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Majors & Minors
Theatre Arts (BA)
PROGRAM OVERVIEW The theatre program provides students with a solid theatre education and experience. Students are given the opportunity to complete a wide range of theatre electives. With these electives, students can emphasize one particular area of theatre or create their own mixture of theatre classes. This degree also is designed to work well with a double major or dual degree.
FACULTY The Department of Theatre Arts is comprised of seven full-time faculty members, 6 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 The Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre arts requires a total of 124 credit hours, including a minimum of 42 credit hours in theatre arts, 18 hours in a second academic field and a minimum of 42 credit hours taken outside the School of Fine Arts.
REQUIREMENTS FOR MINOR The theatre arts minor requires 27 credit hours. Students can take equivalent courses at other institutions. In each instance, students should make certain that both Drake University and the Department of Theatre Arts will accept the equivalent course toward 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.