Theatre and Speech

Professor Mac Smotherman, Head

THSP Mission Statement:

The Department of Theatre and Speech combines performance and production activities within a liberal arts environment to develop collaborative artists, while serving the community. By providing a strong foundation in the traditions and disciplines of theatre, the academic program encourages the artists to take risks, make compelling choices, and think independently. Our goal is to produce graduates who bring an informed awareness of the world to their lives and art, while preparing them for a variety of career paths.

THSP Goals:

(As outlined by National Association of Schools of Theatre.)

1. The ability to think conceptually and critically about text, performance and production.

2. An understanding of playwriting and production processes, aesthetic properties of style, and the way these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural forces.

3. An acquaintance with a wide selection of theatre repertory including the principal eras, genres, and cultural sources.

4. The ability to develop and defend informed judgments about theatre.

The Department of Theatre and Speech offers a curriculum that leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Theatre. It seeks to promote an understanding of cultural history, an appreciation of meaning and form, a respect for and a facility with language, a sense of responsibility for the larger human community, and a firm grounding in the discipline and the creative processes involved in the making of theatre.

Through its curriculum and public season of performance the department is committed to exposure to and enhanced appreciation of the art of the theatre and the related arts of film and dance. The department provides the means for involvement in the art of theatre for interested members of the University community.

Courses designed to develop basic competency in oral communication are regularly offered by the department.

Students may elect to take specified courses leading to state licensure to teach theatre at the primary and secondary level.