Program Requirements

Theatre

The theatre program at Willamette University offers a Theatre major with emphases in acting, performance, and design, or the option to craft and propose to the department faculty an individual emphasis. A faculty, staff and guest artists with extensive academic and professional experience teach a wide-ranging curriculum, providing the student with a rich variety of perspectives from which to learn. Theatre is a vital part of the liberal arts experience at the University through the public performances of four plays and a dance concert per year, as well as student-created projects and the wide array of classes available to majors and non-majors alike.

Students majoring in Theatre are provided with a range of experiences within all areas of the theatre: acting, directing, stagecraft, costume construction, design, dramaturgy, lighting, voice, movement, theatre history, and dramatic literature. It is the department's intent to train Theatre majors in all aspects of the discipline during their four years at Willamette, thereby creating a well-rounded theatre artist. Just as the liberal arts environment provides the student with insight into and an understanding of a variety of subjects, the Theatre Department strives to create an environment conducive to the individual growth of the student within the context of the most collaborative of the arts disciplines.

The time spent in a university is valuable not only for the particular instruction a student receives; it also serves as a time of great personal growth and heightened self-awareness. The theatre department supports this matriculation in ways both tangible and intangible. The great amount of work done in the department in classes and with mainstage productions demands that the students budget and prioritize their time and energy. Truly, there is no class or subject irrelevant to the study of theatre, and the department's outlook reflects this respect for our place as an integral and vital part of the College of Liberal Arts. Students are expected to develop a high level of self-discipline in the theatre department. Pride of commitment to the work and the willingness to take on the responsibility that comes with being part of an ensemble are tangible rewards that students will carry with them long after graduation. Also, classes offered through the theatre department meet several General Education (Modes of Inquiry) requirements.

In addition to the permanent faculty, there is a guest artist program, providing students the opportunity to learn from and work closely with theatre artists currently working in the profession. Two or three guest artists each year, in the capacity of actors, directors, designers or choreographers, are invited to take up residency for the duration of a production. During that six week period, the guest artists are also involved in the teaching of classes and workshops. Members of the Theatre faculty approach their work with a high level of professionalism and the expectation that the type of student Willamette University attracts will embrace the demanding yet rewarding opportunities that lie ahead, and rise to meet and learn from those myriad challenges.

The four mainstage productions are selected with care to provide the students with experience in a wide range of theatrical styles. From the Greeks to Shakespeare to the most recent contemporary works by respected modern playwrights, the emphasis is on producing exciting interpretations of well-written texts. The department reaches out to the school community through matinee performances offered specifically for high school audiences. Theatre is a vibrant, exciting, challenging department filled with faculty and students striving to continue the journey of discovery and interaction with our fellow humans that leads to greater understanding of ourselves, our neighbors and our world.

The Willamette Playhouse is the home of Willamette Theatre classes, workshops and productions. The building includes a dance studio, acting studio, costume shop, prop storage, makeup room, scene shop, film studies room, light and sound production facilities, dressing rooms, classrooms, and faculty offices. There are two performance areas: the 250-seat thrust configuration Kresge Theatre and the Arena Theatre, which features flexible seating of up to 125.

Requirements for the Theatre Major

Students majoring in Theatre are required to take the Core Courses (6.5 - 7 credits) below. See Theatre emphasis areas for total number of credits needed.

Core courses

THTR 140 Acting I (1)
THTR 150 Voice/Movement I (.5)
THTR 155 (CA) Stagecraft I (.5)
THTR 217 (TH, W) History of Theatre I (1)
THTR 219 (IT) Theatre History II (1)
THTR 355 Fundamentals of Scene Design (1)
THTR 479 Directing I (1)
THTR 499 Senior Project (.5-1)

Senior Project

Students must commit to a senior project at the end of the semester prior to entering their senior year. Projects will be proposed in consultation with a departmental faculty advisor to suit the individual emphasis of the student and to provide the best and most appropriate "capstone" for their undergraduate studies. The criteria for the projects are available from the professor supervising the emphasis track or from your advisor. The proposal must meet the approval of all members of the departmental faculty. For example:

A project for Acting Majors will either entail a significant role in main-stage production, supplemented by production and character research, and a production journal, or the creation of a one-person performance piece based on a person that you feel has influenced your thinking, feeling, point of view. This person may be dead or alive, historical or fictional. Students who choose this option must work closely with a faculty member.
A project for Design Majors might entail a significant design responsibility on a main-stage production, supplemented by production research, and a production journal.
A project for a Performance Major might entail a significant research and a paper, or directing responsibility on a main-stage production, supplemented by production research and a production journal.

Note: All Senior Projects will entail a production journal in which the student makes daily entries of their thoughts and reflections about the process they are undertaking. The final grade the Senior Project is based on the project itself, a daily journal, an academic paper, and a public oral defense.

One credit in music or art history (1)

As approved by advisor

Majors will fulfill the additional required credits in the major by electing to emphasize one of three different areas within the discipline: Acting, Design, or Performance Studies.

Acting Emphasis

5 to 6 additional credits; 12.5 or 14 credits total

ENGL 341 Shakespeare: The Comedies (1)
ENGL 342 Shakespeare: The Tragedies (1)
THTR 141 Acting II (1)
THTR 151 Voice/Movement II (.5)
THTR 182 (CA) Fundamentals of Modern Dance (.5) or
THTR 282 (CA) Modern Dance II (.5)
THTR 340 Acting Studio I (1)
THTR 341 Acting Studio II (1)

The Department recommends one credit of physical activity (e.g., yoga, Alexander Technique, etc.) approved by the Acting Supervisor

Design Emphasis

4 additional credits; 11.5 to 12 credits total

Four credits from the following (4)

THTR 165 Stagecraft II (.5)
THTR 233 (CA) Fundamentals of Costume Design (1)
THTR 240 Stage Makeup (.5)
THTR 356 Fundamentals of Stage Lighting (1)
THTR 357 Scene Design/Production Studio I (1)
THTR 358 Scene Design/Production Studio II (1)
One credit in music or art history as approved by advisor (1)

Performance Emphasis

4 additional credits; 11.5 to 12 credits total

CLAS 244 (IT; W; 4th Sem Lang Req) The Greek and Roman Stage (1)
THTR 318 (W) Performance in the 20th Century (1)
Three theatre courses 300 or above (3)
One credit in music or art history as approved by advisor (1)

Integral to the education of the theatre major is participation in the department's production activities. Awarding of the B.A. is predicated on student involvement in crew work. Majors will be expected to have a significant involvement in at least twelve productions during their time at Willamette. Participation in set and costume construction, lighting implementation and as crew heads for the running of shows is mandatory and is assigned by the faculty. Specific responsibilities and time requirements vary with each season.

Requirements for the Theatre Minor (5 Credits)

THTR 140 Acting I (1)
THTR 150 Voice/Movement I (.5)
THTR 155 (CA) Stagecraft I (.5)
THTR 217 (TH, W) History of Theatre I (1)
THTR 219 (IT) Theatre History II (1)
THTR 355 Fundamentals of Scene Design (1)

Minors will also be expected to be involved in the department's production activities at 50 percent of the participation level of department majors.

Faculty

Susan Coromel, Associate Professor of Theatre, Acting, Chair
Christopher L. Harris, Professor of Theatre, Scene Design, Chair
Jonathan Cole, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Directing/History
Bobby Brewer-Wallin, Instructor of Theatre, Costumer
Virginia Belt, Instructor of Theatre, Dance
Maria Lu, Instructor of Theatre, Dance
Vikki McGuire, Lighting Design and State Management
Steve Thompson, Technical and Scene Shop Supervisor