The Mission of Shorter College is to provide quality higher education, enabling and encouraging student commitment to active life-long learning, personal spiritual values, responsible citizenship, and community and societal leadership in a global context.


How to apply

1. A completed Shorter College application with $25 application fee, which includes a written personal statement which reflects compatibility between the student's goals and the mission and goals of the College.

2. An official high school transcript or official GED scores, embossed or stamped and signed as official by the high schools guidance office.

3. An official SAT or ACT score report, either sent from the College Board or ACT at the prospective student's request or included on the official high school transcript.

To learn more about Admissions CLICK HERE.

Competitive Scholarships are awarded to a limited number of applicants based on outstanding academic credentials and a personal interview. A separate scholarship application is required. These scholarships, when combined with certain other forms of financial aid, may cover full tuition. Contact the Office of Admissions for further information and deadlines.

The Application for Admission to Shorter College is also the application for Academic Excellence Scholarships, excluding Competitive Scholarships. Academic scholarships are awarded based on academic GPA and SAT or ACT scores.

Scholarships in music or theatre require an audition and scholarships in art require a portfolio showing. Please contact the appropriate department for more information.

To learn more about Financial Aid CLICK HERE.

There are many different options for Housing at Shorter College . All residence hall are located very to close to the center of campus. Bass village is located at the bottom of the hill.

Shorter College requires all full-time students to live in campus residence halls unless married, living with parents, 23 years of age, or having received written authorization from the Vice President for Student Affairs due to special circumstances. Living on campus provides students with with more opportunities to get involved in campus activities and aids in the development of valuable life skills.

All first year students are required to purchase an unlimited meal plan. After a student completes one full year, he/she may opt for the 15 meal plan option.  Only students in apartment housing (which includes a kitchen inside his/her room) may opt for the 10 meal plan option.

To learn more about Residence Life CLICK HERE.

BE INVOLVED!

There really is something for everyone at Shorter. With over 35 student organizations, 16 athletic teams, intramural events like dodgeball and basketball tournaments, and theater productions, there is always something fun and interesting happening at Shorter.

While classroom instruction is important, you can't discover your path in life without real responsibilities and relationships. Shorter offers dozens of extracurricular activities, groups, and resources that help you explore the boundaries beyond the books.

To learn more about Student Organizations CLICK HERE.

Shorter College's Department of International Studies offers study abroad opportunities for students and research/teaching opportunities for Shorter College faculty members throughout a variety of college and university campuses around the world.

To learn more about Study Abroad Programs CLICK HERE.

Meet the President

Shorter College is proud to be “A Christian College Committed to Excellence in Education.” Through our traditional programs in Rome and our adult-degree classes in Atlanta and Rome, Shorter is a place where the mind and spirit intersect through intentional study and dialogue.

Recent years have brought growing recognition for our successes as an educational institution. In 2007, for the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Shorter among the South’s top baccalaureate colleges. We are also part of the Princeton Review’s lists as a “Best Southeastern College” and a “Best Value College.”

Our faculty, staff, administration, Board of Trustees, and Board of Visitors are working hard to ensure that the college’s brightest days are ahead. I encourage you to become involved in Shorter College’s exciting future.

Harold E. Newman
President

Take a look at the city of Rome, Georgia by CLICKING HERE

Schedule a tour by CLICKING HERE!

Contact us

SHORTER COLLEGE  • 315 Shorter Avenue  • Rome, Georgia 30165  • Phone: 800-868-6980

And visit us on the web by CLICKING HERE!

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The Acting Program At...

Shorter College

Department of Theatre at Shorter College

Welcome to the Department of Theatre at Shorter College! The department is a professional training program within the context of a liberal arts college. The faculty feels that the education of the whole artist, not just the actor, is vital to success in the professional world.

The program offers 3 degrees:

BA in Theatre, BFA in Theatre, BFA in Musical Theatre.

Mission Statement

In accordance with the Shorter College mission of providing quality undergraduate liberal arts and specialized professional programs, the Department of Theatre will provide academic and professional training for students with a desire to perpetuate and promote the art of theatre.

Placing an equal importance on academic and artistic excellence -- while seeking a balance between theoretical and applied material -- the Department of Theatre presents a curriculum as well as a performance season which combine to prepare students for success in the world of professional performance. The Shorter College Department of Theatre equips its students with the ability to shape the future of the theatre.

  

In accomplishing this purpose, the Department of Theatre seeks to:

1. Provide a strong base of knowledge in theatre theory, history and literature.

2. Provide practical training in the skills needed to succeed as a professional theatre artist.

3. Provide production opportunities that demonstrate how theatre history and theory relate to and work in performance, and which present laboratory experiences for practicing and honing skills.

4. Encourage individual artistic and spiritual growth, and create opportunities for the exploration
 and expansion of individual creative potential.

5. Provide varied, quality theatrical performances for diverse audiences.

Bachelor of Arts in Theatre

The Bachelor of Arts in Theatre emphasizes either tech/design or academia/scholarship. Coursework for the tech/design track includes Theatre Production, Makeup, Scene Painting, Theatrical Production, Welding, Stage Management, Design, and more. The tech/design track guides students either towards professional work in that field or to graduate school to further their education.

The academia/scholarship track includes Directing, Theatre History, Playwriting, Dramatic Literature, Period Styles, Acting, and more. This track is designed to prepare students to enter graduate school in related fields.

Hands-on opportunities for design and tech work, stage management, dramaturgy, assistant directing, and more will provide excellent practical application of classroom exploration.

