Academic Programs

Theater . Film . Dance

The Department of Theater Arts is committed to providing liberal-arts based preprofessional training which imaginatively balances theory and practice. Through classroom study, studio/laboratory preparation, field studies, and university drama productions, students are encouraged to pursue a commitment to individual excellence, collaboration, and a passion for their discipline, and to develop a firm grounding in all aspects of live and mediated performance. Students seeking professional careers, preparing for advanced degree programs, training to be educators, or pursuing non-major study of the arts participate in production encompassing new, modern, and classic works interpreted to confront and illuminate the diverse concerns of contemporary life.

Production is an essential and integral part of the department’s educational mission. Students in the university, both majors and non-majors, are provided with a variety of opportunities to gain experience and develop creative and collaboration skills both before and behind the scenes. In the selection of dramatic and other works, the department seeks to reflect vital contemporary issues, personal and public, in varied and challenging forms, both new and classic, thereby creating a forum for cultural and social concerns. The program actively pursues the development of new works, collaborations with urban arts and educational institutions, and the expansion of cultural exchange.

The Department of Theater Arts is an accredited institutional member of the
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF THEATRE

Degree Programs

The department offers various degrees in theater, film and dance at the undergraduate and graduate level. Each degree has a core of general requirements, to which the student applies a focus by selecting curriculum in the areas of performance (acting, directing, dance), design/production (scenic, costume, lighting, film production), dramatic writing, and theater/dance and film studies. The majority of students participating in the program are pursuing the BA/BS in Theater Arts or the BA/BS in Film. A significant number of students pursue the Minor in Theater Arts, the Minor in Dance, or the Minor in Film Studies. At the graduate level, the department offers the Master of Arts or Master of Sciences in Theater Arts and the Master of Sciences in Interdisciplinary Studies - Film Studies.

Graduates of the program have gained admission to both university graduate programs and professional training programs, they have entered the professions directly, they have become teachers and university professors, and they have pursued a range of related professions in the arts, commerce, law, social services and the public sector.

Faculty

The university’s urban location enables the Department of Theater Arts to provide students with the richest diversity of teaching staff in the studio and the maximum of diverse educational experiences outside the studio. The resident faculty are active members of the region’s arts community, as professional practitioners as well as educators. Their work is represented at the major theater companies, many smaller theater companies, other arts organizations, dance companies, production companies, educational institutions, film units, and the media. They frequently engage their students as assistants on creative projects, and they facilitate placements for their students with a variety of organizations as interns and regular employees. The associate faculty are of the highest caliber, both as practicing artists and as teachers of their craft.

Click here for faculty profiles.

Advising

Both majors and minors are urged to arrange with the departmental office (127 Lincoln Hall) for an adviser from Theater Arts no later than the beginning of their first term of junior standing.

Acrobat icon Student Handbook
This handbook has been designed by Theater faculty and students to provide detailed information about the programs, policies, procedures, expectations, and opportunities in the Department of Theater Arts.

Internships

The urban setting of the University is a significant asset to a student's education as it offers a wide range of opportunities to augment program activities. One of the main goals of the department is to support students in learning situations off-campus that are supplemental to their theater and film education. When such opportunities arise, students are encouraged to take advantage of them. Students may make arrangements to receive academic credit for professional, K-12, and community-based projects in theatre and film.

Scholarships

The Theater Arts Department Scholarship is awarded to a theater arts major with upper-division standing and is funded through mainstage ticket sales. The Asher B. Wilson Theater Arts Scholarship is awarded to an incoming freshman. In alternating years, majors may apply for the Trudeau or Sheridan Scholarships in Fine & Performing Arts. For additional information, see the university scholarship database.

Career Possibilities

A theater and film education develops creativity and collaboration skills, teaches discipline, and allows students to see the practical outcome of their endeavors. Theater Arts students are well prepared for careers that include working with, relating to, and assessing people. They develop strong communication and organizational skills. These skills open up many career possibilities for students in addition to the theater/film/dance professions, ranging from marketing to social work.

Find out what you can do with a Major in Theater Arts! Visit PSU's Career Center.

Find out what you can do with a Major in Film at PSU's Career Center

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Graduates

PSU theater arts students have gone on to do the following in the profession:

Television and film actor, art director and designer, Los Angeles
Drama and dance teacher, Portland
University theatre, dance and film faculty
Costume, lighting, and scene designer
Systems designer, Intel
Public television producer, OPB
Writer, poet, and playwright
Development and marketing officer, arts organization
Manager, Performing arts facilites
Story Editor, Universal Studios
Freelance stage actor or director, Portland to London
Film and video properties master
Agent and casting director
Sales manager, entertainment industry supplier
Drama and film critic, Portland
Trade show manager, international sportswear manufacturer