Theatre, Minor

Location(s): On Campus

The theatre program offers academic and practical courses. Students analyze plays and learn about theatre of the past and present; study acting, directing, and playwriting; and bring productions to life. The theatre minor is appropriate for students with professional or scholarly aspirations, as well as for students with a general interest in the field.

Departmental productions focus on strong roles for women. Students gain stage experience and excel in areas traditionally dominated by men, such as directing, management, and playwriting. Theatre minors are expected to work on productions throughout the college career. Roles and crew assignments are open to all students, regardless of major or year.

Wesleyan students who minor in theatre receive a foundation that prepares them for apprenticeship, graduate school, or work in the profession. The theatre minor enhances any career path that calls for organizational ability, collaboration, effective speech, creativity, problem-solving, and analytical/critical skills.

Student learning outcomes for the Theatre minor are that the student:

gain skill in analysis and criticism of plays and performance events
develop effective techniques for dramatic expression as actors
gain experience on and off stage in theatre productions, as actors or technicians
acquire an understanding of the theatrical past and connect it to the present
learn to communicate clearly, in oral and written form
choose to develop advanced skills in acting, directing, or writing.

Minor Requirements: Theatre. (21 hours total).

I. Required Courses (15 semester hours):

THE 110: Criticism and Practice Credit: 3
OR
THE 105: Introduction to Theatre Credit: 3
THE 125: Acting I Credit: 3
THE 210: Theatre History and Literature I Credit: 3
OR
THE 212: Theatre History and Literature II Credit: 3
THE 235: Performance and Production Credit: 1-3 *
THE 328: Women, Culture, and Theatre Credit: 3
OR
WST 328: Women, Culture, and Theatre Credit: 3
OR
THE 396: Special Topic in Theatre Credit: 3

II. An additional 6 semester hours are required from the following.

One course must be at the 300 level:

THE 134: Introduction to Theatrical Design Credit: 3
THE 210: Theatre History and Literature I Credit: 3
THE 212: Theatre History and Literature II Credit: 3
THE 222: Stagecraft Credit: 3
THE 225: Acting II Credit: 3
THE 318: Directing Credit: 3
THE 322: Stage Management and Producing for Theatre Credit: 3
THE 328: Women, Culture, and Theatre Credit: 3
OR
WST 328: Women, Culture, and Theatre Credit: 3
THE 353: Playwriting Credit: 3
THE 396: Special Topic in Theatre Credit: 3

Note:

*The three hours of Performance and Production Laboratory are intended to be distributed over threesemesters, unless special permission is given. One of the required hours for Performance and Productionmay be fulfilled at a theatre outside of Wesleyan College, with advance permission and guidance fromWesleyan theatre faculty, who will assess student work.

Professional Development.

Throughout her Wesleyan education each student is given opportunities to explore professional and career choices, and to develop and demonstrate the knowledge and skills essential for professional success. Each student will complete PDE 400: Professional Development Experience and PDE 401 Professional Practice Seminar. Students minoring in theatre are encouraged to choose a PDE involving theatre. They may intern during the school year and the summer with professional theaters after interviews and/or auditions either locally or nationally. For example, students have worked at Imagination Stage in DC, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, Horizon Theatre, Texas Legacies, Santa Fe Opera, Smoke on the Mountain, West Virginia Stage Company, Banner Elk Theatre, and the Maine State Music Festival. In Macon, students may work for the historic Douglass Theatre, the Capitol Theatre, Macon Little Theatre, Theatre Macon, or local schools and community centers.