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Majors & Minors
Theatre Acting (BFA)
PROGRAM OVERVIEW The acting program offers students the techniques and skills necessary to work as professional actors in the field. The curriculum exposes students to multiple performance methods and styles encouraging students to discover, or even create, the system that works best for them. In addition, students are required to take courses in all aspects of theatre production giving them an appreciation and deeper understanding of the collaborative nature of the art.
The acting program offers a tremendous number of performance opportunities for students to apply skills and techniques they have learned in the classroom to work on the stage. Between larger main stage theatre production and smaller Student Theatre Productions, the Department produces approximately 20 different shows each academic year.
FACULTY The Department of Theatre Arts is comprised of seven full-time faculty members, six have earned the highest degrees in their fields. All full-time faculty are engaged in teaching classes from the introductory to advanced levels. The inclusive nature of the curriculum means that students will take classes from every member of the Department of Theatre Arts as they pursue their degree.
ACADEMIC PREPARATION There are no prerequisite high school courses or requirements needed for enrollment in the theatre program, but students should have a well-rounded academic high school curriculum. Previous involvement in high school and/or community theatre is strongly recommended.
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS (Acting, Directing, Musical Theatre, Theatre Education, students) Acting students will need to prepare two contrasting monologues; these pieces must be memorized. It is recommended that one piece should be comedic in nature; the other should be serious. Select roles that are fairly close to your own age range and try to avoid unnecessary challenges such as accents, etc. Each monologue should be approximately 2 minutes in length.
Musical Theatre students must prepare two songs in addition to their two monologues, one upbeat song and one ballad. Each song, or section of a song, should be approximately 32 bars in length. The monologues should be approximately 2 minutes in length.
An accompanist will be provided for group auditions. Please bring your music marked up where appropriate and in the correct key. If you are attending an audition on an individual basis please bring a recorded accompaniment on tape or CD.
GROUP AUDITION/PORTFOLIO REVIEW DAY SCHEDULE For incoming students to the fall 2009 school year the admissions audition dates are: Saturday, January 31, 2009 or Saturday, February 14, 2009. Please call the Theatre Department at 515-271-4031 or e-mail Judy Drury at judy.drury@drake.edu to register before January 23, 2009. Please provide the following information:
- Full Name, Complete Address, Phone number
- Name of High School or Transfer School, Year of Graduation
- Auditioning for Admission only or Admission and Scholarship Consideration
REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJOR A minimum of 65 credit hours in theatre arts coursework is required; however, a maximum of 76 theatre credits will be accepted for the degree.
DRAKE CURRICULUM The Drake Curriculum, required of all undergraduates, is designed to help students meet personal and professional goals as they acquire fundamental knowledge and abilities in ten Areas of Inquiry, including communication, critical thinking, artistic experience, historical consciousness, information and technology literacy, international and multicultural experiences, scientific and quantitative literacy, values and ethics and engaged citizenship. Students work closely with their academic advisers to craft a program of study in general education that prepares students for civic and professional leadership.
The Drake Curriculum also requires first-year seminars, which foster development of critical thinking and written and oral communication skills through a topical focus; and a Senior Capstone, in which students demonstrate the capacity to bring information, skills and ideas to bear on one project.
INTERNSHIPS & OPPORTUNITIES Students have the option, with faculty consent, of studying at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, part of the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, CT. This intensive program allows students to work with numerous theatre professionals and to establish possible career ties within the theatre industry. Theatre students also participate in numerous study-abroad programs.
Theatre students have recently interned with the Santa Fe Opera and the National Theatre Institute in Connecticut. These internships offer students opportunities to make contacts within the industry, to experience auditions, and to experience first-hand various work in professional theatre.
CAREER OPTIONS Typical career paths for theatre arts graduates include regional theatre, teaching, and radio/TV. Recent graduates have gone on to work in Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, and Los Angeles. A number also have entered and completed graduate programs throughout the country.