College Catalog
Description and requirements Faculty Courses
Description:
The BA major in Theatre and Performance is designed for intellectually curious, adventurous, and bold theatre makers and thinkers.
The program provides a solid liberal arts education in the theatre, combining academic scholarship and artistic practice, with particular emphasis on theatre as a forum for collaboration, experimentation, and social engagement.
Academic Excellence
Students in Theatre and Performance engage equally in “thinking” and “doing,” with foundational courses in theatre history and dramatic literature, electives in multiple theatrical cultures and innovative modes of creation, and practical courses in the art of making theatre. Majors have numerous opportunities to gain experience in a variety of creative roles, including acting, design, directing, dramaturgy, playwriting, production, and stage management. They are also encouraged to enhance their education with courses in disciplines across the college, as well as in study abroad programs.
Artistic Exploration
The BA in Theatre and Performance produces a vibrant theatre season, consisting of professionally directed Mainstage productions, focusing on new and innovative plays, as well as student-created projects that have run the gamut from devised ensemble pieces to solo performances to reinterpreted classics. The new and state-of-the-art Center for Media, Film, and Theatre (CMFT), with two flexible black box spaces, is the principal venue for the program’s performances. Whether witnessing world-renowned performers at the Performing Arts Center, learning from invited guest artists, or taking sponsored trips to such venues as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Playwright’s Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, and Theatre for a New Audience, students will experience the best of contemporary theatre–and participate in creating the theatre of the future.
Social Engagement
The BA Program in Theatre and Performance is designed for students who understand theatre as a means of engaging with the world, and they are encouraged to pursue projects that express their own perspectives and concerns. In Applied Theatre, students have further opportunities to engage in social justice movements through the art of theatre. Graduates of the program, whether working in the professional theatre, education, or other fields, bring their experience of creativity, collaboration, and community into their careers.
Please note: Admission to the Theatre and Performance BA program is separate from and has no bearing on admission to the Acting BFA program.
Updated 9.22.21
Requirements:
In addition to meeting General Education requirements, and all other degree requirements, including Senior Project, all theatre and performance majors must meet the following major requirements (54-66 credits).
Beginning with the class entering in Fall 2023, the Theatre and Performance major requires a Concentration to be declared no later than the fourth semester.
Students who declare this major must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses required for the major, excluding the senior project. To progress in the major, students who do not meet this minimum grade standard must repeat the course(s).
Six foundation courses: 18 credits
- THP 2020/Introduction to Theatre and Performance Studies: 3 credits
- THP 2200/Theatre and Performance Production: 2 credits*
- THP 2205/Shakespeare Then and Now: 3 credits
- THP 2885/Theatre Histories I: 3 credits
- THP 2890/Theatre Histories II: 3 credits
- THP 2895/Production Practicum: 4 credits
*THP 2200 is a 1-credit course that must be taken twice (2 credits total). Transfer students need to take it only one time (1 credit).
Five elective courses: 16–20 credits
Students choose five electives in consultation with their faculty advisor. Independent studies and internships cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. The remaining three must include:
- One upper level (3000-4000) THP elective
Synthesis courses: 12 credits
- THP 3890/Junior Seminar: 4 credits
- SPJ 4990/Senior Project I: 4 credits
- SPJ 4991/Senior Project II: 4 credits
Students normally take the junior seminar (THP 3890) in the spring of their junior year, during which they develop and submit their senior project proposal for approval. The senior project is completed during the fall and spring of the senior year.
Internships and study abroad are highly recommended. Courses in other disciplines (outside the major) may count toward requirements for the major if approved in advance by the department chair.
Transfer students may meet some requirements for the major with courses taken elsewhere, subject to approval by the department chair and the registrar.
Concentrations and Senior Projects
Theatre and Performance majors must declare one of the following concentrations prior to enrolling in Junior Seminar. Each concentration requires particular courses, and the declared concentration will determine the nature of the student’s senior project. The number of students pursuing a particular concentration may be limited, and is subject to approval by the Theatre and Performance faculty. The concentration-specific requirements listed here should be completed prior to enrolling in Senior Project I, unless specified otherwise. Students should consult closely with their faculty advisor every semester to ensure that these courses have been completed successfully by the end of the junior year.
The senior project in Theatre and Performance is a rigorous project which requires research and writing, regardless of concentration. All concentrations except Theatre History/Theory/Criticism require the execution of a creative project (such as the performance of a production or the writing of a script) as well as the following scholarly components: a statement of artistic aims, a contextual research essay, and a technical essay evaluating the process and results of the creative project. The concentration in Theatre History/Theory/Criticism does not require a creative component, and consists solely of a scholarly project.
In most cases, students must receive formal faculty approval of their specific senior project proposal by the end of the Junior Seminar. Acceptance of proposals is not automatic. It is dependent on adequate student preparation and fulfillment of required courses, as well as faculty availability and expertise. Students may be asked to submit an alternate proposal or take additional courses before proceeding.
Advanced students who plan to explore the intersections of two or more areas in their senior project should consult with their faculty advisor well in advance to shape an acceptable course of study and senior project.
Minor requirements:
The minor in theatre and performance provides students with the opportunity to pursue an interest in the discipline without committing to the full array of requirements for the major.
Students interested in the minor should consult with a member of the theatre and performance faculty, then submit a completed Application for a Program of Minor Study. Upon admission to the minor, the student will be assigned a minor advisor from the theatre and performance faculty.
Academic Requirements for the Minor in Theatre and Performance
Five courses, to include:
- Two of the following lower-level foundation courses:
- THP 2020/Introduction to Theatre and Performance Studies (3 credits)
- THP 2050/Introduction to Applied Theatre (3 credits)
- THP 2205/Shakespeare Then and Now (3 credits)
- THP 2885/Theatre Histories I (3 credits)
- THP 2890/Theatre Histories II (3 credits)
- Three electives in theatre and performance
- Two electives at any level (can include courses from the above lower level foundation list.)
- One elective at the upper-level (3000+). Examples of courses include:
- JOU 3780/Criticism/Reviewing Workshop
- LIT3224/Shakespeare and Rebellion
- LIT3532/Body, Race and Performance
- PHI3205/Shakespeare and Philosophy
- PSW3155/The Art of Rewriting, Killing our Darlings
- PSW3310/Book Writing, Story Structure in Musical Theatre
- SCP3356/Theatre of the Oppressed, Process to Action
- SPA3715/Modern Hispanic Theatre
Courses
Official Catalog: Published September 22, 2023
Course Frequencies
Since actual course offerings vary from semester to semester, students should consult the myHeliotrope course schedule to determine whether a particular course is offered in a given semester.
Information Changes
In preparing the College Catalog, every effort is made to provide pertinent and accurate information. However, information contained in the catalog is subject to change, and Purchase College assumes no liability for catalog errors or omissions. Updates and new academic policies or programs will appear in the college’s information notices and will be noted in the online catalog.
It is the responsibility of each student to ascertain current information (particularly degree and major requirements) through frequent reference to current materials and consultation with the student’s faculty advisor, chair or director, and related offices (e.g., enrollment services, advising center).
Notwithstanding anything contained in the catalog, Purchase College expressly reserves the right, whenever it deems advisable, to change or modify its schedule of tuition and fees; withdraw, cancel, reschedule, or modify any course, program of study, degree, or any requirement or policy in connection with the foregoing; and to change or modify any academic or other policy.