Theatre and Speech Communication

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Faculty

Professor William Joseph Cunningham, Chairperson

Professors: Celena Sky April, James J. Fallon, David Allen George, Thomas J. Hallahan, Elizabeth Hart, Michael Harvey

Associate Professors: Thomas J. Healy, Jane Hillier-Walkowiak

Assistant Professors: Kate Kohler Amory, Elizabeth Maciejewicz, Christopher Morris, Peter M. Sampieri, Amy M. Smith

Faculty Emeriti

Professors: Myrna Finn, Vera Shepard, Whitney L. White

Programs Offered

Bachelor of Arts – Theatre Arts

Concentrations

Performance
Technical Theatre

Bachelor of Fine Arts – Theatre Arts

Options

Design (Costume, Scenic or Lighting)
Performance
Stage Management
Technical Theater

Minors

Speech Communications
Theatre Arts

Special Programs

Secondary Education Minor, Communication and Performing Arts (5-12)

Mission of the Department

Theatre Arts

The Theatre unit seeks to instill within students: (1) an awareness of theatre as a significant educational and spiritual force, and (2) a desire to contribute to the general improvement of the human condition through the arts. We engage in the pursuit of educational excellence through innovation, tradition, and technology and we also serve as an artistic, cultural and educational resource for the University, other theatre organizations, and the community. We provide theatre education and training of the highest quality within a liberal arts setting, fostering personal and artistic development, and encouraging outreach to society at large. We achieve this through: excellence in the classroom and in the production process, with a strong program-to-production link; artistic excellence in productions, which serve as our faculty’s research; and, enrichment through the culture, art and community building that our productions provide to the University and the North Shore.

Speech Communication

The Speech Communication minor seeks to give students: (1) the knowledge and skills in human communication that will benefit them interpersonally and professionally; and (2) an understanding of the importance of ethical and responsible human communication in society.

Programs in Theatre

Theatre Arts at Salem State University

Two fully operational theatres exist on the North Campus. The Mainstage (Auditorium) houses traditional works and musical theatre productions. The Callan Studio Theatre’s intimate atmosphere serves as a perfect environment for contemporary and more experimental theatre works. Four to six major productions are staged each year with guest artists, studio appearances and student workshops offered. Recent Salem State University Theatre productions have earned regional and national recognition and acclaim for excellence in both the technical and performance areas.

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) – Theatre Arts

The Bachelor of Arts degree is designed to provide students with a theatrical world view, a foreign language and a minor that is supportive of their major career aspirations. Students are expected to achieve competency in performance, dramaturgy and technical theatre/design through such courses as Acting, Directing, Theatre History, Stagecraft, and Stage Technology. Approximately one-third of the total undergraduate credits hours in the B.A. degree program are devoted to theatre courses (36 credits) and provide a theatre generalist’s body of course work and practical theatre experiences conducive to further study at graduate school, conservatory or regional theatre.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) – Theatre Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is designed to provide a specialized program for students who show exceptional promise in the performance or production aspects of theatre. The curriculum involves intensive study in acting, design, stage management, or stage technology. The objective of the program is to provide the Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate with a high level of competency, specialized knowledge and extensive experience in preparation for a professional career in theatre. Approximately one-half of the total undergraduate credits hours in the B.F.A. degree program are devoted to theatre courses (66-69 credits) and provide a pre-professional’s body of course work, practical theatre experiences and production responsibilities.

All students enter the Theatre program their first semester as Bachelor of Arts students. Students may apply to enter the Bachelor of Fine Arts – Theatre Program in their second (Spring) semester of study. All students planning to earn a B.F.A. degree must audition or have a portfolio review and an interview midway through their first (Fall) semester. Students who successfully complete the audition/interview process will be considered B.F.A. applicants. At the end of their Freshman year, students must meet the following criteria in order to advance to B.F.A. Candidate status:

Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in Theatre courses.
Students must have accumulated 50 Theatre Production Hours (TPH – see below).
Students must audition/interview midterm before the Theatre faculty and demonstrate their capacity to continue in the B.F.A. program.

At the midterm point of each semester at Salem State University, B.F.A. candidates must continue to audition/interview before the Theatre faculty and demonstrate their capacity to complete the B.F.A. program.

Should the audition/interview not be acceptable, the B.F.A. student will be put on probational status and will have one semester in which to reconcile the situation, while still a B.F.A. student. However, should the audition/interview not be acceptable for a second semester, the B.F.A. student will be invited to complete their Salem State University education in the B.A. degree program.

