Department of Theatre and Dance

Telephone: (302) 831-2201

Department website: https://www.theatre.udel.edu/

Dance Program website: https://www .cas.udel.edu/dance

Healthcare Theatre website: https://sites.udel.edu/healthcaretheatre/

The Department of Theatre and Dance at University of Delaware offers students an expansive range of courses and a wide variety of opportunities in the performing arts. As the performing arts are communal in their creation and consumption, they develop two primary life skills: collaboration and communication. Through the strengthening of those two skills, it is the department’s commitment to cultivate citizens of the world that contribute to the greater community. Here in the Department of Theatre and Dance, the degree programs have been created to allow students the flexibility to design their own path. These paths include performing, producing, teaching, scholarship and research.

The BACHELOR OF ARTS IN THEATRE STUDIES at University of Delaware is one of a kind. There is a professional regional theatre right on our campus, the REP, which is part of the department. The faculty of the theatre and dance department are the same people that are acting on that stage, designing the productions, working in the booth, and directing. Theatre is a performing art and that means it takes a lot of people to make it happen. Because theatre is highly collaborative, communication is the most necessary skill for theatre practitioners. That’s what students in this program will be developing the ability to speak to other people with clarity, imagination, and commitment. That’s why a degree in theatre can be applied to a wide variety of jobs and life paths. Students interested in the Theatre Studies major should contact Steve Tague (stague@udel.edu).

The Theatre and Dance Department also offers six distinct minors all designed to deepen the student’s appreciation of the theatre and dance as an art form within the context of a liberal arts education.

Coursework in all minors provides students with a foundation for theatre and dance appreciation, focusing on the art and craft of these art forms. The Department of Theatre and Dance also provides the University with a variety of general education courses in theatre designed to expand appreciation of, and future participation in, the arts. There are no auditions required to minor in Theatre or Dance. However, dance minor concert auditions happen early in the fall semester; reach out to Kim Schroeder (kschroed@udel.edu) for more information. Students interested in Healthcare Theatre can reach out to Allan Carlsen (acarlsen@udel.edu) for more information.Students interested in performance opportunities should contact one of the amateur theatre or dance student organizations on campus, found on Student Central.

THEATRE STUDIES MAJOR

The Theatre Studies degree is designed as a general degree allowing the student great flexibility. Students interested in interdisciplinary study will have the opportunity and support to pursue a double major. Throughout the students’ four years in the department, they will be led by professionals and experts in their field, in classes with small enrollment, ensuring great attention to individual growth. The theatre student can steer their education in four different directions.

Throughout their course of study, students pursuing the Theatre Studies major can depend on the following opportunities:

Focusing on one of the following: performance, production, or scholarship.
Building a resume with professional credits before graduation.
Gaining experience in any area of the theatre business: front of house, marketing, box office, stage management, development, arts management.
Working with the faculty of this department who are well connected to professional theatres across the country, giving students access to summer work.
Working on a unique playwriting sequence shared with the English department and supported by the Stroman fund and the Hawkins fund.

THEATRE PERFORMANCE MINOR

The Theatre Performance Minor is designed for those students who are interested in learning about the performance areas of the theatre - acting, voice, speech, movement, and other related subjects - and who desire the opportunity to explore these areas through the prescribed coursework of a minor.

THEATRE PRODUCTION MINOR

The Theatre Production Minor is designed for those students who are interested in learning about the production areas of the theatre - scenery, lighting, properties, sound, costuming, stage management, and other related subjects - and who desire the opportunity to explore these areas through the prescribed course work of a minor.

THEATRE STUDIES MINOR

The Theatre Studies Minor is designed for those students who are interested in a variety of areas of the theatre - performance, production, history, directing, and other related subjects - and who desire the opportunity to explore these areas through the prescribed course work of a minor.

HEALTHCARE THEATRE MINOR

A minor in HEALTHCARE THEATRE (HT) provides University of Delaware undergraduates the opportunity to learn and collaborate in a highly interprofessional educational program across multiple colleges and disciplines. HT provides students with the essential communication skills, verbal, nonverbal, and written; so that they can become communication specialists able to teach, coach, and provide feedback to learners both inside and outside the healthcare field. The fifteen credits that make up this unique minor may come from many various courses in different colleges, schools, and programs here at UD. The Healthcare Theatre minor is available to all undergraduate students, but is especially valuable to students interested in the fields of healthcare, theatre, communications, leadership, and education.

DANCE MINOR PROGRAM

A minor in dance is available for students who have an interest in dance and want a concentration of study in this area to complement their career goals. The minor provides students with the opportunity to study a variety of coursework including, but not limited to, technique, composition and choreography, and elective choices in the historical, cultural, pedagogical, and somatic areas of dance. Additionally, dance minors complete an introductory seminar course exploring career options in dance as well as a variable credit capstone experience project at the end of the minor course of study.

MUSICAL THEATRE MINOR

Musical Theatre is a common part of our cultural experience. By completing this minor, students gain insight into the interdependent nature of this artform. Drawing from elements across the entire Arts portfolio, this program is designed to enhance the students’ knowledge and skills in both production and performance aspects of Musical Theatre. Musical Theatre also gives students a new way of looking at the world; it has proven invaluable to students in a wide variety of disciplines from pre-law to pre-medicine, increasing their chances of getting into their graduate schools.

Programs

Major

Theatre Studies (BA)

Minor