The BA curriculum allows for great opportunities to double major or minor in a complementary field such as Art, English, Psychology, etc.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre

The BFA in Theatre is a professional actor training program designed to prepare students to tackle the professional theatre world upon graduation. We provide a learning environment where we train not just the actor, but the whole person through activities in the classroom, rehearsal space, and onstage in performance.

One of the strongest aspects of the actor training at Shorter College is the faculty’s dedication to the growth of every student as an individual. Students’ training is monitored carefully through their time here, structured with regular opportunities to reflect on strengths and weaknesses, goals that are being set, and growth as an artist and member of the Shorter College Theatre Department.

Our actor training has three main branches:

An intensive curriculum designed to prepare students to be working actors after four years at Shorter. Coursework includes Acting, Stage Movement, Voice for the Actor, Audition Techniques, Period Styles, Directing, the Development of Drama, Makeup, Theatre Production, Theatre History, Dance, and more.

A strong focus on preparing for professional auditions. All BFA performance majors are required to audition at the Georgia Theatre Conference (GTC) in the fall, which screens them to go to the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) in the spring—SETC is the largest multi-theatre auditions in the nation. Extensive “mock” auditions are held throughout the year to fine tune the auditioning process.

A commitment to professional networking, which is crucial for a working theatre professional. Numerous guest directors and guest artists are brought in throughout the year to do master classes in addition to bringing in representatives from various companies to do private auditions and coachings at Shorter.

At Shorter College, you are not only allowed to audition for mainstage shows as a first-year student—it is required for BFA students! We feel strongly about immediately fostering the connection between what you are doing in the classroom to what you do onstage.

The Musicals

We have a potentially twenty-plus production season ranging from a main-stage season comprised of 2 musical and 2 non-musical productions, to staged readings, second stage productions, improv shows, and more. CLICK HERE to see the 2007-2008 Theatre Season.

Prospective Students

We advocate prospective students observing our professors in their classroom elements. However, please make arrangements for this opportunity by calling the Admissions office at 706.233.7319 to set up a visit and/or tour of campus. We also encourage you to visit when we are in production, and are glad to arrange for tickets.

The faculty works throughout the fall and early winter to develop a season that reflects different styles and periods of theatre, while considering a myriad of factors including: numbers of roles, opportunities for students, audience potential, budget requirements and limits, and serving the overall Shorter College student body as well as our Department of Theatre student body.

All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to submit play titles for consideration (there are specific forms to be completed). The faculty then evaluates these choices and decides on a season, subject to availability of rights and royalties.

 

Any Shorter College student (and anyone from the community) may audition for the plays we produce. We typically hold auditions for the Fall musical and Fall play the first weekend after classes start. Auditions for the Spring musical and play occur in the previous November. This allows directors, actors, and designers the proper time for research and development and the potential re-scheduling of conflicts.

An audition is required for admission to the BFA Theatre and BFA Musical Theatre degree programs. The School of the Arts typically holds three auditions in the Spring semester for enrollment beginning the following fall, and one audition in November for audition in the following Spring semester. Please contact the School of the Arts office for more information, 706.233.7247. An on-campus interview is required for the BA in Theatre.

Friends Of Theatre

Our mission is to support the Shorter College Theatre Department by providing scholarship to deserving students enrolled in the College’s Theatre Department.

Friends of Theatre Programming

The Friends of Theatre proudly supports the Shorter College Theatre Department by providing funds for student scholarships, departmental awards, and program funding. We annually distribute scholarship money to students who show promise and dedication in performance, scholarship, and departmental contributions, balanced with financial need.

These scholarships often mean the difference between whether or not a student can attend school that year, in addition to allowing the student to participate in various conferences, auditions, and competitions that are so very important to their training. Shorter Theatre students consistently excel in state, regional, and national competitions.

While tuition, room and board, books, and other costs of attending Shorter are costly on their own, conferences also have registration, travel, food, and hotel expenses, in addition to the need for headshot photography sessions and reproductions. Donations to the Friends of Theatre are vital for off-setting these costs to students.

Additionally, the Friends of Theatre provide funding for departmental programming. Past donations have helped to fund guest artists for master classes, guest directors for important networking, and important supplies needed for a successful training program.

A Few of Our Gifted Faculty

 

Mr. Chris Crawford

Assistant Professor of Theatre, Technical Director & Lighting Designer
MFA in Lighting Design and Theatre Technology, Indiana University
Minor Fine Arts, Callaway Hall
706-233-7407
cbcrawford@shorter.edu

Chris Crawford serves as the department’s Technical Director and Lighting Designer. Chris has designed lights for a number of Atlanta Area theatres, including Theatrical Outfit, Theatre in the Square, True Colors Theatre, Jewish Theatre of the South, Duende Dance Company, and Fly By Theatre.

Chris also has served as a technical director and production manager for a wide variety of major events such as the Harley Owner’s Group National Rallies, The National Black Arts Festival, The Southeastern Flower Show, and many others. Chris earned his MFA in Lighting Design and Theatre Technology at Indiana State University. Chris is a native of Atlanta, and is excited to be a part of this unique and vibrant Theatre Department.

Mrs. Georgie Hall

Instructor of Dance; Choreographer
B.S. Ed. in Dance Education, University of Georgia
Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Choreography
Dance Studio, Winthrop-King Center
706-233-7408
ghall@shorter.edu

For more on Shorter College faculty CLICK HERE.

Contact us

SHORTER COLLEGE  • 315 Shorter Avenue  • Rome, Georgia 30165  • Phone: 800-868-6980

To visit us on the web CLICK HERE!