a comprehensive understanding of theatre and the skills required to make a show work, both on and off the stage.

Program Type

• Major

Format

• On Campus

Estimated Time to Complete

• 4 years

Credit Hours

• 120

Description

The Department of Dance & Theatre is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at UNT. The diverse curriculum offers breadth and depth in academics and performance.

The theatre program offers a selection of core theatre courses, encompassing various aspects of theatre. After completing the core in each concentration, the student's subsequent coursework is customized. The student can continue to study a broad general degree, or to choose to specialize in acting, design/tech, or theatre studies.

Marketable Skills

• Analytical knowledge of historical/social context
• Teamwork
• Oral and written communication
• Multi-cultural/diversity competencies
• Workplace resourcefulness/innovation

Theatre Degree Highlights

• The Department of Dance and Theatre maintains the University Theater (409-seat proscenium theatre) and the Studio Theater (160-seat black box), and the technical facilities to support the annual season, including a well-equipped costume and scenic shop, and adequate storage.
• Unique among theatre programs, qualified undergraduate students perform lead roles, direct public productions, stage-manage, and design scenery, costumes, lights, make-up and wigs.
• Through studying theatre, you can acquire a diverse range of communication and organizational skills that are applicable to many careers. For example, combining your degree with studies in journalism or a law degree could lead to a career as a theatre critic or an entertainment lawyer.
• Students are often offered performance and design opportunities as part of outside professional projects of the faculty and are able to audition for local theatre groups.
• UNT has several student organizations for students to network and further hone their skills and craft.
• Scholarships are available based on merit and talent.

Career Paths

• Acting (both stage and film)
• Acting coach
• Artist-in-residence
• Box office manager
• Directing
• Drama education and criticism
• Lighting, costume, makeup, props, scenery or sound design
• Marketing director
• Producing
• Stage crew member
• Stage managing
• Theatrical photographer
• Theatre teacher at an elementary or secondary school

Courses

• Stagecraft I (3 hrs)
  • Introduction to basic scenery construction, properties, general theatre safety and operations. Includes a practical laboratory working in the scene shop on department productions. Time and dates in the practical laboratory determined through consultation with instructor.
• Play Analysis (3 hrs)
  • Principles and techniques governing the preparation of plays and other theatrical events for performance, design, direction and production. Contemporary systems of script analysis. Emphasis on theory and criticism of theatre arts.
• Acting: Fundamentals (3 hrs)
  • The study of the art of contemporary acting, grounded in psychological realism. Exposure to a broad spectrum of acting techniques designed to develop use of the body, voice, intellect, memories and imagination. Emphasis on removal of the body’s resistances and blocks which hinder a spontaneous and truthful reaction in a creative situation.
• Stage Management I (3 hrs)
  • Introduction to stage management pre-production, rehearsal and performance responsibilities and techniques. Lecture and discussion. Practical application of concepts through class exercises and lab hours.
• Theatre Voice I (3 hrs)
  • Introduction to the mechanics of the voice and effective use of the vocal instrument for the actor. A basic foundation of techniques for vocal preparation and performance, including vocal quality, range, resonance, energy, and freedom.
• World Theatre After 1700 (3 hrs)
  • Intense investigation of major developments in theatre performance and dramatic literature from the mid-17th century to the 21st century, from Western and non-Western worlds. Emphasis on plays, playwrights, actors and other theatre artists in relation to society. Lecture, student presentations and a research project with a cross-cultural emphasis.