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Handbook Appendices Forms Theatre Scholarships For Theatre Majors, Minors, and Intendeds University Theatre Handbook Table of Contents Theatre Home

• 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.

Next Section: A2b: Applying Your Learning

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