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The Acting Program At...

  The theatre major requires a minimum of 37 semester hours in the discipline; the theatre minor requires 18 hours. Classes include acting, directing, stage combat, yoga for actors, voice and movement, theatre history, special topics, a senior seminar, lab courses in production, and theatre practicum. All Wesleyan students are welcome to take part in the extracurricular productions mounted each year. Recent productions have included contemporary plays, classics, African-American plays, children's theatre, and student-directed plays.

Theatre is a collaborative art form expressing and critiquing the thought, dreams, and culture of a society. The theatre major helps students explore their potential as theatre artists and/or theatre scholars. The coursework offers introductory, intermediate, and advanced studies in theatre disciplines. Through the study of theatre in a liberal arts context, students learn to examine themselves and the world as they develop their creative abilities and critical skill. The courses at Wesleyan are appropriate for students with a general interest in theatre as well as for students with professional aspirations. The theatre department offers both academic and practical courses, with a commitment to enlarging the student’s knowledge through analyzing plays and learning about theatre of the past and present; studying acting, directing, voice, movement, and technical theatre; and bringing productions to life.

The departmental productions focus on strong roles for women and allow students to excel in areas traditionally dominated by men, such as directing and technical work. The theatre department actively encourages students to learn about all aspects of theatre. Majors and minors are expected to work on productions throughout their college career. Auditions and crew assignments are open to all students, regardless of major or year. Four to twelve plays are produced each year in the 1200-seat Porter Auditorium and the intimate Grassmann-Porter Studio Theatre.