Theatre Production Hours and Courses

All Theatre Arts Majors, in addition to completing all required credit course, must actively participate in Theatre Department productions at Salem State University throughout their undergraduate program to complete the required Theatre Participation nondegree 0.5 credit courses. Theatre Participation Hours (TPH) are earned by working on the department Mainstage and Callan Studio productions each semester. Please be aware that TPH are not actual time: one TPH is awarded for approximately 2.5 hours of actual work time. Theatre Participation Hours can be accumulated by assuming responsibilities and working in all areas of production including house management, stage management, box office, costume shop, stage crew, run crew, properties, publicity and performance. Refer to the Theatre Handbook and Theatre Participation syllabi for a list of performances and crew positions and the number of hours required to earn the TPH awarded for the particular performance or crew position. Full-time students are required to accumulate a minimum of 25 TPH per semester. A minimum total of 50 TPH are to be accumulated at the end of each academic year, with a minimum of 200 TPH over a four year, full-time program for graduation. By participating in department productions and earning TPH students will be able to Pass the THE 91 - THE 98 Theatre Participation non-degree credit courses that are included on all of the Theatre Arts flow sheets. Please note: the awarding of TPH is based on the quality of the job done; i.e., a job well done earns full TPH possible for that responsibility, a poor done job will merit less. The Theatre Faculty meets post-production to award TPH to the students involved in that production.

As part of Theatre Orientation (and as a way to earn one-half of the semester’s required TPH), all freshman and transfer Theatre Majors are required to participate in the First Year Laboratory, a process-oriented experience involving a 4-5 week rehearsal period and a presentation of the creative work for the Department.

At the end of their Freshman year, all full-time theatre majors will have accumulated 50 TPH; at the end of their Sophomore year, 100 TPH, at the end of their Junior year, 150 TPH and, at the end of their Senior year, 200 TPH. This will result in the successful passing of the 8 required Theatre Participation nondegree credit courses. It should be noted that students are allowed to carry over a maximum of 12 TPH, no matter how many they may successfully accumulate in a semester, to the next semester.

Transfer students are held accountable for TPH and Theatre Participation non-degree credit courses only for those semesters in which they are registered at Salem State University; therefore, at the end of their first year here (full-time) they must accumulate 50 TPH and pass THE 91 and THE 92 and so on. As a result, a transfer student who graduates from Salem State University after being here only 3 years, would need only 150 TPH and pass 6 of the Theatre Participation non-degree credit courses to do so.

Students at a part-time status, must coordinate their “adjusted” TPH with their academic advisor for each semester of part-time study. Reduction of TPH for part-time status is in direct proportion to reduction of course load, e.g., approximately 6 TPH are required for each 3 credit hour course taken in a semester. Part-time students would be able to keep accumulating TPH to successfully pass a Theatre Participation non-degree credit course.

For B.A. theatre majors who minor in Secondary Education for licensure, 175 TPH must be acquired and the successful completion of 7 Theatre Participation non-degree credit course before they take their final semester for practicum; in other words, their TPH requirement is waived for the semester in which they take EDU 490 - Practicum in Student Teaching in Drama (5-12) . However, if a student enters their final semester of practicum with less than 175 TPH, they will be required to earn the TPH necessary to bring their total up to 175 TPH while doing their practicum in order to graduate with sufficient TPH and completion of 7 Theatre Participation non-degree credit hour courses.

If any theatre major has completed all course work for graduation but has insufficient TPH, and the unsuccessful Passing of the required Theatre Participation non-degree credit courses, they will not be permitted to graduate with a B.A. or B.F.A. degree in Theatre. Instead, they must register for the required Theatre Participation non-degree credit courses and work on departmental productions to reconcile their TPH deficiency to the correct amount needed in order to then graduate.

Please see additional details in the “Theatre Handbook” and Theatre Participation courses syllabus in the Theatre and Speech Communications Department.

Special Programs

Secondary Education Licensure

Students wishing to acquire initial licensure as Teacher of Communication and Performing Arts, can take an Education minor within the B.A. program in Theatre Arts. Students planning to pursue the Secondary Education minor should see the Education Department section of the catalog for requirements for admission to teacher licensure. To be licensed upon graduating with a B.A. in Theatre Arts, see Secondary Education Minor, Communication and Performing Arts (5-12) . You may also see the full major and minor requirements together at BA Theatre Arts, Secondary Education .

Theatre Arts Minor

Eighteen (18) hours in Theatre Arts courses are required for a minor in Theatre Arts. THE 101 Introduction to Theatre Arts is required for a minor in Theatre Arts. Students then have a choice of taking five theatre courses. For additional information, see Theatre Arts Minor .

Speech Communication Minor

The study of oral communication benefits students majoring in all fields, particularly those students interested in pursuing careers in business, law, media, politics, education and service professions. The minor consists of 15 credits (5 courses). For additional information, see Speech Communication Minor .