• A.2 TRAINING FOR THEATRE AT SPU
With the thoughts above in mind, the faculty of the
Department of Theatre embraces and strives to practice a distinctive philosophy
of theatre education. This philosophy
must be played-out, of course, through every activity we undertake, be it in
the lecture classroom, the studio course, University Theatre productions, or
personal contacts. You, of course, are
the major target of these educational strategies, and the better you know
intention, the more likely we all are to succeed. Therefore, consider the following
explication.
A.2.a Learning goals.
We see our primary educational
responsibilities as: 1)
providing, through the study and practice of theatre, opportunities and
encouragements for every member of the university’s
constituencies to pursue
aesthetic growth as an essential life value, a growth mandatory for
whole
personhood, 2) the development of excellence in persons drawn
to serve society
through their artistic talents, and 3) the preparation of
practitioners,
managers, and scholars in theatre and, importantly, 4) the exploration
of the
connection between theatre and the Christian faith.
The faculty members of the department
view themselves as
scholar/artists and desire to serve as models of continuing aesthetic
development, and as mentors to younger artists.
A conscious attempt is made to integrate both their
artistry and the
values of their Christian world view into curricular activities. Desirably, as a result,
your training under
them will not only firmly ground you in artistic technique, but will equip you with the ability and desire to
express your examined and most firmly held spiritual and personal
beliefs
through your artistry.
To these ends the department provides
extensive and
fully-accredited undergraduate courses for both majors, minors, and
non-majors.
The department offers a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree modeled in the
liberal
arts tradition, which is to say that you are expected to heavily
supplement
course work in theatre with vigorous investigation of the multitude of
other human
intellectual endeavors. The
intended
effect is to broaden your capacities and to provide a strong basis for
future
artistic expression. (When
you know how
to say it, you need something to say!)
We strongly believe that highly specific technical
training for a
profession in theatre (for actors, designers, playwrights, directors,
managers)
is properly pursued in graduate degree programs, and that the most
appropriate
and useful undergraduate Theatre degree is generalist in
nature. The
degree work in the department is therefore best described as both
liberal arts
and pre-professional in nature.
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Section: A2b:
Applying Your Learning
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